Youth Voice: What Students Say About Learning through Music and STEM

When education responds to students' experiences, speaks their language, and gives them the opportunity to take charge of their education, it is most effective. When STEM and music are combined in the classroom, that is precisely what takes place.

At Rewise Learning, we've discovered that providing young people with innovative, experiential opportunities to interact with fundamental subjects particularly through STEM and music improves academic results while also empowering student agency and voice. Here are some reasons why this strategy is effective and why young people's opinions are important in determining the direction of education.

🎵 Why Music-Based Learning Resonates

Music is a profoundly human form of expression that reaches into emotion, memory, and imagination, transcending language, culture, and background. Because of this, it works exceptionally well in the classroom, especially for students who might not feel connected to conventional teaching methods.

• Boosting Memory & Retention: Several parts of the brain are simultaneously engaged by music. Students who learn through rhyme, rhythm, or melody develop multisensory memory pathways that facilitate the retention and recall of information.

• Increasing Engagement: Naturally, learning through music feels more like play than work. Students become active participants rather than passive observers when they write lyrics, perform raps, or compose melodies. Particularly for therapeutic or auditory learners, this enthusiasm and immersion lengthens attention spans and increases classroom productivity.

• Encouraging Personal Expressions: Students can express their ideas, feelings, and opinions through music often in ways that are not possible through written assignments or exams. Composing a song about mental health or a rap about climate change allows students to relate course material to their own experiences, making learning engaging and inspiring.

• Learning with Identity & Purpose: The LearnThruMusic approach from Rewise Learning aims to empower students to take charge of their education rather than merely adding entertainment value to the lessons. Through the integration of creativity, cultural relevance, and voice, music-based learning cultivates curiosity, confidence, and a stronger sense of identity.

🔬 The Power of Hands-On STEM

The LearnThruMusic approach from Rewise Learning aims to empower students to take charge of their education rather than merely adding entertainment value to the lessons. Through the integration of creativity, cultural relevance, and voice, music-based learning cultivates curiosity, confidence, and a stronger sense of identity.

• Curiosity-Led Learning: Students learn by doing, not memorisation, when they construct moving machines or design circuits.

• Trial and Error: STEM initiatives promote adaptability and problem-solving skills by permitting safe failure.

• Real-World Relevance: Students comprehend how their education relates to their daily lives and potential careers.

STEM-based education encourages independence and lifelong learning by enabling students to take chances, experiment with new technologies, and use what they've learnt in the moment.

🧠 The Importance of Student Voice

Rethinking education with students, not for them, is the goal of including student viewpoints. It goes beyond simply collecting testimonies. Student engagement increases when they feel in control of the process and see their input expressed in the lessons.

This process:

• Encourages trust between teachers and students.

• Promotes leadership and involvement.

• Validates various learning styles, especially for learners who are neurodivergent.

Additionally, listening to students guarantees that instruction is broad, culturally appropriate, and flexible enough to meet new demands.

🎓 A Future Where Students Help Shape Learning

The best learning environments are made with students, not for them. The classroom becomes a place of collaborative ownership where young people are partners in their own education when student voice is combined with interesting, experiential learning, such as music and STEM.

Learning is not limited to textbooks or tests in this future-oriented model. It concerns:

• Assessing identity via innovative exploration and personal expression.

• Developing practical abilities like communication, creativity, and teamwork.

• Providing students agency and significant roles in the process helps them develop self-assurance.

Education becomes more relevant and individualised when students share their thoughts, consider what works for them, and assist in determining how the material is presented. It progresses from guidance to motivation from compliance to desire.