Mathematical lyrics: noteworthy endeavours in education

Abstract

Mathematical lyrics are song lyrics connected to, or inspired by, mathematics or statistics. This paper explores various types of mathematical lyrics and their roles in mathematics education. In particular, the paper contains many examples of my own lyrics as well as an extensive bibliography of lyrics composed by others. It also provides resources and strategies for creating such lyrics and for using them in an educational setting.

Is memorization the name of the game? Undergraduates’ perceptions of the usefulness of physiology songs

“…Song length. The songs used in phase 1 were all between 36 and 46 s long, in line with previous recommendations to keep them short (8,17). For the 14 comments classified by both coders as being positive regarding song length, all 14 praised the song's conciseness.…”

“…For example, those who create educational songs should at least consider whether a one-verse jingle would suit their purposes. This perspective is relevant to those who create song parodies, since an effective parody need not last as long as the original song (17). Among other benefits, keeping songs brief may help them be experienced as pleasant interludes rather than as distracting digressions and should mini- mize any backlash from students who prefer not to learn from songs.…”

“…Delivers content via a familiar, welcome vehicle (2, 3) 1d. Makes material less dry and more personal (11,17,34) 1e. Builds classroom community via song-sharing, group singing, etc.…”

Modulating misconceptions by musical means

“…And the idea of this approach is not limited to these specific songs – many students and instructors would enjoy the creative challenge to find or write their own songs. Readers may find useful further examples and tips on educational use of statistical/mathematical song in Lesser (, , , , ). Also, this idea is not limited to the medium of song – it could also work as a short prose story or vignette in which the main character faces a different misconception in a real‐life context.…”

VOICES: Conference on Teaching STEM with Music, September 27-28, 2017

“…Readers of this journal may have encountered educational mathematics and statistics songs intended for classroom use, see for instance [1] by Lawrence M. Lesser. However, readers may not be aware of the extent of scholarship and activity in this area (see, for instance, [2]).…”