Music & chemistry

Songs with 'chemical' lyrics

The first thing that you come accross when you look for links between music and chemistry is the use of songs as a teaching support. I ignore whether they are really useful to teach chemistry. I have my doubts but it might be because they are strange to what I would call 'European mentality'. For me the song session at the end of many Gordon Conferences and the use of songs to teach chemistry have a lot in common and that they are "very American". I can imagine the reaction of my students if I ask them to sign a song.... Nearly always these songs are based on lyrics, that keep some kind of relationship with chemistry, to be sung with the music of a well-known song. There are plenty of them available on the web. The quality of singers and texts is variable.

If maybe not useful for teaching, at least most of the songs are fun. Enjoy.

• Bucknell Chemistry Songs, from Bucknell University, US
• Chemistry Carols & Other Chemistry Songs, maintained by Mike Garlick, Delta College, Michigan, US
• Chemistry Songs, created by Otto Phanstiel, University of Florida, US
• Cory C. Pay Songs, C.C. Pay, Chemistry and song: A novel way to educate and entertain, J. Chem. Educ., 81, 507-508 (2004)
• Nanovidz: "... a great science grade thru music"
• Science Song Music, by Greg Crowther, University of Washington, Seattle, US

Sometimes you have to pay for the songs. I'm not going to advertize the sites for free here. You can easily find them on the web. Alternatively, you can find some of them as well as other interesting information at the site of the Science Songwriters's Association.