Music has always been a passion of mine. I grew up performing in musicals, playing guitar, and I sang in choirs growing up. As a new teacher, I knew I wanted to include music into my classroom activities but I wasn't sure how! Here are some tips I've learned through the years...
How To Find Kid-Friendly Music:
Visit the Public Library! One of the best ways to include new music (for free) into your classroom is through your public library! I regularly check out CDs, play them for a few weeks, and exchange them for new ones when they are due. When I read the book "Bud, Not Buddy" to my fourth-graders, I love playing lots of jazz to help them understand the descriptive language in the book. Around St. Patrick's day, Irish dance music is a great way to keep the kids learning about different cultures. This low-cost method of circulating music has been very successful in my classroom.
Listen to Pandora! My favorite website for free music streaming is http://www.pandora.com/. Once you've set up an account with Pandora, users can create their own online radio stations based on specific artists or styles of music that they enjoy. Although there are some occasional ads with the free version, I've found that by turning down the volume during ads the students don't tend to be too distracted by them.
Like all radio stations, the content can vary and some stations are not kid friendly. Remember to pay attention and skip over any songs that will get you in trouble. Here are a few stations that I've found to be excellent in the classroom:
White Noise Radio - This station plays a lot of soothing background noise (rivers, birds chirping, quiet music, etc.) that is excellent during reading or test-taking times of the day.
Classical New Age Piano Radio - As the title suggests, this station showcases a variety of classical piano songs. They can vary from slow to more upbeat. I find that this can be used well during reading time if the volume is lower. It's also appropriate during group work times.
The Piano Guys Radio - The Piano Guys are artists that cover many popular songs on the piano. My students enjoy hearing their favorite radio songs played in a more classical style. As a teacher, I love that there are no lyrics, so I don't have to worry about the content of the songs!
Film Scores Radio - My kids have a blast listening to the scores written for motion pictures. Many of them are surprised to hear how quickly scores can change from happy emotions to darker feelings. At times, this station will play some scores that sounds "creepy" to the kids, such as background noises from "Pirates of the Caribbean" or similar movies. I've found that when I explain to my students about the station, the variety of film scores makes a lot more sense to them. They then laugh when the darker songs come on, instead of wondering why the music sounded more intense suddenly.
Create Your Own - Although creating your own station can take some fine-tuning to make sure all songs are kid-friendly, a little effort pays off! I started a new station based off of a Disney movie. Once you've clicked on a station to listen to, you will notice that a small button appears below the station title that says "Add Variety". You can then add many other kid-friendly songs, movies, or artists to the same station to help Pandora get a taste for the type of music you're interested in. In my experience, the station tends to play less-mature songs (like "Sesame Street") instead of inappropriate music. If something comes on that you don't want played again, just click the thumbs-down icon and Pandora will adjust to your preference in the future.
Music helps Manage Behaviors! For many students, music can be a simple addition to a classroom that can help with behavior management. For students who are distracted by noises during work time, having quiet music in the background that is calming can help to blur the other distracting sounds of cars, whispers, and pencils. I have also found that using music to signal transitions is an excellent way for kids to switch between activities (more on this to come with a later post!) Of course, some kids work best without music, too! In order to be respectful to those kids, I have access to noise-canceling headphones in my room that kids can access. This way everyone is set up for success. Haven't tried playing music with your kids yet? Don't be afraid!
Mix Up Styles! Although students do enjoy listening to the Disney classics, I've found that exposing them to new genres tends to keep them more excited. Don't be afraid to play something different for your kids. Take the time to teach them about why YOU love particular styles, and you'll find that they learn to love the style, too. Last year, after playing jazz in class for the first time, one of my students came back the next day and said he begged his dad to play a jazz station in the car as they drove home. His dad was thrilled and so was he - win/win! I also make time for some kid-friendly songs by Justin Timberlake, Nsync, Elton John, Beatles, Kelly Clarkson, and Taylor Swift: my personal favorites!
Broadway for Kids! I love to play Broadway show-tunes from classics that I loved as a child. My students have always enjoyed listening to the "Matilda the Musical" soundtrack after we read "Matilda" in class - and it's very rare that my kids would have picked up that CD on their own. Other excellent musicals for kids include: The Lion King, The Sound of Music, Wicked, Cinderella, Peter Pan, Seussical the Musical, Aladdin, Annie, You're a Good Man Charlie Brown, Finding Neverland, and select songs from Newsies or Shrek (to name a few!) Be sure to preview all music before you play it - you know best what your kids should and should not be listening to.
I want to hear from YOU! What music do you play with your students? Leave a comment below with your favorite ideas!
Pump up the jams,
-Kristy
Visit the Public Library! One of the best ways to include new music (for free) into your classroom is through your public library! I regularly check out CDs, play them for a few weeks, and exchange them for new ones when they are due. When I read the book "Bud, Not Buddy" to my fourth-graders, I love playing lots of jazz to help them understand the descriptive language in the book. Around St. Patrick's day, Irish dance music is a great way to keep the kids learning about different cultures. This low-cost method of circulating music has been very successful in my classroom.
Listen to Pandora! My favorite website for free music streaming is http://www.pandora.com/. Once you've set up an account with Pandora, users can create their own online radio stations based on specific artists or styles of music that they enjoy. Although there are some occasional ads with the free version, I've found that by turning down the volume during ads the students don't tend to be too distracted by them.
Like all radio stations, the content can vary and some stations are not kid friendly. Remember to pay attention and skip over any songs that will get you in trouble. Here are a few stations that I've found to be excellent in the classroom:
White Noise Radio - This station plays a lot of soothing background noise (rivers, birds chirping, quiet music, etc.) that is excellent during reading or test-taking times of the day.
Classical New Age Piano Radio - As the title suggests, this station showcases a variety of classical piano songs. They can vary from slow to more upbeat. I find that this can be used well during reading time if the volume is lower. It's also appropriate during group work times.
The Piano Guys Radio - The Piano Guys are artists that cover many popular songs on the piano. My students enjoy hearing their favorite radio songs played in a more classical style. As a teacher, I love that there are no lyrics, so I don't have to worry about the content of the songs!
Film Scores Radio - My kids have a blast listening to the scores written for motion pictures. Many of them are surprised to hear how quickly scores can change from happy emotions to darker feelings. At times, this station will play some scores that sounds "creepy" to the kids, such as background noises from "Pirates of the Caribbean" or similar movies. I've found that when I explain to my students about the station, the variety of film scores makes a lot more sense to them. They then laugh when the darker songs come on, instead of wondering why the music sounded more intense suddenly.
Create Your Own - Although creating your own station can take some fine-tuning to make sure all songs are kid-friendly, a little effort pays off! I started a new station based off of a Disney movie. Once you've clicked on a station to listen to, you will notice that a small button appears below the station title that says "Add Variety". You can then add many other kid-friendly songs, movies, or artists to the same station to help Pandora get a taste for the type of music you're interested in. In my experience, the station tends to play less-mature songs (like "Sesame Street") instead of inappropriate music. If something comes on that you don't want played again, just click the thumbs-down icon and Pandora will adjust to your preference in the future.
Music helps Manage Behaviors! For many students, music can be a simple addition to a classroom that can help with behavior management. For students who are distracted by noises during work time, having quiet music in the background that is calming can help to blur the other distracting sounds of cars, whispers, and pencils. I have also found that using music to signal transitions is an excellent way for kids to switch between activities (more on this to come with a later post!) Of course, some kids work best without music, too! In order to be respectful to those kids, I have access to noise-canceling headphones in my room that kids can access. This way everyone is set up for success. Haven't tried playing music with your kids yet? Don't be afraid!
Mix Up Styles! Although students do enjoy listening to the Disney classics, I've found that exposing them to new genres tends to keep them more excited. Don't be afraid to play something different for your kids. Take the time to teach them about why YOU love particular styles, and you'll find that they learn to love the style, too. Last year, after playing jazz in class for the first time, one of my students came back the next day and said he begged his dad to play a jazz station in the car as they drove home. His dad was thrilled and so was he - win/win! I also make time for some kid-friendly songs by Justin Timberlake, Nsync, Elton John, Beatles, Kelly Clarkson, and Taylor Swift: my personal favorites!
Broadway for Kids! I love to play Broadway show-tunes from classics that I loved as a child. My students have always enjoyed listening to the "Matilda the Musical" soundtrack after we read "Matilda" in class - and it's very rare that my kids would have picked up that CD on their own. Other excellent musicals for kids include: The Lion King, The Sound of Music, Wicked, Cinderella, Peter Pan, Seussical the Musical, Aladdin, Annie, You're a Good Man Charlie Brown, Finding Neverland, and select songs from Newsies or Shrek (to name a few!) Be sure to preview all music before you play it - you know best what your kids should and should not be listening to.
I want to hear from YOU! What music do you play with your students? Leave a comment below with your favorite ideas!
Pump up the jams,
-Kristy