Please excuse this small bit of self-indulgence as I take a trip down memory lane.

This morning I did something I hardly ever do anymore, I went directly to The New York Times homepage. There it was front and center, smacking me in the face with memories of middle school, a story about Seattle’s music scene twenty years after Nirvana’s release of Smells Like Teen Spirit. Embedded in the sidebar of the article are some multimedia elements including a six minute mini-documentary about Seattle’s, Nirvana’s, and other bands’ roles in shaping the music scene of the 90’s.

Two things struck me as I watched the video. First, I’m definitely getting older. Second, many of my students listen to bands today that were heavily influenced by the likes of Nirvana. So what’s this have to do with education? Don’t worry here’s the tie-in. Music teachers looking to give a lesson on the development of the modern music scene might want to pass this article and video along to students. Similarly, social studies teachers trying to develop lessons on 1990’s culture may want to give the article and video a look.

And for all of my Gen-X contemporaries, happy listening.