Though we're not on campus at the moment, the Bentley Buzz will continue to share stories about the faculty and staff who make Bentley special. Now more than ever, it's important for the Bentley community to remain connected, one story at a time. Which new measures are you taking to stay productive, entertained and safe during this time of social distancing? Share those, and all stories, with us by emailing buzz@bentley.edu.
April 9, 2020
BROCKETS: A New Take on March Madness
In recent weeks, many parents in our community and throughout the world have taken on the role of home school teachers, with many finding new ways of connecting with their children through creative lesson plans. For Senior Lecturer in the Department of English & Media Studies Jeff Stern, that’s meant schooling his children on popular music throughout history, all while filling the void left by this year’s canceled March Madness college basketball tournament.
“Somewhere in the middle of week 2 of home schooling our two kids (ages 10 and 8), I decided we needed to start having music lessons,” explained Jeff. “I had a captive audience and it was high time these kids learned the difference between Devo and Lizzo. Plus: when you’re the teacher, you make the lesson plans.” That’s when Jeff introduced his own March Madness bracket, pitting notable musical acts against one another in what he called BROCKETS.
The structure was a familiar one for Jeff’s kids, who both love keeping track of competition through brackets. So Jeff printed out a blank bracket and began seeding the acts as he saw fit before playing them for his kids to judge.
“It’s really fun to see them honestly critique music they have never heard before,” said Jeff. “They give each song a 0-10 rating. One thing that has been very amusing is that they have no knowledge of who is supposed to win. No one gets by on reputation alone. That is why Weird Al Yankovic (#16 seed) had no problem upsetting The Who (#1 seed).”
Jeff shared his project on social media and has gotten great feedback from others who have completed their own BROCKETS. So far, over 140 people have liked his page on Facebook, prompting him to create his own website with a downloadable, pre-seeded bracket and Spotify playlist. The project has been a great way for Jeff and his kids to track their own March Madness competition while learning some musical classics. It’s been so well received that he plans to release a second playlist and bracket next week. Stay tuned!
Interested in listening to the playlist? Visit Jeff's Brockets Website
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