I’m not a science geek or a 3rd–6th grader, but I’m a sucker for Monty Harper’s “Songs from the Science Frontier.” Watch the video and you’ll see what I mean — Monty and the scientists who inspired his songs talk about the project with such enthusiasm it’s hard not to get caught up in it.
Since we’re talking this week with creators who are making art in towns outside of the mega cities, Monty seemed like a perfect candidate to talk about making his music in Stillwater, OK and his larger goal of inspiring in kids curiosity and wonder.
All of the songs in your project are inspired by local scientists in Stillwater. How did you meet them? Why are there so many scientists there?
Eight of the songs are inspired by local scientists. Stillwater is a college town, home to Oklahoma State University. There are many different research facilities here connected with the university, and no shortage of scientists.I’ve been recruiting scientists for the past two years to be speakers for my “Born to Do Science” program. This is something I set up as a volunteer at the local library. I bring a scientist in each month to talk with the kids (3rd–6th grade) about their research. I write a song based on each scientist’s work, which I use to introduce the program. The songs will also help bring all this cool science to a much larger audience!
One of the things I love most about your project video is the obvious joy both you and the scientists have for the material. Has science always been a passion?
As a kid I was a total science geek. I did well in science and math throughout school, and ended up getting a master’s degree in mathematics. That was just before I tossed it all aside for the glamorous life of a children’s musician!
Oddly enough, I graduated high school with the impression that there was nothing left to contribute in science. It seemed they already had it all figured out. The answers were in the back of the book, after all! As an adult, magazines like Scientific American, and more recently podcasts like “This Week in Science” brought me to the realization that there is mind-blowing research going on everywhere all the time! I wanted to find ways of sharing this wide-open world of exploration with the kids I sing to.
You make allusion to the fact that other science records for kids are rarely accurate about what scientists actually do. Is getting the material factually correct another way to engage kids?
I didn’t mean to say that other songs are rarely accurate! It’s more that they very rarely address what scientists do at all. Most science songs I’ve heard for kids are of the “music is a great way to memorize stuff” type. Even the ones that really are fun, like on “Here Comes Science” by They Might Be Giants, seem to be mostly (though not completely) focused on cool facts - the stuff we know. There’s certainly a place for that, but to me it’s much more interesting to focus on what we don’t know! How do we find stuff out? How do we approach a problem with an unknown answer and solve it? What do scientists actually do in the process of creating new knowledge?I do work very hard to get all the facts straight in a way that’s simplified, yet not dumbed down. And although there are some facts in there, my aim is not to teach curriculum or content. My aim is to inspire wonder and pique curiosity.
So for example, here is the chorus from one of my songs:“What is the shape of the molecule? The protein molecule in question? We need the shape of the molecule to understand how it works!” Reading this, anyone can put together that knowing the shape of a protein molecule is key to understanding how it works. When you hear it with the whimsical music, the emotional message is, “This is a fun problem to work out!” The verses support this with lots of geeky details about why scientists need to figure out the shapes, why it isn’t easy, and how they go about it, and we get lots of fun words like “x-ray crystallographer” and “cellular machinery.”
So what IS a protein molecule? You won’t find it explained in the song, and if you come away wondering about it, that’s a good thing. If you look it up online, that’s even better. (And I’m betting a lot of kids will!) Or perhaps one day in class your teacher will say, “Today we’re studying protein molecules” and you’ll go “Wow, like in that cool song I knew as a kid!” and you’ll be humming along, with your brain primed and ready to learn more. So that’s pretty much how my songs work to engage kids!
Your Kickstarter project finishes on your birthday. Any special plans?
Why yes, I’m glad you asked! I will spend my birthday, August 21, broadcasting a live video feed and interacting with visitors through Facebook, Twitter, email, UStream chat, and Kickstarter comments. Drop by, wish me happy birthday, request a song, and check on my pledge total. We’ll be cheering for new backers and thanking them in real time. When we hit the funding goal, my wife Lisa has promised to celebrate by smooshing a chocolate cake in my face! We’ll record that and post the video later for anyone who missed it.See you tomorrow!
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