Throughout history, the comedic arts have provided opportunities for humorists to critique and educate, informing audiences about a variety of topics ranging from trivial matters to those critically crucial for a progressive society. Research regarding comedy as an educational tool has focused primarily on literature, broadcast media, and film, yet the area of educational comedy implemented through popular music remains relatively unexplored. In this paper, researchers use and analyze song samples to present the potential of comedy music as an outlet that can teach listeners potentially complicated concepts, such as science and language acquisition. A central theme in this presentation involves artists mixing humor with educational content, using popular music to convey lyrical lessons in ways that are potentially more palatable for wider audiences and, possibly, more effective than traditional educational models.
About the presentersMatthew T McKeague
Dr. Matthew McKeague teaches media and communication courses as an Assistant Professor at Lock Haven University of Pennsylvania. Taking some time off for professional development, he worked as a full-time comedy writer and video editor in Los Angeles. In the past, he has been a film and video game reviewer, partnered YouTube content creator, and production assistant. His research interests include comedy, video games, and user-generated content.
John Ellerbach
Dr. John Ellerbach has taught at several universities, including 11 years in Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education schools (Indiana and Shippensburg universities) as well as Purdue University, teaching journalism writing and public relations courses. Previously he worked as a magazine writer and radio journalist in Wisconsin and served as Director of Public Relations for the Iowa Hospital Association for three years.