University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, Eau Claire, WI
Abstract
Many studies have been conducted to establish the value of music education on increasing learning, both from learning how to play musical instruments as well as listening to classical music (the “Mozart Effect”). This research investigated the use of existing lyrics from popular music, specifically from “Volcano” recorded by Jimmy Buffett, and its effectiveness in teaching volcanic hazards in a college-level geoscience classroom. Students were divided into control and experimental groups, with both groups receiving the same lecture on volcanic hazards. The experimental group were then given the lyrics to “Volcano” and asked to identify at least five locations in the song that referenced one or more of the hazards discussed in the lecture. Some lyrics were easily identified, but others required thought and interpretation. Both groups were evaluated with a testing instrument designed to address various levels of understanding according to Bloom’s Taxonomy. In all three semesters the research was conducted, the overall scores for the experimental group always exceeded those of the control group, though these are only statistically significant between the first and last semester. When the results are broken down by question, significant results are seen in the experimental group on questions that address knowledge, analysis, and application of the lesson. Minor increases were also seen in the experimental group on questions that address synthesis of the information, but differences between the control and experimental groups were not statistically significant. With adaptation, this lesson has been used successfully with songs from different artists such as They Might Be Giants, The Presidents of the United States of America, Sting, and even Monty Python.