The Effectiveness of Song and Music as Pedagogical Tools in Elementary School Science Lessons: A Systematic Review of Literature

This literature review offers compelling evidence for the significant role music and song can play in cultivating student engagement in elementary school science lessons. With students disengaging from science education, there is concern about the lack of necessary scientific literacy skills required in today's world. To explore whether music and song could be used engage students in science we conducted a thorough search of composite education databases for relevant scholarly articles published 1993-2021. Synthesis of the resulting 26 articles revealed four themes: the common goal of engagement, evidence of learning improvement, broad utility of music and songs as pedagogical tools, and limited long-term studies. While acknowledging the limited evidence presented in these articles, we emphasize that incorporating music and song into science lessons not only enriches the educational environment but also contributes to an arts -infused education known to enhance student performance across a wide range of curriculum domains. We recommend further research with a particular focus on investigating the impact of music and song on science engagement and learning over the long-term in elementary school science classrooms.