"Helping students to see that economics really is part of their lives takes a little bit of work. Perhaps the best opportunity to illustrate this is in music. Music has been a classroom staple for many of us teaching economics. So many songs contain economic content that it is hard not to find some concept nearly leaping out of the radio (or the phone) at you. While finding the songs may not be difficult, getting students to see the connection may move them out of their comfort zone. Still, music can be a low cost, fun way to have students apply what they have learned.
In my introductory classes I ask students, alone or in small groups, to choose, interpret and package a song. This involves a little bit of imagination, and some technical skill (primarily Power Point, but any movie making software can work), yet interpreting songs is a project that gets students thinking about how economics isn’t just a foreign concept in a textbook.
Song interpretations focus on the main economic content of the lyrics. Obviously, not every line in a song will have a direct economic explanation, as some of what is being said is historic, political, or personal. Students have freedom to explain the lyrics in any way they like, but where there is economic material, they need to target it.
After a little tweaking, the best presentations as voted on by the class, are loaded onto Critical Commons where an entire library of “Music for Econ” songs are available. From the Beatles to 21-Pilots, covering genres from Broadway to country to hip-hop, songs interpreted by economic teachers and students make up the catalog. I usually play these songs as students are coming into class to extend the class time by a few minutes, prepare students for the day’s topic, and to ensure that we start on time. When the music stops, the class begins.
