After the Show - August 26, 2019

After the Show 

By, Michael Earnshaw 

August 26, 2019 

@mearnshaw158 

My mind is tatted with great memories from going to punk, ska, and hardcore shows with my crew growing up. Many of the bands we shared the dance floor with, and the venues that orphaned us for a night, operated on a DIY ethos. Admission was cheap, which was a bonus for a young teenage punk to be able to mosh and slam dance out their frustrations every Friday and Saturday night! Some of my fondest memories, the ones that had the strongest impressions on me, weren't from any bands’ performance (although I do have thousands of those). Instead, I longed for the time before, in between, and after the sets that sent us into a sweating frenzy.  

If doors to a show opened at 7:00 pm, we were outside the venue by 5:45 pm. It wasn’t to get a good seat, there were no seats. It wasn’t to enjoy the beautiful weather. Living in Chicago we’d be standing outside in baggy shorts and a hoodie, being pelted with snow, rain, sub-zero & blistering temperatures, sometimes all in the same week! The reason for our early arrival was to get noticed, make connections, and build relationships with the musicians that created the sounds that we connected with and transported us to Shangri-La.   

Getting to shows early, hitting up merch booths after a band’s set, and hanging outside the venue blanketed in sweat after everything was said and done, we were guaranteed to meet musicians, talk about life, and get to know each other on a more personal level. Many friendships were made and the next time a band played a set or rolled into town it made their performance that much more personal for us all. With bands taking the time to sit and talk with the fans, they proved to us they truly cared about what they were doing, and their message was pure and honest. Bands needed us, the fans, and gained inspiration from us. They truly cared about who we were as people. This connection had us sprinting into the venue the next time they destroyed the stage.  

Educators are no different to their students. Our kids want to know that we truly care about them as people, as individuals. They are not just a number or a seat in our classrooms. Our main goal is not for them to succeed on a one-day state assessment. As educators we want our students to succeed in life, believe in themselves and their strengths and abilities, be confident problem solvers, collaborate, exhibit empathy and kindness, and set goals to change the world! Students will never accomplish these if we don’t show and prove we truly care for and believe in them.  

Look at the impact that a 5 to 10-minute conversation with a band member before a show has had on so many young punks, including myself! I still appreciate and value the time anyone gives me with a conversation, phone call, or Vox. Our students look up to us, they admire us, and are watching our every move. What messages do students receive when one educator sits and eats lunch with them once a week while another never steps foot into the cafeteria. What’s the difference in messages sent from the educator that stands outside of their classroom door every morning or between each period, greeting students with a, “Hello, how’s it going today? How was your game last night?”, a fist bump, or hug vs. the educator that is sitting at their computer checking emails, or even worse, talking with other colleagues, backs turned to the students? What’s a student going to think when they see staff from their school on a Friday or Saturday, cheering for them from the stands?  

If we want our students to know that we are here for them, that we value them as individuals, we must make the time for them. A few minutes in the hallway, cafeteria, playground, or parking lot will last a lifetime. It’s up to us, the performers, to show our fans the appreciation, gratitude, and belief we have in them.  These moments are what will gain our students attention when it comes to instruction. These moments are what will have our students sprinting back into our schools and classrooms each day. Without our students support we will never have a chance at changing this world for the better.  

The DIY (Do It Yourself) Mentality Isn't Just for Punk Rock, Schools Need it Too! - June 27, 2019

The DIY (Do It Yourself) Mentality Isn't Just for Punk Rock, Schools Need it Too!

By, Michael Earnshaw

June 27, 2019

@mearnshaw158

Growing up as a teenager in the 90’s I loved watching young up and coming bands get some momentum going behind them and their message. I was never fortunate enough to be a member of a band myself, but I did get to see many of my friends, and friends of friends, get some notoriety behind their passion. This was all done with a DIY mentality – Do It Yourself.  

The internet was a newborn baby in the early 90’s and many families weren’t yet blessed with the wonderful cries of dial-up internet. Today, young bands can record a song in their garage and in seconds post it to numerous free music sites to be heard by millions across the world. Bands can DM a promoter or club owner, get a gig, and get rolling with what they love doing, playing music. I’m not bashing or jealous of the help that technology gives today’s musicians, I think it’s great and have discovered so many new bands daily because of it. But when I was just getting into the scene, there was more grunt work to be done.  

While growing up, young band members needed jobs. The money they earned would help them to book a local recording studio, usually in another, more elder, local band’s garage or basement. They would then record a cassette demo. A little later into the 90’s it became CDs. The beauty of cassettes and CDs was that it was only immediately heard by the individual possessing it. I remember so many mornings getting woken up by the ringing, and flashing, of my see through, corded, hardwired phone.  

“Dude, you have to hear this demo I picked up last night!” 

“Who is it? I’ve never heard of them? Where are they from? Who do they sound like?” 

“Dude, you just have to hear it!”  

“Come pick me up, I'll be ready in 15.” 

Once I ran out to my buddy's non-air conditioned, blue Corsica with the ceiling melting towards our liberty spikes from the heat, no words would be spoken. His finger would slowly creep towards the “Play” button, resembling that of E.T. while my face was a mirror image of Elliot as the music began. I would listen, look over the hand drawn artwork provided as a sheath to protect the cassette, and then say, “Luke has to hear this!” 

That was how the beauty of music was shared once a young punk got their hands on a demo. Bands would set up tables, full of their homemade swag, promoting themselves and hoping someone would pick up their passion project. Bands would walk the streets surrounding local venues, plastering homemade flyers and stickers, hoping to catch the curious eye of those lining up to see their favorite bands. If a band wanted to get their name out past the boundaries of their hometown, they needed to put in the work and do it themselves. Self-promotion, sacrifice, and the drive to reach their goal no matter what. If they wanted to play shows in a state or two over, they made it happen by calling promoters, other bands they’ve befriended, and through word of mouth from fans.  

I’ve always respected and admired the DIY ethic of local bands pursuing their dreams. It was always obvious of which bands were “All in” and those that just had hopes and dreams with lack of an action plan behind how they would reach their goal. Comparing these two approaches got me thinking as to why schools need to adopt the DIY philosophy to what is in their control.  

The State is not going to save our schools with funding. Local government is not going to save our schools with tax revenues. District Office is not going to spend the budget on the essential items and initiatives us “in the trenches” ask for, knowing in our hearts that it will benefit kids. The above three entities all have one goal in common: saving money. Punk rock has never been about becoming a millionaire. Neither has the world of education.  

Now is the time for schools and classrooms to take the DIY philosophy and get in place what we know is going to make our kids better, not just now, but for theirs, and our future. This is where many of us will have to get outside of our comfort zones and become creative with what we currently have available to us. Look around your classroom, your home, your parents’ home, garage sales, thrift stores, the $1 section at Target. Can you take some of these old, washed up items and bring them to life in your classroom? Better yet, could your students bring them to life and spend a day learning? I’m not a gambling man, but I would put money down that if you begin to think outside of the box and take a look around (thanks Sick of it All!) you would find enough items that could fill your 180 days of rigorous instruction. Not only would your students spend time learning creatively, hands-on, and collaboratively, the air would be filled with smiles and laughter, which is never a bad thing while expanding the brain.  

Another approach to bringing the DIY philosophy into your school or classroom is to talk with your colleagues. Take advantage of social media, much like today’s bands, and put out a post of what you’re looking for. Believe it or not, people love to donate their time, materials, and funds. It’s part of the PMA effect. Random acts of kindness bring joy to the one providing the act, sometimes more so than the receiver. If word of mouth and social media postings don’t provide what you’re looking for, start a campaign with something legit, like Donor’s Choose.  

As educators, if we sit back and wait for those controlling the funds to provide what our students truly need in this moment, what are students need for relevant, rigorous, real-life, collaborative learning, you might as well begin counting the stars. With the DIY philosophy in place in our schools and classrooms, educators will not be able to get everything they feel they need, but there’s a good chance they will obtain what is best for our students by putting in the footwork and collaborating with those around them and in their PLN.