The idea of using a song composing assignment to promote learning and greater
             subject matter retention in elementary school students does not seem to be the best
             possible use of the underlying educational theories referenced in the article Science
             Rocks! A Performance Assessment for Earth Science. Specifically, Gardner's Multiple
             Intelligences theory does suggest that music is one of eight natural forms of intelligence,
             but the particular use implemented in the article may not necessarily benefit students as
             much as other possible methods of using music to incorporate that element of
             The process of composing lyrics about rocks from a Geology learning unit
             practically ensures that the students will focus more on the fun musical aspect and much
             less on the subject matter in a way that is likely to improve long-term retention. That is
             because the emphasis of the task virtually ensures that any information about rocks will
             be less important than the composing aspect of the assignment.
             Instead of using this particular form of intelligence for the exercise, a better
             approach might be to emphasize the bodily/kinesthetic and visual/spatial forms of
             intelligence, such as by identifying rocks based on their texture and comparing that
             information to the visual appearance of the rocks. Music might be a better choice for a
             math-based subject because of the mathematical nature of musical cords and beats.
             Perhaps music would be better suited for use with this module as musical lyrics fill-in-
             the-blank-type of quiz after presentation of the subject matter. Alternatively, music
             might have been better used as an adjunct to the main lesson, such as by following the
             geology lesson with songs about rocks instead of focusing the activity so much on the music itself.
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