Music + School = Learning

A Student’s View

I’ve heard people say that where you are is where your brain is too. I don’t believe it. For example, when I am sitting in class and the teacher is lecturing or reading the textbook about who knows what, what am I doing? I am most likely singing to myself or doodling. My brain is definitely not where I am.

Ever wonder why kids can memorize all their favorite songs word for word, but cannot remember the distributive property? Probably because the teacher just sat in front of the class reading from a handbook… boring! My brain is where my body is when I am interested, entertained, or engaged. My brain is always with me when I am listening to music, watching a great movie, or making my own movies, animations, and art.

When my 7th grade language arts teacher played Schoolhouse Rock videos to help us learn grammar rules, everyone in my class would sing along word for word with the catchy tunes. My favorite was Conjunction Junction. If I got stuck when writing, I could just start singing, “Conjunction Junction, what’s your function?”

Even watching movies designed for kids makes learning fun. My 7th grade science class often watched Bill Nye The Science Guy videos. These videos made me more interested in learning the material that was written plainly in the text book. I personally dislike learning about science, but watching these videos and doing hands-on experiments made it come to life. It was even more fun when we got to use Pixie to create a short film for other students about mitosis.

When I was in 5th grade, my teacher had us make animations about the body systems we were studying. My group made a game show with stuffed animals and toy figures we took from home. We had three contestants and one game show host; I was the horse contestant. We planned out the show and went to work making the animation. We took pictures of our characters moving, put them together with Frames, and added in our voices. This helped me learn more about the skeletal system because I was involved in the learning and was interested.

I am sure I am not the only student who listens to information, but forgets it as soon as the test is over. Bringing the wonderful world of technology into the classroom is a very good idea. Engaging me with music, video, and technology tools helps build knowledge its own little home in my brain.

by Alex Bockert

Alex Bockert is a freelance journalist from Santee, California. When not writing, Alex enjoys hanging out with friends, listening to music, editing her website, and reading fashion magazines.