Final Project

Final Study Materials

Study Guide Psych.docx

Assignment Overview

Making the Band: Psychology Final Project
Podcast Assignment Rubric

Creative Requirements

  1. Band name and album title that show a connection to psychology.
  2. Album artwork that represents your band name.

Song Requirements

The most important part of this project is choosing appropriate songs. Each one of your songs should connect to a specific unit from the semester. Use your note guides to help you!

  1. Five songs
  2. Each song represents a different unit
  3. The song should have a strong connection to psychological concepts from class. Not just one line or a song title.
  4. Classroom appropriate music choices

Good Song Choice

  • Semi-Charmed Life by Third Eye Blind: A song about drug addiction, withdrawal and tolerance.

Bad Song Choice

  • Hot and Cold by Katy Perry: A song that says the word "bipolar" but doesn't actually have any real psychological connection.

Song Analysis Requirements

Each song should have a complete analysis accompanying it. This analysis should be 1-2 paragraphs and include the following information.

  1. Connections to psychological concepts.
  2. Definition of the psychological concepts.
  3. Lyrics from the song to support your connection to classroom material.

Sample Analysis - bad

Semi-Charmed Life by Third Eye Blind

This song is about addiction. The person in the song is addicted to drugs and it is affecting there life a lot. There are many lines in the song that show the person in the song is struggling with addiction and cannot stop taking drugs.

Sample Analysis - Good

Semi-Charmed Life by Third Eye Blind

This song is about drug addiction. The song writer describes what life as an addict is like. He states "doing crystal meth will lift you up until you break/ it won't stop, I won't come down" these lines describe the dichotomy of someone who knows that what they are doing is harming them but cannot stop due to their physical dependence on the drug. Physical dependence occurs when a person experiences a physical reaction to stopping a drug. These symptoms are sometimes referred to as withdrawal symptoms. Many addicts will choose to continue taking a drug rather than suffer with withdrawal symptoms. The song also describes the principle of tolerance with the line "I want something else to get me through this". Tolerance occurs when a drug addict needs to take more of a drug in order to achieve the same high. The above lyric shows tolerance because the song writer now needs sometime extra to achieve the same results.

iMovie Requirements

Your final product will be an iMovie that is uploaded to YouTube or Google Drive and share with Ms. Reilly. The iMovie should contain clips of each of your songs and your song analysis. Below is a break down of specific requirements.


  1. There is a 30-45 second clip of each song incorporated into the the iMovie.
  2. The lyrics and song analysis for each song are clearly displayed.
  3. Song analysis is on the screen long enough for it to be read.

Other Project Format Options

You do not need to use imovie to complete this assignment. However, Your project must play on its own without any help from you. (i.e. it may not be a powerpoint that you have to physically advance or click links to hear songs.) Below are other ideas format ideas to think about.

  1. Screen-Cast-O-Matic: Records your chromebook screen while you work through a powerpoint and play music.
  2. Windows Movie Maker: If you prefer to use a PC instead of an apple product.
  3. Your Smart Phone: Hand write out lyrics and analysis. Record the pages with music playing in the background.


Sample Project

Below is a sample project. It is a good representation of what an "A" project looks like. Feel free to reference this project while your work on your final. YOU MAY NOT USE SONGS FROM THIS PROJECT IN YOUR FINAL!

Making The Band Sample.pdf

Tips and Tricks

This is a FINAL PROJECT you will have to do work outside of class in order to finish this assignment in time. Below are some tips for maximizing class time.

  1. Spend as little class time as your can writing your analysis and annotating lyrics. Class time should be used for making the iMovie.
  2. Choose your songs outside of class. Groups that spend several class days choosing songs in class struggle to complete their iMovie in time.
  3. When choosing songs, split up the units between group members. That way, you will make sure that 5 different units are represented.
  4. Each person should be responsible for annotating and writing an analysis of the songs they choose.