Music Rocks SAT Studying

It may seem to many parents that their kids ought to take studying more seriously-especially when it comes to important tests such as the SAT's.

Yet it may be the medium rather than the message that fails to inspire serious study time.

Kids may just need something they can tune in to and a new approach to studying may help them hum their way to better scores. A new study guide teaches SAT vocabulary in a medium kids can certainly relate to: rock music.

"Rock the SAT" (McGraw-Hill, $16.95) serves up teen-friendly, vocabulary-boosting tunes that teens will be able to digest in the car, on an iPod, while exercising, riding their bikes or even doing chores.

The CD features 13 songs-with each tune holding 20 or so popular SAT vocabulary words and their meanings-within original rock lyrics. The accompanying workbook guides students through each word and definition, using irreverent humor kids will like.

It's a welcome change from more traditional methods of memorization, like index cards or mind-numbing laundry lists of words/definitions. Experts say that because of the way these lists are organized, it makes it hard for teens to focus or relate to them.

An advantage of the "Rock the SAT" tunes is that the information is spoon-fed through catchy pop tunes and melodies, making it easy to absorb without much effort or time commitment. People have an easier time, experts say, remembering lyrics than text.

With this musical tool, students can hum their way to better scores on the SAT's.