To want heads on platters? Utterly inappropriate school assembly

[Renarde1975]

This is a fucking corker. I am fuming but I'd like the hive minds' view.

At DS assembly today. Topic is 'Evacuation: WW2'. All good. Actually, they've done a great job and it's really excellent. Then this.

Towards the end, Christine Aguilera's 'Candyman' comes on. I'm watching open mouthed. I still cannot believe it.

MN: let me refresh you on the 'choicest' lyrics.

He's a one stop shop, makes the panties drop

He took me to the Spider club on Hollywood and Vine
We drank champagne, and we danced all night

He's a one stop shop, makes my cherry pop

And no, MN - this was NOT the radio edit.

And then to cap it all off for some inexplicable reason we are treated to two renditions of Don't Stop Believin' by Journey

A singer in a smoky room
A smell of wine and cheap perfume
For a smile they can share the night
It goes on and on, and on, and on

WTAF? Did I smoke crack this morning and enter into a parallel dimension? I am a teacher, that another member of my profession could fuck up so royally is just, wow.

I don't want my nine year old son to be singing this in a school assembly, or listening to words that objectify women and glorify alcohol. Turns out the kids were practicing the dance moves to Candyman for three weeks!

This is the one and only time I am going to comment on mumsnet as, tbh, I am absolutely disgusted with the language and some of the comments. I agree they were a dreadful choice of songs and I feel heads should roll, parents should complain. As a teacher your language leaves a lot to be desired so I am not sure how you can take a moral high horse in this.

This brings back memories of listening to my own dd and her little friends singing "I get high with a little help from my friends" at the end of term concert in Yr 4. I had to conclude that either the teachers who were in charge of the programme and rehearsals genuinely believed that this was a motivational line (I can aspire high with the help from my friends, in this school we help each other to aim higher) or that they were so completely cynical that they simply didn't care.
I didn't kick up a fuss because my dd was probably the only one who knew what it was about and I could deal with her.

But I do think a song that is obviously pornographic or misogynistic becomes far more problematic in a school setting- heaven knows that British headteachers and school teachers spend enough time in assembly and elsewhere making it clear that part of the school's job is to teach values. If that is what you tell the children, then you have to make sure the values are good ones.

That's rather different from what your mate's big brother told you in the playground.

So many wonderful, appropriate, uplifting songs to choose from. I don't think schools should be positively encouraging children to listen to such inappropriate lyrics, whether they go over their heads or not. I wouldn't do it, and parents would be queueing up to complain if I did. I'm with you op. They won't be scarred for life, but that doesn't make it ok.

I don't think you're being at all unreasonable, the lyrics you quoted are gross. I don't think I'm a prude, I just wish we could have some finesse back in life rather than crudity all the time. I' be furious if my primary age kid was exposed to that.

The ''Journey song'' is best known as the execution of Tony Soprano. And all children should be aware of that.

One year our primary school’s Halloween parade featured the song Superfreak by Rick James. “She’s a very kinky girl, the kind you don’t bring home to mother...”. The irony was that the school had a parent assembly the week prior featuring a speaker who had authored an Important Book on the oversexualuzation of children.

This is not really a corker is it?

YANBU. The argument that kids won't listen and it's just noise to them is totally depressing. They're at school! They've been practicing for weeks! And now we're meant to console ourselves with the notion that it hasn't been going in! Why not spend weeks practicing something that will and should go in! I wouldn't necessarily be fuming, but I think it's lazy. They should aim higher. Other catchy tunes exist.

Well in the case of the Christina Aguilera song you have a point. Not suitable at all unless it was the radio edit. Someone has not thought that through at all but considering the video I can see why it was chosen.
In the case of the Journey(two versions..why?what?) song well I don't quite get the significance to WW2 and those lyrics were nothing in comparison and that's a song that's played everywhere even if I do agree it is crap and that's coming from an 80s girl.
I think they missed a trick actually as much as this is probably somewhat obscure(I used to be into the 40s/50s) to most but to me the perfect song that they should have been used is 'Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy' by The Puppini Sisters or the original by The Andrews Sisters.A fun song, in keeping with the theme of WW2 and perfectly innocent.

Lollee Are you my mum?

When DS was at the end of Year 2 they did a version of 'The Wizard of Oz' called 'Over the Rainbow' and when the main characters came on they all had a theme song which the ensemble would dance to. The Lion had 'The Lion Sleeps Tonight' which was fine, but the Scarecrow had 'Insane in the Brain' which was very... surprising! Yup, a group of 6 and 7 year olds were dancing to Cypress Hill.

It was all so different in my day. We were made to sing 'The Streets of London'. Every sodding week. oh god OP this yes - so much this!!!

The lyrics to some of Rod Stewart’s songs leave a lot to be desired too. There’s one about ‘my virgin child’ where he’s on about her taking her clothes off !!

My (just) 6 year old’s favourite current song is ‘7 years’ by Lukas Graham which goes ‘smoking herb and drinking burning liquor’. I wonder what she makes of it, she certainly hasn’t asked me what herb is yet

You are not that parent if you object to your children singing adult and frankly sexist songs.

I grew up as a teenager listening to alternative music, I am not ‘mainstream’ in my music tastes by any sense of the imagination. But 9 year olds listening to songs about ‘panties drop’ and women dropping to their knees - ‘it’s going down, I’m yelling timber’ - is frankly appalling. What the fuck do you think that’s about?

And if you can’t see that - you’re the problem.

she says she won’t, but I bet she will

Positive message for the young generation

I can't believe you're annoyed about this. I must be doing this parenting thing all wrong. DD knows a lot about alcohol, periods, watches stuff totally inappropriate for her but it goes right over her head or if she's curious gets an explanation confused I've just never ever thought of censoring anything.

Periods eh? Totally inappropriate. Don’t ever discuss those. Pretty much the same as laughing at women ‘going down, I’m yelling timber’

Stuff doesn’t go over kids heads. They are not stupid. It forms the basis of who they are and their vision of the world. Teachers promoting ‘panties dropping’ and ‘she’s going down, I’m yelling timber’? I feel sorry for both our boys and girls

It's popular culture music. It's always been godless, daring and pushing boundaries, from the time that jazz started to now. And children have been exposed to it since that time, and somehow not ended up going to hell in a handcart.

Not appropriate for primary school in my opinion. I wouldn't play those to young kids if it was me. My kids were at a C of E school which raised the bar somewhat with lots of great age appropriate songs such as those from Out of the Arc music.

Renarde 1975 ............Probably...but don't tell anyone!

I once went to one of DSD2's drama school performance evenings where they had a group of 3-6 year olds doing a choreographed routine to ABBA's Voulez-Vous. Complete with hip wiggles and grinding. DH and I were 😲😲
Nothing surprises me any more.

ooops two times. Morality and good behaviour begins with parents and other adults in a kid's orbit. Google or YouTube 'Children see, children do' 3 now, signing off.

Candyman IS age inappropriate. A teacher planned this ?
If it were in a kids amature disco fair enough.
But is was planned by some doughnut who should have known better

Yes we were made to sing streets of london every week we were also more than familiar with the lyrics to stuff like, well like a prayer, which is about oral sex act isnt it???

When i was 9 did i realise why maddona was down on her knees etc nope i just liked the tune,

I sang spice girls 2 become 1 when I was 10 in school talent show 

I didn't have the scoobiest what I was singing about!