Memorising facts through catchy songs

HISTORY (SEJARAH) is a subject that is perceived to be diffi cult, with most local students fi nding it dull and boring because it involves reading and memorising, reports Bernama.
A good knowledge of a nation’s history is essential for all. It teaches us about the experiences and lives of people who lived in different times and places.
Last year, a teacher took the unconventional step of turning history lessons into entertaining songs, making the events and dates much easier to digest.
Vulcan Chong Weng Hon decided to turn the content of the Forms Four and Five Sejarah syllabus into lyrics centred around popular tunes to make it easier for his students to memorise them.
The 25-year-old teaches at a tuition centre in Cheras, Kuala Lumpur. In March, Chong listed down and transformed Sejarah topics into songs that were trending among young people.
He uploads them to his YouTube channel called Sejarah Melody. He thinks that many students don’t like Sejarah because it requires memorising dates, difficult to pronounce foreign names, and complicated storylines.
“Songs not only help in memorising the details of an event, but also in making the learning process enjoyable,” he said.
Chong spends about two weeks to transform historical events into a song by drawing upon key contents of the SPM Sejarah syllabus.
Among the popular songs that he has “modified” are Eyes, Nose, Lips by South Korean heartthrob Taeyang, Just The Way You Are by Bruno Mars, and the Doraemon theme song.
“In the beginning, I had included some Chinese words in the lyrics to make it easier for my Chinese students to understand.
“However, after uploading my first video on YouTube, I discovered that many non-Chinese students also enjoyed my video. They also requested that I use lyrics in Bahasa Malaysia (BM).
“That inspired me to arrange more songs with BM lyrics because after all, the Sejarah textbooks are written in the national language,” he said.
The Business Administration graduate from the Uptrend Business School in Singapore said after his video went viral in August, he received positive feedback from not only SPM candidates but also school teachers.
“Many students liked the Sejarah Melody videos because it facilitated the memorisation process. Even teachers have downloaded my video and used them as a teaching supplement in the classrooms,” he said.