If It Makes You Happy....

Before she became one of the most successful female performers in the music industry, singer Sheryl Crow was a teacher, and this week she returned to her roots.

The former elementary school music teacher came to Dartmouth College in Hanover, N.H. this week to teach as part of the Ivy League college's Montgomery Fellowship Program, reports Brian Byrnes of CBS affiliate WCAX-TV.

"I did this out of real selfish reasons because I wanted to enter this domain again of thinking about what it is that I do," the singer said. Hopefully, the energy of these students rubs off on me and to be able to get some dialogue going about what's really going on, what young people are interested in."

Crow held a students-only performance and sat in on two classes, answering questions that touched on a variety of topics, including herself and her career.

Past Montgomery fellows at Dartmouth include Gerald Ford, Madeline Kunin and Toni Morrison; Crow is the first musician.

"This is the first time we have addressed the issue of pop culture," said Montgomery Endowment spokesperson Barbara Gerstne. She said some people look at it is as controversial, "but I think it is important for students to meet a variety of people."

In a school that thrives on tradition, the 38-year-old Missouri-born musician is a breath of fresh air, said some of the students.

"I think people were really impressed with the way she presented herself and enjoyed her music," said sophomore Annalisa Harrington. "We're excited to have her here, too."

Added John Brett, a junior: "Being able to draw a nationally known person to talk about pop culture and its influences, I think, was good for this campus. It's nice to have that shot in the arm."

Of course, Crow, whose hits include All I Wanno Do and If It Makes You Happy, had her own take on pop culture and how celebrity has affected her as a songwriter.

"The thing that bothers me the most is how sensationalized celebrity has become, how fixated we have become on that," she told students. "It's almost impossible now to maintain any anonymity as a writer.... to have a voice as a writer and not to overshadow what you're writing about with your celebrity."