What you can expect to hear when you enter a class I'm teaching in:
I hope you've enjoyed learning about how I use music in the classroom. This poster also showcases other ways I incorporate sound. I use interviews for author studies, we love BrainPopJr videos, Skype sessions with people who use math and other skills on a professional level. Students use iPads or computers to record their own review for lessons.
If there's one thing that you take away from this blog series, it's this: STUDENTS SHOULD BE TALKING IN THE CLASSROOM. Are they talking about what movies they saw last weekend? They can be! What about a graphing exercise that involves their favorite things to start the day.
I know there is a time and place for students to talk. I incorporate opportunities for students to talk as much as possible. Small groups, turn and talk, picking sticks and calling names, scavenger hunts, whole group conversations, etc. Students are talking to each other, to me, other adults, and even themselves (whisper phones) in the classroom. The music and other things are just supplements to assist in lessons.
I want them talking to me and each other so I can hear what they are learning. This also helps me take an informal assessment of students meeting their learning targets. If students are able to teach someone else what they've learned, they are interested in the subject and have met their learning targets. Most students love to talk and will jump at the opportunity and freedom to do this.
I hope you have enjoyed seeing how I use sound in the classroom. I am always interested in hearing feedback from others.
It's time to move onto another activity. You don't know the classroom procedures. There is an attention-getter list on the board but one of the early arrives told you that their teacher never uses it. What do you do?
A. Clap a pattern and wait for students to clap back.
B. Turn off the lights.
B. Scream, "holy moly" at the top of your lungs in hopes that someone screams back, "guacamole."
C. Explain and model your expectations and introduce your attention-getter as soon as you can.
I try to talk to students as soon as we meet and explain my attention-getter (I learned it from my rockstar cooperative teacher during student teaching). I use a countdown. I say, "We have a lot of fun things to do today and just enough time to get it done. We need to work together to help each other stay on task. Thumbs up if you think you can help me stay on task today." Students are excited about the challenge. If I'm ever off task, they remind me!
I explain the countdown:
"When I say 5, I need your voices off." - I hold up my hand with 5 fingers
"When I say 4, I need your eyes on me." - I hold up 4 fingers
"Please, do not wait until I get down to 0 to give me your attention. That is wasting our time. If you waste the time from class, you owe me minutes at recess. Do you think this is fair?"
I then open up discussion for students to quickly bounce ideas off of. Most students agree it is fair because they really need time in the classroom.
This whole explanation takes about 30 seconds and saves me tons of instructional time in the long run.
Let's move on to the music...
I get student's attention by starting the countdown and saying sometime like, "by the end of this 60 second song you should be finished cleaning up your center, back at your desk with a piece of paper and pencil out, and you should be reading silently. We will start our spelling test afterwards." "READY, SET, WALK." I then start the music.
Transition Playlist
Album: This song is on many different Disney soundtracks
Song: The Enchanted Tiki Room
Album: Rockabye Baby's Lullaby Rendition of Elvis
Song: Hound Dog, All Shook Up, etc.
Album: Mine is from a Walt Disney World Soundtrack but I believe you can find it elsewhere
Song: The Ballad of Davy Crockett
This is a fun one for students of all ages. It also gives me a chance to tell kids that Davy Crockett is from Tennessee, some know and others don't. I like to hear what they know about him.
Artist: Sesame Street Cast & Will-I-Am
Song: What I Am
Will-I-Am, again? A fourth grader suggested this song to me and it's a fun one for all ages.
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Final Thought: While I love music, I don't always use music for transitions. If students are going to spend 1-2 minutes for example, I wouldn't use music to transition from whole group to center work but I would use it if students were doing a craft activity with glue, paper, and the whole kitchen sink all over the desk! All you crafty parents and teachers know what I'm talking about! :)
I also try to keep transition time to the very least amount of time possible.
I'm sure there are many other songs out there that get the kids moving. I've heard some Yo Gabba Gabba songs that sound promising. I am open to anything that will help students get up, get moving, and moving on to another activity.
What do you use to help get your students motivated to transition from activities?
I use the Whole Brain Thinking Scoreboard to motivate students as a whole group throughout the day. If students have more points on the smile side of the scoreboard, I host a 60-180 second dance party right before dismissal!
We work hard to stay on task throughout the day and earn that party, so I better be sure to pack some tunes to get them moving! Before we start, I always congratulate them for awesome behavior and make sure they realize how not every class earns a dance party! Then, we go over the rules.
Dance Party Rules:
1. Be smart! No crazy dance moves that might hurt you or someone else!
2. Keep your hands to yourself!
3. Have FUN! You earned this party.
I often just start a Conga-style line (doing the hustle move instead of putting hands on each other's shoulders!) If there is enough room and I can find a meter stick, I have two volunteers hold it up and the Conga-line turns into a Limbo line.
Artist: The Jackson 5
Song: ABC
The Jackson brothers can cheer anyone up! This is one of my favorite songs and children of all ages seem to know the lyrics. It's a really fun way to end the day and reward an awesome group of students.
Artist: Will.I.Am, Jamie Foxx, & Anne Hathaway
Song: Hot Wings (I Wanna Party) Album: Rio Soundtrack
I mentioned in Part I about looking for songs that wouldn't drive me crazy. I am really NOT a fan of Will.I.Am. I'm sorry if you are, but I'm just not into him. This doesn't mean that I won't listen to him for 3 minutes of the day if the kids like it. This one was requested by a student and later a principal told me that I should download it. I bought it from the iTunes store that day. It's a fun upbeat song that many kids like. I must admit that it's pretty fun.
Song: I Like to Move It, Move It Album: Madagascar Soundtrack
This song has the word "sassy" in the lyrics. I have seen this song used in morning announcements and in school plays. Just wanted to let you know, in case that is a problem for you. Now that I have The Jackson 5, I hardly ever have to use anything else. It's always great to have backups.
I also love the idea of using songs in different languages, I haven't done this yet but have researched a few that seem fun. What about these? :)
Song: Hanuka Matata (Spanish)
Maybe this one:
Song: It's a Small World (Mandarin Chinese)
Do you use dance parties as motivation for your classroom or child?
Now that you have all of these songs stuck in your head, you might as well start dancing too! I always find a place in the classroom to dance (which is me just raising the roof mostly). This pumps the kids up! They think Ms. McFall is super fun and I thank them for being so awesome and allowing me to join in on their dance party. ;)
When looking at my future classroom, I have been planning what I want the classroom to look, feel, and sound like.
I love music. I realize that not everyone likes the same music as I do, so this is why I wanted to find something that would motivate and not annoy others! Also, it's important to find music that will work with any age student.
Just a quick note: I always ask students permission before I play any music. When I walk into a classroom, I am not the dictator who forces others to listen to my music. I want everyone to have a say. If it's distracting then what's the point in using it? I haven't had anyone turn me down when asked if they'd like to hear music while they work. I often tell them that brain surgeons, the president, and even teachers use music to help them stay on task! When do I play the music? I pick a time when students are quiet and working hard anyway. I feel that if you put music on when students are rowdy they just get even more pumped up and distracted.
I currently use these different playlists in the classroom and hope they help you out.
Artist: Brian Eno
Albums: Ambient 1, Music For Airports (My all time FAVORITE!)
Music Style: Ambient
Use: Anytime
Artist: Brian Eno & Harold Budd
Albums: Ambient 2, The Plateaux of Mirror Music Style: Ambient
Use: Anytime
I had the privilege of being able to hear Brian Eno speak at MoogFest last year. He talked about many things but his views on how music have different effects on the human brain really caught my attention. Music has the ability to frustrate, motivate, relax, anger, and help people enjoy what they're doing by activating different brain waves.
I put this music on repeat and it can run for hours as background music! I notice how it really does help students (and teachers) stay focused.
*Eno's music and artwork is currently being installed in a hospital waiting room in England. This idea came about to help patients, doctors, and family members a chance to escape and just let their brains relax for a moment. How interesting!
Artist: Rockabye Baby (This company makes lullaby renditions for tons of different artist)
Albums: Elvis, The Beatles, Bjork, Radiohead, The Beach Boys, etc. (any of the titles are appropriate for the classroom, there are no words only music)
Music Style: Upbeat lullaby
Use: during group activities, project work, research, working around the room, etc.
I found these when looking for songs that wouldn't drive ME crazy in the classroom (how many times can you hear the same classical song over and over?) Don't get me wrong, I seriously love classical music but Rockabye Baby helps students get moving, while still staying focused. I see students working hard while bobbing their head or tapping their foot. GET THAT ENERGY OUT FRIENDS! The occasional frog sound makes students look up and laugh every once in a while and I LOVE LAUGHTER IN THE CLASSROOM! Some of the albums are more quiet than others but I haven't found one I don't use.
There's an App for That!
If you don't want to use music but DO want to use relaxing music in the classroom, why not use an app? I personally use this one, Relax Melodies Oriental (free version for iPhone). I like it because you can mix music with nature sounds.
Might be a fun way to get students involved in the music selection! Take a vote on which sounds to use that day. :)
Also, Brian Eno has a few musical apps that could help students relax through the day. Can we say Brain Break? I do not have these but plan on purchasing them one day. His apps also have an option to just listen to the music instead of playing it.
I have used other music but this is what I use now. I've seen these albums motivate students and not annoy them (or me).
I find a place for my iPhone up on a shelf and push play.The music also gives the classroom a different feel to it. It turns into a fun, interactive, engaging atmosphere of learning!
Keep them motivated and engaged in what they're doing!
What music do you use as your "Thinking Music Playlist"?
Have you tried Brian Eno's music? I would love to hear what works for you!
Up Next: Dance Party - Reward Playlist, Get Up, Move On - Transition Playlist
Hello! My name is Cara. I am a teacher from Tennessee. I started this blog to share my adventures in the classroom and my learning experiences along the way. I'm inspired by Walt Disney and his ideas of working hard while still having fun.
If you are interested in learning about anything, you've come to the right place! That's why I am here, too! I hope we let this digital classroom continue to be a work in progress and never stop learning from each other.
