How to Use Music In Teaching
By Jose Mari Almoradie Carpena
July 2022
Music is an integral part of our lives, especially if you’re a Filipino. Filipino movies’ titles are often the names of famous songs, and our parties should always have a karaoke machine. But does music also have a place in the way we teach? This is not to ask if we should “teach music” to students like in a music class. Instead, for Linggo ng Musikang Pilipino, here we explore how authors have previously proposed music to enhance student learning in other fields like economics, chemistry, and much more.
Chemistry Education
Many of us have experienced being provided with mnemonic devices by our teachers to help us memorize concepts in chemistry. You may be familiar with the mnemonic device for electron configuration, or some other mnemonic device, but Crowther & Davis (2013) actually created a song entitled “Amino Acid Jazz” to help their students. Crowther and Davis emphasize, however, that the structure, dynamics, and other musical elements should be in line with the content, and that a song should not be just a placeholder for content-related lyrics. However, the use of music in education can go beyond rote memorization.
Economics Education
Topics in economics can be quite intimidating especially for those who are not familiar with the most basic of concepts. As such, Van Horn & Van Horn (2013) explored how they could use popular and contemporary music in teaching economics concepts as well as critical thinking. For example, they asked their students in a History of Economic Thought to perform guided analyses of songs such as “Somebody Else’s Money” by the Wallflowers to teach about Veblen, and “Imagine” by John Lennon to teach about utopian socialism. Their students provided feedback claiming that the songs and their subsequent examination of the songs helped them understand the concepts as the songs provided them with a relatable context and medium.
Now, what about Filipino songs? Perhaps we can use songs like “Upuan” by Gloc-9, which discusses how the rich is blind to the plight of the poor. With a chorus of
“Kayo po na naka upo
Subukan nyo namang tumayo
At baka matanaw at baka matanaw na nyo
Ang tunay na kalagayan ko”
it’s easy to see how to connect this song to the economic realities of the Philippines. Or what about “Pera Pera” by Sandwich:
“Pera pera wow ang daming pera
Pera pera lahat ay pumipila
Pera pera wow and daming pera
Lahat sumasamba ang daming umaasa
Asa ka pa”
Political Science Education
Similarly, Soper (2010) used music in their Introduction to American Politics class. However, Soper made it so that the students suggested songs, and explained how those songs related to the topics within the class. For example, the students submitted songs such as “Where is the Love” by the Black-Eyed Peas, and “American Idiot” by Green Day. This approach can further engage the students by letting them decide the content instead by promoting autonomy.
Imagine if this happened in a class about Philippine politics. Songs about Philippine politics abound: Tatsulok by Bamboo, and Ilusyon by Abra ft. Arci Muñoz are only two of the recent songs which are famous among young students; students would have a lot to choose from. In fact, teachers might have a problem if they let students themselves choose, as I’m sure that a lot of the songs the students will provide would not be familiar to the teacher.
Conclusion
As it can be seen, music can go beyond helping students memorize facts and terminologies: it can help improve their critical thinking abilities, and likewise increase their engagement in the class. Fortunately for us, music streaming services are now much more accessible these days. When I was young, we had to go to a shop just to get the songs burned into our CDs. Students these days can just go to YouTube or Spotify and listen to music, and I’m sure most if not all of your students know some song they can connect to your course. What about you? What song do you think you could use to help engage your students?
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References
Crowther, G. J., & Davis, K. (2013). Amino acid jazz: Amplifying biochemistry concepts with content-rich music. Journal of Chemical Education, 90(11), 1479-1483.
Soper, C. (2010). Rock and roll will never die: Using music to engage students in the study of political science. PS: Political Science & Politics, 43(2), 363-367.
Van Horn, R., & Van Horn, M. (2013). What would Adam Smith have on his iPod? Uses of music in teaching the history of economic thought. The Journal of Economic Education, 44(1), 64-73.
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