Rap sheds bad rep when it's put to use as language tool
A TRIO OF RAPPERS takes to the stage in front of a crowd of several hundred, microphones in hand, ready to pump up the volume.
The man with the mic is local hip-hop legend MC Yan, flanked by fellow Canto rappers Chef and MC ADV.
But rather than an audience of Generation X and Y hip-hop fans the artists are more accustomed to, these are primary and secondary school teachers. They are not here just to enjoy the music - this is a seminar on an innovative method which its protagonists hope could have a major impact on the teaching and learning of English in local schools.
They plan to teach students to rap.
Hip-hop may still be seen by many as a subversive influence not to be encouraged in the classroom. But desperate to find a way to ignite passion for a language students often find intimidating and have few real-life opportunities to practise, today's teachers are turning to unconventional methods.
So for the next two hours, Yan and his crew lead the teachers in what he describes as 'kindergarten lessons' in the medium, a crash-course starting with the basics of composing rhymes and going through to working with meter and tempo.