Canadian professor teaches biochemistry concepts through brilliant pop song parodies
Judging by the comments, his students find his unorthodox teaching methods incredibly effective.
Using music to teach is next level instruction.
How many songs can you sing along to, even if you haven't heard them in years? Music and memory are connected in our brains in powerful ways that science is still getting to the bottom of, with implications for cognitive and emotional health, dementia research, as well as education and information retention.
One assistant professor at Western University in Ontario, Canada, has a better grasp on the power of music than most non-music teachers, and he apparently wields that power with delightful abandon. Dr. Derek McLachlin teaches biochemistry and molecular biology, which are not exactly subjects you'd expect to be musical. But his pop song parodies covering scientific concepts that his students need to learn are delighting people everywhere.
A fan's (@hoon0330) video of McLachlin singing "I Love Ketone Bodies" to the tune of Ed Sheeran's "I'm in Love With Your Body" has nearly 4 million views and a slew of comments from both average people and his former students praising his innovative approach to teaching.
@hoon0330 "OH I LOVE KETONE BODIES" 🗣🔥 #westernuniversity #uwo #edsheeran #college #ontario
"Mclachlin is the reason I went into Biochem 15 years ago! He used to come to class dressed as Gandalf on Halloween. So glad he’s still killing it," wrote one former student.
"I had him for biochem 4 years ago and when I tell you his material was the one that stuck the most of the 3 different profs for the course," another wrote.
"Omgggg my old biochem prof getting the recognition he deserves 💕 he was the best," wrote another.
"Hated biochem but loved him as my prof 😅," shared another.
Other people weighed in with how much they love seeing McLachlin's joyful and creative approach to teaching:
"Honestly i would pass because if something is done in song I’ll remember it. We learned a song about mitosis in grade 9 and i still remember it."
"I feel like I need a partial refund on my biochem degree because I did NOT get this experience lol."
"Awww this made me cry, he prepared for this at home, he put his entire soul into it please be kind to him!!!! 🥺"
"Yall better have gotten As, he poured his soul into this 😭😭😭."
McLachlin has the full song up on his YouTube channel (which frankly should have a lot more subscribers):
- YouTube www.youtube.com
I mean, singing lyrics like "My brain's singin' like, 'Liver, you know I want ketones, ketones were handmade for brain cells like me, turn them to acetyl groups into Krebs cycle for ATP" along to a familiar tune? Brilliant.
Speaking of ATP, he also did a parody of Taylor Swift's "You Belong With Me" to explain what ATP does and why it's needed in the body.
- YouTube www.youtube.com
What's most excellent about McLachlin's song parodies is that he's clearly been teaching for quite some time, since former students are referencing being in his class at least 15 years ago, and yet he's still coming up with new ways to help students learn the material. When a teacher is that invested in their work, their enthusiasm gets passed onto students.
The parodied hits just keep on coming. This "What Makes You Albumin" version of One Direction's "What Makes You Beautiful" explains what albumin is and how it works. It was published just few days before this article was written.
- YouTube www.youtube.com
We love to see a teacher doing the most and clearly enjoying it. Putting biochemistry concepts into lyrics that fit the music and still make sense cannot be easy, but McLachlin seems to be up to the task. Keep up the excellent work, sir.
You can follow McLachlin for more biochemistry lessons on YouTube.