This month, Classroom Voces and Teacher's Discovery are spotlighting authors who've turned their real classroom experience into comprehensible readers for World Language classrooms. These are stories born from real teaching experience—written to engage students, build language skills, and deliver results in the classroom.
Meet: Tim Fisher
Spanish teacher for 22 years, Fulbright Teacher Exchange recipient, and champion of Música Miércoles
Tim Fisher teaches Spanish 2 and 3 at New Braunfels Christian Academy in New Braunfels, Texas. Over 22 years in the classroom, he has taught Levels 1 through 4, including native speakers, and has been named Teacher of the Year multiple times. He was a Fulbright Teacher Exchange recipient to Mexico in 2009–2010, and every Wednesday, his students know it's time for Música Miércoles.
1. Why do you use music in your class?
Kids listen to music all the time, so music gives them something they're already used to, just in a different language. So engagement is at an all-time high. When we read the lyrics on screen, I love watching them react. Sometimes it's "Oh, that's what that means?" and they're laughing, and sometimes it's a deeper song and they really think about it.
2. How do you do it?
I've been doing Música Miércoles, or Music Wednesdays, for many years. We listen to a song, look at the lyrics, and talk about what they mean. If time allows and the video is worth watching, we watch it together and discuss it: what's going on here, and why did the artist choose this setting for the song?
3. What is Roxxem and how has it helped?
I found Roxxem while I was looking for ways to make using music in the classroom easier. With paper worksheets, I noticed I wasn't getting engagement from every student, because they could simply choose not to fill it in. With Roxxem, everything is digital and done for me so class moves faster and is more engaged.
Roxxem has also grown well beyond music videos. I can import my own videos with the editor, so if I want students working with vocabulary from our unit, I don't have to go anywhere else. With the lesson creator, I can build a 30-minute or even hour-long lesson in 5 or 10 minutes, and the objectives are right there if an administrator walks in.
I also like that there are different activities for different students. Some are stronger with vocabulary and some are better at building sentences, so everyone has a way in.
4. What are your students' favorite parts of Roxxem?
Hands down, Whac-A-Word. They love shooting each other down, freezing each other, and all the little powers they have. Sometimes they get so busy playing that they forget it's a competition, and I love that, because I'd rather they be so engaged in the song that they forget there was a purpose behind it.
This year I started using Quiz Ninja, and it really keeps them involved. They watch the tower on the side and ask each other, "How are you getting up there so fast?" The powers change from activity to activity, so just when they think they've figured them out, there's a new one.
The best part is the excitement. On Música Miércoles, the questions start right away: "Do we get the computers out? Are we doing Whac-A-Word?" And if I use Roxxem on a different day, they say, "We're doing Roxxem today? Really?" and then, "Yay!"
5. How does Roxxem align with Classroom Voces?
The first unit in Voces Level 3 is an art unit, so I found videos in Roxxem that were super artistic and we discussed what was going on in them. The Roxxem lesson taught the story for me, which gave me a nice break while students still got the content.
It lets students approach the same material from a different perspective, and kids like having something different to do. For fellow Voces teachers, Roxxem has plenty of content to take a unit in a different or deeper direction and get more out of what you're trying to accomplish with your students.
6. What would you tell a teacher who wants to bring more music into class?
Jump in and play around. It takes some time to learn, but you just have to keep going.
When I did my first lesson, I told my students I had never done it before, so we were going to follow it through and see what happens. Even when you preview a lesson, you can't really know how it will go until you try it. I don't think the Roxxem lessons ever go flat. There's always something gained.
My other advice is to go Pro. I figured out right away that the basic version wasn't giving me enough. With Pro, I can use the editor to put in my own songs and videos, so if there's something specific I want my students working with, I can use it.
It's worth the investment. Hopefully your school will pay for it, and if not, it's worth finding a way.
Try Roxxem free here or discover Roxxem on Teacher's Discovery here.
