Susan Kistler on Songs With an Evaluation Message

I am Susan Kistler, the American Evaluation Association’s Executive Director and aea365’s regular Saturday contributor. On occasion, I offer training on different aspects of evaluation. Following a recent workshop at the Minnesota Evaluation Studies Institute, I posted the following to AEA’s LinkedIn Group:

Do you know of songs with an evaluation bent? This might be filed under ‘weird question of the week.’ I am teaching workshops on evaluation, in particular on data visualization. I regularly use two songs as transitions- “Do you want the truth or something beautiful” from Paloma Faith (a great bluesy rumination) and “I Love Charts” from Sid the Sience Kid (a children’s song that shouts “Charts rule!”).

Ever-responsive, the LinkedIn group came back with a plethora of suggestions.

Rad Resources – Evaluation Related Songs: Suggestions from our colleagues included:

• Paul Duignan suggested a compilation of 20 songs related to No Child Left Behind
• Keren Brooks added What If No One’s Watching, Fire Door, and My IQ from Ani DiFranco
• Alan Gumbel went back to the 1973 musical Lost Horizons to consider The World Is a Circle and Question Me an Answer
• Seanna Hasson suggested What’s the Use from Jamie Lidell
• Colleen Duggan recommended Cognitive Bias from Brad Wray
• And both Colleen and Nayiri Dolabjian suggested Terry Smutylo’s The Impact Blues
• Allison Titcomb’s recommendation ranged widely from My Way by Paul Anka (popularized by Frank Sinatra and others), to STAT-60 from MC Lars, and the Indiana RISE Evaluation Song from K Downey
• Elisa Avila recommended a song I love and hadn’t thought of – Effect and Cause from the White Strips
• Cliff Carr added (I can’t get no) Satisfaction from the Rolling Stones
• Tongue in cheek, Harry Jones suggested ‘the ultimate negative assessmet,’ God May Forgive You, But I Won’t

Hot Tip – AEA on LinkedIn: AEA’s LinkedIn group is a great start to connect with colleagues far and wide for guidance on questions from the lighthearted to the fundamental. Members and nonmembers alike are welcome to join the conversation.

Get Involved – Suggest a Song: Any songs we’re still missing? Share your ideas via the comments. Thanks!

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