REFLEXIVITY 101

Because I am outside the age range that is typically associated with Disney Channel pop, I have never really considered myself part of this youth culture. However, I now realize that I have a number of direct connections to the Disney Channel pop scene, and I think I need to state these clearly before I begin my research. My familiarity with this scene involves a number of connections, including:
- I have been watching Disney channel since I was eight or so, although in recent years not nearly as much.
- I attended secondary school with Emily Osment, co-star of the hit music/TV show, Hannah Montana. She currently has her own single out for her new Disney Channel original movie “The Haunting Hour”. However, I rarely came in contact with her (I was a senior when she was in eighth grade).
- In Spring 2006, I taught hip hop once a week to a group of fourth and fifth graders. In one of our dances we included a move from High School Musical. The kids immediately recognized it. They later expressed great enthusiasm for Hannah Montana and asked if I could get Emily Osment’s autograph for them.
- I worked at a summer camp in 2006, and all of the kids were obsessed with High School Musical. It was played during snack time and lunch time, and all the girls (and many of the boys) knew all of the words and choreography. It was here that I got a real sense of its popularity.
- My mom works for Disney headquarters, and attends meetings every so often that update employees on Disney success in various entertainment niches. In the past year and half, at almost all of these meetings the presenter has stressed the importance of High School Musical and how it is affecting Disney revenues and popularity. She has told me about this in passing.
- I worked at Tigerbeat/BOP magazine over the summer as a photo intern. It as here that I began to understand how much the Disney Channel had permeated mainstream music.