Add The Biochemists’ Songbook to your .mp3 collection
February 10, 2009
At Instructify, we’re bombarded with requests for songs explaining scientific concepts. And by “bombarded,” I mean, “it’s never actually happened.” Which is a shame, because you can find several such songs out there. Much like how The Element Song covers the periodic table, The Biochemists’ Songbook tackles several scientific ideas like respiration, protein biosynthesis and photosynthesis, setting them to well-known tunes that will make them easier for your students to remember.
The songs were originally penned by Dr. Harold Baum, a professor at Chelsea College of the University of London, who created them as a gag for his department’s annual Christmas party. The songs were eventually recorded and released on tape in the 1980s, but have since gone out-of-print. Fortunately, some bored kind soul created .mp3s of the songs, and even got Dr. Baum’s permission to distribute them online (the book of lyrics is still in copyright, however, so you’ll either have to buy it or Google the lyrics yourself).
Yes, these tunes are a little on the cheesy side, but it’s amazing what sort of knowledge can get stuck in students’ heads if they’re set to music. You’ll never hear “Auld Lang Syne” again without thinking of photosynthesis. -BILL FERRIS
