Most professors start the first day of class with the typical request to stand up and say your name, grade and hometown. Associate professor Art Jipson, however, has a more melodic approach to creating a connection with his students.
“I call it the Music Playlist of Awesomeness,” Jipson said with a smile, “because I want to be positive about it.”
The playlist is an amalgamation of each student’s favorite song, which he asks them to write down on a piece of paper on the first day of class. Once he compiles all of the song choices, he puts them into a Spotify playlist. Every class of his has its own curated selection of music, and students listen to it as they walk into the classroom.
“Hearing the music playing as we entered class helped to create a welcoming learning environment, and it always brought a smile to students' faces when they heard their song come on,” said sophomore Davin O’Maley, a former student in Jipson’s Youth, Justice and Law class.
The playlist itself acts like a class icebreaker, encouraging connection through their music choices.
“It's a great way for us to get to know each other in the classroom, and it’s a great way of building community and stretching ourselves in a way that’s completely nonconfrontational,” Jipson said.
Jipson is no stranger to the arts. Vinyl records, vintage posters and signed drum heads decorate the walls of his office. The whimsical space is a pop culture and musical time capsule, representative of the hobbies and interests of the teacher affectionately known as “Dr. J.”
One such hobby is hosting Your Tuesday Afternoon Alternative with Dr. J on WUDR Flyer Radio since 2004. His affinity for music and status as a sociology professor has led him to establish this type of engagement tool in the classroom.
Each student has a distinctive music taste, from the Beatles to Morgan Wallen to Taylor Swift, making for a diverse listening experience. The goal of the playlist, Jipson explained, is for students to feel ownership of the class culture and environment.
Jipson recognizes that some of his class topics can be emotionally draining for students. “I teach courses on crime, justice, injustice, juvenile justice, hate crime — I could give you an ugly laundry list, but all of the topics I teach are really heavy,” he said.
To combat learning fatigue, he uses music to meet the needs of his students while making the classroom space more user-friendly.
“The classroom can feel awkward and stilted,” Jipson said. “If I can shift the space and decenter it from the instructor to the student, then I think that’s going to be a more enhanced learning environment for everyone.”
“The students are going to learn and retain more, and I’m going to learn from their interpretations.”
His students enjoy his musical learning methods and respond positively. One class even ventured to create its own playlist with new favorite songs later in the semester.
“The research in student learning is clear,” Jipson said. “The more a student feels ownership and levels of comfort in the [classroom] space, the more they retain, are engaged and excited about the subject.”
For Jipson, the key to a fruitful school year starts with something as simple as a song.
What tune would you add to the 'Playlist of Awesomeness?' Tell us: magazine@udayton.edu.