How to Use Songs In the Classroom
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Use as introduction to topics
Song Mystery List
Give students a list of songs and let them generate the psychological concepts that they feel that they demonstrate
Song Question and Answer
Submitted by Charles Schallhorn to Psychology of Teaching Listserv
I prepare the lyrics to show on the large screen using my LCD projector (another way would be to print the lyrics on paper for individuals or partners). Students listen to the music and read the lyrics simultaneously. I then have a prepared list of questions to ask the students about how the song relates to particular concepts. Often, students look at the lyrics and come up with novel interpretations and connect to other ideas I had not thought of.
Find the Lyric
Give students a list of songs for a psychology topic (for example the list below) and have students find the lyrics that demonstrate particular concepts in a given chapter.
Guess that Song
Submitted by James Hansell, Ph.D. jhansell@umich.edu
I play through the sound system a "Song of the Week" as I'm setting up at the beginning of each class, a pop/rock song relevant to the topic of the day. I try to pick somewhat obscure songs and turn it into a bit of a game to see if anyone can identify it before explaining the relevance (with 300 students, someone almost always gets it. Occasionally, someone stands up and sings along!) It's a fun way to start class and wakes them up at 10 am
Song PowerPoint
Copy lyrics of songs to read or play during class to illustrate key psychological principles
Student Created Song List
Have students create a list of songs that demonstrate psychological principles
Relevant Articles
Teaching Personality Theories Using Popular Music Teaching of Psychology Kira Leck volume 33(1).
Most of this song list has been compiled by Jeff Bartel at Shippensburg University jsbart@ship.edu and used with permission. You can view his list at http://webspace.ship.edu/jsbart/psy101/music.pdf
History of Psychology
Research Methods
Biological Psychology
Sensation and Perception
States of Consciousness
Sleep
Dreams
Drugs
- Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds –The Beatles
- Interesting Drug –Morrissey
- I Want a New Drug –Huey Lewis and the News
- Legalize It—Mojo Nixon
- White Rabbit—Jefferson Airplane
- Hypnotist of Ladies—They Might Be Giants
- Who Needs Sleep - Barenaked Ladies
- Purple Pills - D-12 feat. Eminem
- Hate Me- Blue October- Discusses Addiction issues
Learning
- Black Dog –Led Zeppelin
- Dinner Bell—They Might Be Giants
- What’s the Matter Here—10,000 Maniacs
- You Learn—Alanis Morissette
- Superstitious—Stevie Wonder
- Learn to Unlearn—Oversize
- This is How We Learn- Limp Bizcuit
Memory
- Memories- Sarah Brightman
- Jenny- Tommy Tutone
- Where were you- Alan jackson.
- Yesterday –The Beatles
- Don’t Lose My Number –Phil Collins
- Remember Walking in the Sand –Aerosmith
- Do You Remember?—Phil Collins
- I’m Still Remembering—The Cranberries
- Will You Remember?—The Cranberries
- Some Different Memory—Electronic
- I Don’t Remember—Peter Gabriel
- It’s All Been Done Before—Barenaked Ladies
- Memory - from Cats
- Unforgettable - Nat King Cole
- Always Something there to Remind Me- Naked Eyes video
Intelligence and Cognition
- Einstein on the Beach (for an eggman)- Counting Crows
- What a Fool Believes- Doobie Brothers (or Kenny Loggins version)
- Dumb- Nirvana
- Brain of J - Pearl Jam
- Brain Stew - Greenday
- Ridiculous Thoughts - Cranberries
- Mind Games - John Lennon (w/ Yoko)
- Brilliant Mistake- Elvis Costello
- How do you Tell a Witch? - Monty Python
- Whip-Smart - Liz Phair
- Stupid Girl- Pink_
[[http://www.ifilm.com/player/?ifilmId=2707440&pg=default&skin=default&refsite=default&mediaSiz
|Video]] discusses female gender issues and trying to live up to common stereotypes
- I Don’t Want to Know–Phil Collins
- Let’s Call the Whole Thing Off –Harry Connick Jr.
- People Just Love to Play with Words–Men at Work
- So Much to Say—Dave Matthews Band
- Think—Aretha Franklin
- Speechless—Fenix, TX
- I Know What I Know – Paul Simon (Graceland)
- International Bright Young Thing –Jesus Jones (Doubt)
- Land of Confusion—Genesis
- You Oughta Know—Alanis Morissette
- Too Much Information—The Police
- Mayer of Simpleton - XTC
- Did You Ever Have To Make Up Your Mind? - Lovin' Spoonful
Life Span Development
- Child Psychology- Black Box Recorder Lyricsdiscusses a painful childhood and relationship with parents
submitted by Amy Sweetman amysweetman@earthlink.net
- Peek-a-boo—Devo
- Peek-a-boo—Siouxsie and the Banshees
- My Evil Twin—They Might Be Giants
- My Back Pages—Bob Dylan
- Night Moves—Bob Seger
- Baby Did a Bad Bad Thing—Chris Issak
- With Arms Wide Open—Creed
- Walk of Life—Dire Straights
- Parents Just Don’t Understand—DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince
- My Generation—Limp Bizkit
- My Generation—Green Day
- My Generation—The Who
- Come On Baby—Moby & Crystal Method
- Where Can My Baby Be—Pearl Jam
- Stay Up Late—Talking Heads
- In My Time of Dying –Led Zeppelin
- When I’m Sixty-Four –The Beatles
- Teenage Lobotomy- Ramones
- Lifespan Development:
- 100 Years - Five for Fighting
- Cats in the Cradle - Harry Chapin
- Upside Down - Jack Johnson
- I'm Not a Girl, Not Yet a Woman - Britney Spears
- World- Five for Fighting
- Daughter- John Mayer intergenerational effects of parenting and attachment (--submitted
submitted by Tasha Howe Ph.D, Psychology Dept., Humboldt State University tashahowe@humboldt.edu)
- Live like you were dying Tim McGraw PowerPoint presentation
Personality
- Robyn Hitchcock's Uncorrected Personality Traits
- Shiny, Happy People–R.E.M.
- Mother–Pink Floyd [Freud]
- Who Are You?–The Who
- Mother—Tori Amos
- Cult of Personality—Living Color
- Oedipus Rex - Tom Lehrer
- Perfect - Alanis Morisette
- Hazard to Myself- Pink- Demonstrates Social Learning Principles- Self-analysis
- Complicated - Avril Lavigne
- Self-Esteem - The Offspring
- Bitch- Merideth Brooks
Gender and Sexuality
- Someone Saved My Life Tonight- Elton John -
- LetÂ’s Talk about Sex- Salt n Peppa
- Daughter- John Mayer intergenerational effects of parenting and attachment
- She Loves You –The Beatles
- Love Shack –B52s
- You Can’t Hurry Love –Phil Collins
- Who Do You Love? –The Escape Club
- The One I Love –R.E.M.
- When It’s Love –Van Halen
- Real Love—The Beatles
- Lola—The Kinks
- Just a Girl—No Doubt
Motivation and Emotion
- Where There’s a Will –Boom Crash Opera
- I Don’t Care Anymore –Phil Collins
- Are You Experienced? –Jimi Hendrix
- Battle of Who Could Care Less—Ben Folds Five
- I’m Hungry—The Sugarcubes
- She Has a Girlfriend Now—Reel Big Fish
- The Distance—Cake
- Satisfied—Eight-Stops-Seven
- Love Like This—Faith Evans
- Running on Empty—Jackson Browne
- Let’s Talk About Sex—Salt ‘n Pepa
- Sweet Emotion –Aerosmith
- Don’t Worry, Be Happy –Bobby McFarrin
- All You Need is Love—The Beatles
- Emotional—Carl Thomas
- Sad Sad Sad—Rolling Stones
- Everybody Hurts- REM
- Motivation - Sum 41
- Emotions - Mariah Carey
- Sweet Emotions – Aerosmith
- World- Five for Fighting
- Into the Ocean– Blue October Talks about running away from feelings and wanting to end it all http://www.myspace.com/blueoctober
- Goodbye My Lover- James Blunt
Stress and Emotion'
- Some Like It Hot –The Power Station
- Pressure –Billy Joel
- Feel the Pain—Dinosaur, Jr.
- With a Little Help From My Friends—The Beatles
- Under Pressure—Queen
- Borderline- Madonna
- IÂ’m about to Break -Linkin Park
- Manic Monday by The Bangles
- Under Pressure - Queen
- Under Attack - ABBA
Abnormal Psychology'
- In my Head- No Doubt Video
- Mad as Snow –Kitchens of Distinction
- Must Have Been Crazy –The Beatles
- Madness is All in the Mind –Madness
- Virtual Insanity—Jamiroqui
- I Drive Myself Crazy-NÂ’Sync
- Helter Skelter –The Beatles
- They’re Coming to Take Me Away, Ha Haaa! –Napoleon XIV
- Insane in the Brain—Cypress Hill
- You May Be Right—Billy Joel
- Crazy—Seal
- Manic Monday –The Bangles
- Manic Depression—Jimi Hendrix
- Obsession—Animotion
- I Think I’m Paranoid—Garbage
- Paranoid—Black Sabbath
- Paranoid Eyes—Pink Floyd
- Flagpole Sitta’—Harvey Danger
- Split Personality—Pink
- Schizophrenia—Sonic Youth
- Voices Inside My Head—The Police
- Go Mental- Ramones
- Manic Depression - Jimi Hendrix
- Split Personality - Pink
- Unwell - Matchbox Twenty
- Lithium - Nirvana
- Psychotherapy - The Ramones
- Everyday is a Winding Road- Sheryl Crow song is reportedly about her continuous battle with depression
- Paper Cut- Linkin Park Discuss subjective experiences of mental illness
- Hate Me- Blue October- Discusses Addiction issues http://www.myspace.com/blueoctober
Therapy
Everybody Hurts- REM
- I Wanna Be Sedated-Ramones
- I Wanna Be Well- Ramones
- Psycho Therapy- Ramones
- Hazard to Myself- Pink- Demonstrates Social Learning Principles- Self-analysis
- Thank you – Alanis Morisette Song is reportedly about her recovery from depression
- If it makes you happy it can’t be that bad- Sheryl Crow – Song is reportedly about ways that Sheryl has found to deal with her depression
- Country Songs that Help You Heal http://www.epinions.com/content_2125701252 A list of songs written in response to the 9/11 tragedy
Social Psychology
Prejudice
- Hateful Hate –10,000 Maniacs
- Your Racist Friend –They Might Be Giants
- Me and Julio Down By the Schoolyard—Paul Simon
Altruism
- Help—The Beatles
- Help—Oasis
Other
- Self-Esteem—Offspring
- Unpretty—TLC
- The Attitude Song—Eric Johnson, Joe Satriani, Steve Vai
- Attitude—Doctor Deck
- EveryoneÂ’s a Little Bit Racist from Avenue Q (musical)--Stefanie Forbes submitted by Shawnee Mission Northwest High School lyrics
Other
- Eyedea (Oliver Hart)—Bottle Dreams Lyrics This song is extremely powerful and deals with child sexual abuse, depression and suicide (among others).
