Sing a Song

Music is considered a universal language, so why not incorporate it in the chemistry classroom?

We can all probably recall childhood nursery rhymes such as “Mary Had a Little Lamb” or “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star.” Music has often been shown to be connected to increased memory, and there are even dementia patients who can recall previously “forgotten” memories when triggered by a certain song. So, why not use music to not only help students remember but to also engage them and give them an enjoyable experience that they can relay at the dinner table that night?

For us, our most recent unit has been about bonding. Ionic. Covalent. Metallic. You name it. We’ve been covering it. So, I wrote a bonding song to a familiar tune to help students review the basic definition of bonding and the differences between types of bonding. Since we’re on block schedule, it was a great transition from a group activity back to notes, and it captured students’ attention, even during later blocks in the day when students have a tendency to be more tired.

As I was leading it, it was so rewarding to see students who may typically have a more stolid or shy demeanor smile, lighten up, and join in the singing. (Whether or not they realized it, I did notice their lips moving.) :)

Here are the lyrics to “B-O-N-D-I-N-G”

B-O-N-D-I-N-G, It’s a big part of chemistry.

Oh-oh-oh

it’s when atoms come together

with mutual attraction

between the nuclei and

the electrons in the outer shell

these are known as valence electrons

they are the ones that do the bonding

whoa whoa whoa

in ionic bonds we see

electrons are transferred easily

from the metal to the nonmetal

this creates a lattice of ions

atoms in covalent bonds share

electrons between nonmetals

in nonpolar bonds atoms share

electrons together equally

but in polar bonds we see

electrons are not shared equally

the most electro-negative atom

is the one who can attract them more.

Electronegati-vi-ty differences

Can be used to class-i-fy

types of bonds.

Thank you for reviewing with me

I’m excited - to do more chem-is-try.

Regardless of “vocal ability” (which I don’t have an extreme amount of), stepping out of your comfort zone to participate in songs lets you share in a memorable experience with your students, which helps to build classroom community while reinforcing/teaching content. In the process, this can also help English language learners have the opportunity to hear and practice content-related English words in a non-threatening way since everyone is participating together.

So, what are you waiting for? Even if you don’t write songs, there are plenty of other teachers who have lyrics online for you to use. For example, I have a personal favorite song about glycolysis (for Biochem) from Mr. Wolkenfeld on YouTube.

Embrace your inner musician and give songs a try!