The Microphone is a Kaleidoscope
My former student Jo Pierce teaches me the year 2004 in music
Of all the many high school students I taught, Jo Pierce stands out for combining a caring-is-sharing vibe with a great ear for all kinds of music.
Shout-out here to all the students throughout my career who turned me on to great songs, starting with the band of 5th graders in 2002 who, when I invited them to play a song for us in class, asked if they could play “Smells Like Teen Spirit.” Yup, I was late to Nirvana, but what an intro!
I’ll also always remember the 5th graders who turned me on to “Y Soy Rebelde” in 2003 and “One-Two Step” in 2005. When I moved up to teaching high school at Crenshaw in 2012, those kids kept saying “swimming pool drank” and I kept looking at them like ??? until finally they introduced me to Kendrick Lamar. The hits kept coming with my students at Grand Arts all abuzz about this LA kid who for a good long while I thought was named Billy English. Those guys also turned me on to Mitski. I love her beautiful duet “Sanctuary” with Tamino — it’s my favorite song of 2025.
I’m thrilled that even years after graduating, Jo was up to school me on music from 2004. Their picks have expanded the borders of my musical landscape, like a sonic gardener who makes the flowers pop.
Check out Jo’s 2004 playlist.
Check out the previous episodes:
Episode Three: 1986 with Jack Devine, elegant, and energetic as an Eddie Van Halen solo.
Episode Two: 1987 with Lisa Devine (yup, Jack’s mom, restoring musical memories is a family affair)
Episode One: The Year 2000 with Ben Schumer "(On Modest Mouse, Sigur Rós, and how favorite songs hit home even harder after living with them for 25 years)
Intro: I don’t want my musical memories to become a mausoleum