Introduction:
What are pedagogical songs? In short, they are songs, or jingles that assist with learning. An example of this at work can be found in Schoolhouse Rock songs, such as, Unpack Your Adjectives and Conjunction Junction. These songs help to teach the listener about various grammar and parts of speech, in a fun and memorable way. This same principle of learning through songs can and has been applied to numerous other topics as well. Let’s take a look at why this can have such a positive effect in education.
Brief history of Schoolhouse Rock:
The birth of the idea of putting educational concepts to music came to David McCall, then the president of an advertising company, when he noticed that his son was struggling to memorize his multiplication table but could remember lyrics to popular songs without issue (Encyclopedia, 2023). After commissioning a few educational songs, McCall brought them to the vice-president of children shows at ABC and the series was picked up by ABC and ran for 12 years (Encyclopedia, 2023).
Melodies, Memories and Motivation
How it works: Melodies
I think all of us have had an experience similar to Mr. McCall’s son, where we could belt out the lyrics of the latest popular song with ease but may have stumbled when asked what we learned in school that day. There is a reason for this. In the article Music, Movement and Memory: Pedagogical Songs as Mnemonic Aids, we learn that the “neuroscientific research has found that presenting text through music can lead to increased recall” (Werner, 2018). Using rhymes to remember concepts, or information may assist in memory retention and recall, because it’s associated with something else.
There was a study published in the Journal of Science and Mathematics Education in Southeast Asia, whose findings were that, “Musichemistry” as they called it, helped students retain and recall chemistry concepts they had been taught and even tested better than those who had not be given the music to help learn the curriculum (Burila, 2021). In the study they found that the “songs become "earworms" to their head that helped them recall concepts easily as they took the formative, summative, and quarterly assessments. Integrating music in the teaching of chemistry created a positive and engaging environment for learners to learn chemistry. Learners also showed positive attitude and excitement to learn new chemistry songs in every lesson” (Burila, 2021). This positive engagement and success that is seen in this, can lead to more motivation to continue on to do bigger and better things.
Recall and Retention: Memory
Unsurprisingly, rhythmic and rhyming chants work in a similar way in assisting children in learning. “Studies indicate thoughtfully planned chants integrated with shared book reading help young children remember concepts and vocabulary they hear in literature, capture children’s imagination, develop their rhyming acuity, and background knowledge, and increase their sense of story structure, understanding of story sequence, phonological awareness, auditory memory, and expressive language” (Richards, 2020). To this day, I still remember the songs I know from Schoolhouse Rock; the catchy melodies and stories used to teach the educational content has stuck with me for years. I have used the knowledge that I learned as a kid from the Schoolhouse rock songs countless times in my adult life. I love music and so the songs are still there in my mind. In some ways, being able to recall the words to the songs has been a comfort when I’ve forgotten a grammar concept, or a multiplication problem. This has given me confidence and motivation, when performing a writing task, or answering a history question, because all I have to do is sing a little bit of the song in my head and the answer is right there.
Volition: Motivation
In a nutshell, songs that teach something are typically a lot more fun and engaging than reading a book. Because of this, you may forget that you’re even learning. I think of the effect that Broadway shows like Hamilton has had on, not only children, but adults who maybe hadn’t retained historical facts from high school, or middle school but now that history is in song form, find it a lot easier to recall and even promotes the desire to learn of their own volition. Why? Because they’re fun and memorable when put to a beat and rhyming melodies. In the book Trends and Issues in Instructional Design and Technology, the fifth motivational strategy spoken of in chapter nine states that, “students pursue not one, but multiple goals aimed not only at learning but also at a variety of positive experiences” (Reiser, Dempsey, 2017). Songs and music help to create the positive experience, that can cultivate a desire to continue to learn. I’m sure some of us have had to learn something that we weren’t really interested in and being forced to read about it left a bad taste in our mouth about that subject, merely because of the experience we had while learning about it. It certainly could make you not want to read one word about it ever again. So, positive experience in education is important to memory and motivation and I believe that using songs and music in education can be a great way to do that.
Conclusion
Music plays a role in memory retention and recall, and harnessing this in education can be an extremely impactful tool that has implications for growth and confidence outside of the classroom. Should pedagogical songs be something that is utilized throughout all ages in education? I think so. The data appears to show that it is in fact a good and helpful tool to retain knowledge, so why not use it.
References:
Burila, J. M. P. (2021). Musichemistry on Grade Eight Learners’ Motivation, Engagement and Proficiency in Chemistry. Journal of Science and Mathematics Education in Southeast Asia, 44. https://web-p-ebscohost-com.oclc.fullsail.edu/ehost/detail/detail?vid=6&sid=69df1843-0d44-42ed-a1cf-93212c65d2ed%40redis&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#AN=EJ1344095&db=eric
Disney. (2014). Grammar - Unpack Your Adjectives - Schoolhouse Rock. YouTube. Retrieved January 21, 2023, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fNriI8SbRgc.
Reiser, R. A., & Dempsey, J. V. (2017). Trends and Issues in Instructional Design and Technology (4th ed.). Pearson Education (US). https://bookshelf.vitalsource.com/books/9780134237039
Richards, J. C. (2020). Evidence-Based and Child-Friendly: Shared Book Reading with Chants Support Young Children's Language and Literacy Development. https://web-s-ebscohost-com.oclc.fullsail.edu/ehost/detail/detail?vid=0&sid=fa31ccb7-e212-4e75-8247-d0d786245750%40redis&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#AN=EJ1317930&db=eric
Schoolhouse Rock. www.encyclopedia.com. (2023). Retrieved from https://www.encyclopedia.com/media/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/schoolhouse-rock
Werner, R. (2018). Music, movement and memory: Pedagogical songs as mnemonic AIDS. TESOL Journal, 9(4). https://doi.org/10.1002/tesj.387
Picture credits: They were the WIX site options.
Engaging Curiosity Through Pedagogical Songs
Reiser and Dempsey’s first principle states that motivation to learn is promoted when a learner’s curiosity is aroused by a perceived gap in their current knowledge (Reiser & Dempsey, 2017). Pedagogical songs, such as those in Schoolhouse Rock, exemplify this principle by presenting educational content in an engaging and intriguing format. The catchy melodies and fun lyrics capture students' attention, sparking their curiosity about the subject matter. For instance, songs like "Conjunction Junction" make the rules of grammar interesting and memorable, prompting students to engage more deeply with the content (Argo, 2023). By transforming potentially dry material into enjoyable tunes, these songs create an environment where learners are eager to fill gaps in their knowledge.…
Melodies Enhance Memory Retention:
Pedagogical songs leverage the power of music to enhance memory retention. Research has shown that presenting educational content through music can lead to increased recall (Werner, 2018). This is attributed to how music engages the brain, making it more likely to remember information that is presented in a melodic and rhythmic format. For instance, the study on "Musichemistry" found that students who were taught chemistry concepts through songs performed better in assessments and demonstrated higher engagement and positive attitudes toward learning (Burila, 2021).
By tapping into the brain's natural affinity for music, pedagogical songs create "earworms" that help learners recall information easily and foster a positive and engaging learning environment.
Rhythmic Chants and Rhymes Aid…
Schoolhouse rock: Pedagogical songs in education
Motivation to learn is promoted when a learner's curiosity is aroused due to a perceived gap in current knowledge.
Growing up I can remember watching School House Rock in the morning, I remember songs like Conjunction Junction What Your Function and I am Just a Bill. Listening to those songs not knowing I was learning in the process, made learning easy and fun. Robert and John asked a question in their book Trend and Issues in Instructional Design and Technology. In an example they asked, what technique can I use to remember the geographical locations that are likely to be on the test? It is said that music perks up students and motivates critical…
Pedagogical Songs In Education
Sparks Curiosity
Pedagogical songs spark creativity by using music, rhythm, chanting, and other melodic systems to teach something that might be hard to remember otherwise. It’s fun to most people and it’s easy to remember. Usually teachers present the information in song once, then they invite the learners to sing along the second time, perhaps with the lyrics presented with a projector or printed on paper. In this example, the school house rock music is shown with an accompanying video. These videos are colorful and interesting, usually with fun characters that sing the songs. This sparks interest and curiosity in the learner. Dempsey (2018) uses the example of a teacher talking in a soft voice and…
I have been a fan of Schoolhouse Rock since I first watched them on Saturday mornings as a child. I don’t think I even realized that I was learning until much later. I was just singing along with fun silly songs in between Looney Tunes and Super Friends episodes. It wouldn’t be until I started school that those catchy songs would start to pop back into head.
I think this is because children don’t have any expectations for learning at that age. They just see it as something that is fun and accessible to them. It becomes fully self-motivated (volition). Using the principles set forth by Reiser and Dempsey in Trends and Issues in Instructional Design it becomes easy to…