that was run by a long-haired gent called Tim who used to drink Guinness in assembly and would shout "Oi! Crowther, you little cunt! You're late!" He had a "swear bin" that he would put money into every time he said something rude, which was constantly.

During English lessons he would play Ian Dury records and then discuss the lyrics with us. I remember us finding Fucking Ada very amusing.

At the same establishment I remember my French teacher stopping a lesson and playing us Bob Dylan's Desire in its entirety.

Held a weekly album club at lunchtime not dissimilar to these vinyl nights they hold these days - you've heard of them, the vinyl nights? He also deconstructed lyrics in English class. At the former I recall Ziggy Stardust being played all the way through and of the latter 10CC's "I'm Not In Love" springs to mind. It was invaluable to me, however I didn't realise how much so until much later in life. Luckily, someone had invented the internet by then and so I was able to track him down and say thank you.

There was a sweet spot in the mid 70s when our art teacher let us have record club at lunchtimes, so avoiding the biffings from more robust types at my south-coast comp; there could be heard "Overnight Sensation", "Machine Head" and similar 5th-form indulgence. He was a Pink Floyd and Deep Purple man, back when such things might mark you as a person of taste and sensitivity. I later attended a "Thin Lizzy" concert where I saw my form mistress with her physics master boyfriend. We were impressed.

Two hip teachers at my secondary school played "The Beaten Generation" by The The on the stereo, while they showed the lyrics scrawled on pieces of card and dropped them to the floor, a la Dylan in "Subterranean Homesick Blues".
When it finished we filed quietly out of the hall, back to our lessons.

...the music teacher (a strange man - brylcreemed hair, glasses, slightly camp, taciturn, contrarian) playing us a 45 of Pete Seeger's 'Little Boxes' one day. Other than that I can't recall what his lessons were about, other than time wasting/crowd control.

However... he did have a music instrument store the door of which (like the wardbrobe into Narnia) would occasionally not be locked at break/lunchtime. I managed to teach myself guitar as a result - sneaking in, fooling around with the instruments. I'm sure he knew, but tolerated it. One day I brought in some Jethro Tull sheet music and he sight read 'By Kind Permission Of' on piano. He could have told the 13 year old me it was pretty much all a steal from Beethoven but didn't. A less is more kind of guy. Who just seems even odder in retrospect.

Whose name for the life of me I cannot recall. He used to play music in the lessons, all his, never a pupil's. Wire, Patti Smith, The Clash, Siouxsie, The Ramones, Gen X, The Damned. I was 14, it was 1983 and I had just begun to uncover the (at the time)recent past. Out of all of those Patti Smith was probably the one I might not have gone on to investigate so soon and Patti I listen to most now. A major musical influence on my life, and I really wish I could remember his name...Mr...nah, the surname began with H. Anybody on here went to Central Foundation Boys at Old Street in London in the early 80s?!?!?

Gonna bug me all day...

...our English teacher was an unreconstructed hippie (in attitude if not appearance)who once devoted a whole lesson to a discussion of the lyrics of 'A Whiter Shade of Pale'. As these could be summarised by 'writer took lots of LSD' he did well to drag it out for a full 45 minutes.

The only other instance I can recall was a music lesson in which we were encouraged to bring in a record of our choice to play to the class and then discuss. James Rose chose 'In the Region of the Summer Stars' by The Enid and took such a fearful hammering that I think it still affects him to this day.

Just the absolute worst thing in the world. In my personal hell, there would be a load of colleagues all saying "Yeah, bruv, Tinchy Stryder's bare nang, let's go round the corner and blaze up" to a group of thirteen year olds.

but it'd be great if they were into GOOD STUFF & wanted to spread the excellent vibes around to impressionable minds!

At my educational establishment, I know for a fact that every other member of staff is pretty indifferent to music except for an old rocker amongst us. It being a primary school means that the children are generally too young to be interested in music which isn't chart-bound R'n'B.
I'd love to work in a secondary school so I could annoy all the kids with my musical references, anecdotes & ramblings...hee hee.

by Mr Crowther but I had a marvellous english/drama teacher who gave us a whole project on Hurricane and Joey from Desire. I think his vibe was along the lines of journalism/reported speech and the different voices you could use to tell stories. Whatever it was it blew my mind and meant that Desire (I was already a Dylan fan to whatever extent a 14 year old can be) became a stone-cold favourite.
We were encouraged to bring in our own examples later. I think someone brought in a copy of 2112 which we laughed out of court. Later that week I saw The Smiths do What Difference Does It Make? on TOTP. Life was good.

leant me
Small Change - Tom Waits
Berlin - Lou Reed
Goin' Home - Taj Mahal
Introduction To Chicago Blues - Various Artists

I thought "Fuck drama."

Always thought trying to teach "good music" could only result in it being labelled as the ultimate in "not cool".

Knowing a teacher was a Dead Head kept me from Garcia and co for 15 years ! What a waste, what a waste...

Years ago, our Head of Year decided to treat us all to a lecture on the perils of drugs. It ended with him playing his copy of the aforementioned Free tune on the rickety old school record player. We had to sit quietly and reflect upon said perils while the tune played in it's entirety.

Looking back, I understand what he was trying to do, but I still can't listen to that song without cringing. Never mind drugs, it damn near put me off Free.

Were the only time insight was gained. Art teacher's band played and the fact they played I saw her standing there was enough for me to hang on every subsequent word.
They also used to allow some of us musically inclined kids to take over the wheels of steel. It was 1978 and I sneaked on Wings then current 45 I've had enough. No word of a lie spontaneous applause broke out at the end and a demand for immediate repeat. Did set me off on this broadcasting life but I remind myself it was a Bradford school in 1978-we were still in black and white back then th' knows and thought it was heavy rock!!

We had a history teacher called Colin Newcombe who was into music in a big way and history lessons usually veered away from issues like Bismarck's tactic of divide and rule, or whatever we were meant to be learning, to the merits of different styles of music and into topics such as, whether you needed keyboards (in the light of bands like The Jam and many of the new wave groups), or whether the old wave had truly had it. As sixth formers we were ourselves very divided on that topic - many of us being into prog rock and Zeppelin, etc and others who had their own bands and were in mod or new wave/punk bands of their own (eg Barney Wetton had a band called Sore Point which then morphed into My Bottom! He also toyed with other combinations of names such as Sore Bottom and My Point!).

Mr Newcombe even presented a history of popular music from Frank Sinatra to the Sex Pistols in a couple of school assemblies, but his thunder was stolen by over-running and the bell going for the first lesson of the day. So 'Anarchy in the UK' never got played!

I remember him starting one lesson with the immortal words, "This year both Peel and I hit forty."

Another memory I have of the sixth form was in an English lesson with one of a stream of teachers we only had for a short while. She asked us to bring in our favourite poems. I think I took in a Robert Frost poem, but Rob Larkin came in with Bob Dylan's 'The Times They Are A-Changin'" LP and read a lyric off the back cover - can't remember which. The teacher was well impressed and said, "Can I borrow that?" "NO!" was the answer. Awkward silence. On with lesson.

Each class had to lead an Assembly and one bunch chose the subject of 'fashion' which was really just an excuse to play the Scary Monsters tack in its entirety.

The head of drama (aka the drama queen) was so incensed by the dim that he staged a very public flounce out (he felt the need to go to the front of the hall before sweeping out of the back). I think it was We are the goon squad and we're coming to town, beep beep that did for him.

A friend who was teaching at the time borrowed my copy of Richard Thompson's 'Henry the Human Fly' and read out in assembly the short piece on the back written by Thompson starting 'Bugger,' said God, 'raining again'.
It seemed to go down very well.