42 SCIENCE SCOPE

by Keith Smolinski
F
or thousands of years, people have
used music to transfer informa-
tion and narrate stories. The
musical structure, consisting
of words set to melodies in rhythmic
patterns, made the content easier
to remember (Levitin 2006; Sacks
2007). Those who grew up in the
1980s are no strangers to this: Ses-
ame Street, Schoolhouse Rock!, and
Animaniacs were television shows
that used catchy songs to teach a va-
riety of topics, especially to young
children. For years, advertisers
have used jingles in a similar
fashion to cement the name of a
product into the minds of buy-
ers (Yalch 1991). Researchers
have investigated the long- and
short-term effects of song on
memory and found that music
aided in the recall of information
(Calvert and Tart 1993; Chazin
and Neuschatz 1990; Rainey and
Larsen 2002; Wallace 1994). It is the
idea of music serving as a memory tool
that sparked the investigation described here.
Music selection
While this topic was originally explored
as a research study, I wanted to focus
on how to use music in the science
classroom. Many teachers have tried
to use songs in classes to pique
students interest. However, it is
doubtful that listening to a few
songs created any signicant
increases in content retention.
Had that been the case, every
class would probably be listen-
ing to a couple of songs each
day. When looking for music
for my own classroom, I did
not nd any that was spe-
cic enough for my biology
curriculum and addressed
national and state teach-
ing standards. As a biology
teacher, I have always found
that students need help with
their vocabulary. For example,
with cells, the cell parts are the
primary new terms that students
need to learn. Students need to
master the cell-part vocabulary
Oct ober 2011 43
LEARNING SCIENCE USING MUSIC
The Cell Song
FIGURE 1
(mitochondria, endoplasmic reticulum, nucleus, cell
membrane, etc.) to have the foundation they need to
understand the text and the more complicated cellu-
lar processes such as photosynthesis, cellular respi-
ration, osmosis, and cell division. Therefore, I com-
posed 10 original songs aligned with the state and
national standards and wrote the sheet music for each
song so the choral department would be able to use it,
as well. Using a Macintosh program called Logic Stu-
dio, I also recorded the songs on an album called Bio-
rhythms: The Music of Life Science. (GarageBand
would also be very ef fective for recording, espe-
cially with the new app for the iPad.) For my cell
study unit, students learned one particular song
from the album called The Cell Song. This song
(see Figure 1) was chosen because it covered the
cellular components I wanted students to know. To
hear the The Cell Song, go to www.youtube.com/
watch?v=KzMviiBoRtA.
Using the music
Once the music was written and
recorded, I worked with our
schools choral music teacher to
develop a plan as to how it would
be incorporated into the music and
science curricula. There would be
two groups of 93 students each;
those not enrolled in the chorus
and those in the chorus. All were
enrolled in biology classes taught
by the other two science teachers.
My students were not involved
due to the bias that would create
for the study. Only students in the
chorus received science music,
and it was taught by the chorus
teacher. All students were pre-
tested on the content before the
cell unit began; the pretest scores
indicated that students in both
groups were of equal ability. (The
choral group test average was
3.53, while the nonchoral group
average was 3.65, p = 0.673.) We
decided that it would be best to
give The Cell Song sheet music
to the chorus students when they
started their cell unit. The chorus
class met three times a week, and
the song would be taught to stu-
dents over a four-week period just
like the other song selections that
they would be preparing for their
winter concert.
The science teachers met and
established what they wanted to
instruct during the unit. Along with
the content notes and discussion, a
webquest was given to students in
LEARNING SCIENCE USING MUSIC
44 SCIENCE SCOPE
both the chorus and nonchorus groups to
use the internet to examine websites about
cellular components and types of cells.
Students also completed a traditional mi-
croscope laboratory activity in which they
examined the differences between animal
and plant cells and designed animal- and
plant-cell models from household items.
At the end of the unit, a postassessment
was given to all students, and I compared
the postassessment scores of the two
groups. I also interviewed 34 students
from the chorus group in both individual
interview and focus-group interview for-
mats to gather student perceptions about
any impact the music had on learning.
The postassessment scores demonstrated
that students who sang the science music
in chorus scored almost 10 points higher
than students who were not in chorus and
did not sing the music. Student interviews
also provided insight into students percep-
tions of the music. The majority of chorus
students suggested that the song served
as a learning or study tool and was help-
ful in terms of test taking, pronouncing
terms, learning the cell parts, reducing study time, and
making classroom learning easier. Some of the student
comments about the musics role as a memory tool or
study aid can be seen in Figure 2.
Of the 21 students who talked about the song
functioning as a memory tool, 20 thought that it did,
especially with remembering cell parts for the test. Of
the 17 students who responded about using the music
again, 14 said they would, 2 said they would not, and 1
did not know. The majority wanted to use the science
music again because it made the topic easier for them,
was helpful in understanding or on the test, or was just
helpful in general.
Other classroom applications
Even though many teachers may not have the coop-
eration of their chorus teacher to create an interdis-
ciplinary unit using music to supplement the science
curriculum, there are other effective ways to incorpo-
rate music into the science classroom.
The easiest way to use music in the science classroom
is as a study tool. The teacher can play the music (with
a guitar or keyboard) and have a group singing session
with students. If not musically inclined, the teacher can
play the music on a CD player. When using the music
in this way, students should be given a lyric sheet or
the sheet music so they can follow along. If there are
musically talented students who are interested in playing
the music for the class, they can also provide an excit-
ing form of instruction for the class. Another variation
that has worked well with my students is downloading
the album of science music I wrote onto the schools
iPod cart. If teachers are not going to write their own
songs nor have students do so, a good place to start
looking for content-specic music is online. Just as with
other instructional materials, it is up to the teacher to
determine the quality of the resource and the types of
music needed, as the quality greatly varies. In this case,
students can listen to the music selection and follow
along with their lyric sheets. For all of the variations
mentioned, the teacher should also develop worksheets
that have content-related questions to go with the music.
This encourages students to listen more carefully to the
songs and also promotes multiple listenings, which aid
in content retention. Another option that has worked
well in my classroom is to allow students to sign out
copies of the music and let them download the songs
(with appropriate copyright permission) onto their own
Song as a memory or study tool:
Student feedback
FIGURE 2
Student name Quote
Elise It was like an extra study guide, cause, like, it
would play in your head sometimes.
Jane Lets say we were talking about the mitochon-
dria, and I would start singing in my head, The
mitochondria are the power plants of the cell.
Matt During the test I would sing the song in my
head to review the different parts of the cell and
what they did.
Frank I could only remember two lines, so it didnt
help me, because during the test I was thinking
and I only remembered two lines.
Alice When they would ask the defnition or what
this part of the cells does, that part of the song
would come, you know, get into my head, and
I would hum it, and then I would be like, Oh, I
know the answer.
Oct ober 2011 45
LEARNING SCIENCE USING MUSIC
computers or iPods. This year alone, approximately
half of my students have the music on their iPods, and
many have stated that it has been helpful in their content
learning. For any of the examples mentioned, repetition
is the key to success. One listening session may be fun
for students, but they will not retain the information or
learn the song in such a brief amount of time.
Another great way to incorporate music into the
science classroom is to have it as an option for student
projects. My students have been extremely receptive
to this idea and have created some amazing projects
where they actually play and sing their own music to
the class. For example, in our unit on bacteria, students
are asked to do research on an assigned bacterial dis-
ease. One of the options given to students is to present
their information to the class in a song. They have to
create lyric sheets, and all the required content must
be present, such as the physical characteristics of the
bacteria, number of people infected, symptoms of the
disease, and treatment. Students do an outstanding job
of getting this information into a song format that is
either entirely original, or where new lyrics are put to
an existing song. For example, one student used the
karaoke tracks that came with her High School Musical
recording and sang her own lyrics.
In my school, the special education teacher has also
used science songs as a teaching tool for different units
throughout the year. Before each unit begins, we meet
and discuss which songs would be appropriate and
what content is covered. She then plays the songs for
her students a few times a week and guides students
using the lyric sheets. She will also use the lyric sheets
to pull out the important vocabulary words to review
with students. By the end of the unit, students know the
songs well enough that it helps them with their content
understanding and vocabulary. The special education
students have been very receptive to the music, and
some students have even been known to start dancing
and moving to the music as they learn it well.
Conclusion
With any of the examples given, it is important that
teachers are willing to take a chance with their stu-
dents. Music can be that chance. It is so easy for
teachers to get locked into the same lessons and cur-
riculum, but sometimes a little change in the program
is all it takes to stimulate interest in student learning.
It may take some work to gure out how music can
impact each individual class. Knowing your students
and their personalities will guide you through that
process, and the music will help both you and your
students grow. It is also important to understand that
using music may not be effective for every student,
but that does not mean you should give up on it.
While most students in my school were receptive to
the music, some students did not like it. Also, at rst
many students found it strange to be learning science
with music; but after they experienced it, they wanted
to use it again. Music changes the classroom climate,
and once students get used to it, it becomes normal to
them. Trying to use music in the science classroom
could be outside the comfort zone of many teachers;
however, it could also add a new dimension to a class-
room and excite students about learning. n
References
Calvert, S., and M. Tart. 1993. Song versus verbal forms
for very-long-term, long-term, and short-term verbatim
recall. Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology
14: 24560.
Chazin, S., and J. Neuschatz. 1990. Using a mnemonic to
aid in the recall of unfamiliar information. Perceptual
and Motor Skills 71 (3): 106771.
Levitin, D. 2006. This is your brain on music. New York: Dutton.
Rainey, D.W., and J.D. Larsen. 2002. The effect of familiar
melodies on initial learning and long-term memory for
unconnected text. Music Perception 20 (2): 17386.
Sacks, O. 2007. Musicophilia: Tales of music and the brain.
New York: Alfred A. Knopf.
Wallace, W. 1994. Memory for music: Effect of melody on
recall of text. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learn-
ing, Memory, and Cognition 20 (6): 1471.
Yalch, R.F. 1991. Memory in a jingle jungle: Music as a
mnemonic device in communicating advertising slogans.
Journal of Applied Psychology 76 (2): 26875.
Resources
Connecticut State Department of Education. 2009. Cur-
riculum standards including grade level expectations for
science: Prekindergartengrade 8. www.sde.ct.gov/sde/
lib/sde/pdf/curriculum/science/pk-8_sciencecurricu-
lumstandards8-08.pdf
National Research Council (NRC). 1996. National science
education standards. Washington, DC: National Acad-
emies Press.
Keith Smolinski (smolinsk.keith@snet.net) is a
science teacher at Roger Ludlowe Middle School in
Fairfield, Connecticut.
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