Learning with a Beat: A Study on the Implementation of Students’ Music Interests in High School Humanities Curriculum

Abstract

From the first-ever Pulitzer Prize for a hip-hop album awarded to rapper Kendrick Lamar in 2014, to the development of entire websites dedicated to popular music analyses, music has become a form of accessible humanities-like education, as people listen to the deeper meaning within a song's beat. Contrarily, the traditional humanities education in today’s high schools has hardly seen change, if any at all, with student apathy rapidly rising. Thus, this research paper asks, "Can the music interests of high-achieving high school students be implemented in humanities-based curricula to combat apathy in learning? If so, how?" The study was conducted in a three-part mixed methods approach. First, an action research survey collected data on the favorite "thought-provoking" songs of high-achieving high school students from two high schools. Next, content analyses on the three songs most frequently mentioned by students were conducted based on humanities-derived categories– theme, rhetoric, and context. Finally, the content analyses were compiled into a hermeneutics-based survey for head teachers in the humanities (reading, English Language Arts, and social studies) departments at the schools. This study supports the general conclusion that the music interests of high-achieving students can be implemented into humanities-based curricula, in multiple ways, to combat learning apathy. The results of this study give a proven basis for reducing apathy in humanities-based learning with music, as the vast majority of students and teachers surveyed advocate for this implementation. Teachers’ reported interpretations provide a framework for new curricula that could improve students’ learning appeal and engagement.