Do you incorporate music in the classroom while your students are working on tasks?
Last year I made conscious effort to try it out…I've always admired the atmosphere music can help support. Some of my favorite observations were in those “feel good” classrooms where students were working cooperatively, music was humming in the background, and everyone seemed focused on their task. Although I know it's not nearly as simple as that, but music seemed like the “gel” that kept the j-factor going.
Looking back with reflection, I have to laugh because I had a pretty WILD group last year. Definitely a movin' and groovin' type of class!
Was this really the class to try it out with?
So how did it go?
It was FABULOUS! You can read more from my post this past April. I wanted to share it because summer is the PERFECT time to create or update your playlist and below are suggestions that worked for my resource classroom.
Even better…one of my favorite teacher-authors shared this amazing freebie!
Classroom Playlist
Do you play music in the classroom?
I’ve been wanting to try it out for YEARS and previously searched teaching blogs for implementation ideas and suggested classroom playlists.
I wanted to learn more…will it distract my students (or myself…classrooms are not exactly quiet places!)? What equipment works best (mP3 player? Pandora?)?
Finally, I just jumped in and did it!
And I’m SO glad I did!
Yes, it was distracting at first. Mostly by joyous children dancing in their seats, lol.
Logistics? I’m pretty sophisticated using my iPhone and plug-in speaker 😉
But after music became a “regular” thing, my students were able to sing and groove along, WHILE staying focused on their important work. And our classroom transformed into a pretty awesome place to be!
Besides the STAPLES on our playlists (soundtracks like Sing, The Lion King, Frozen, etc. and classical/instrumental), here’s a list of our tried-and-true classroom favorites:
Can you guess my students’ NUMBER ONE hit on the classroom playlist?
Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin’ by Michael Jackson
That song is our playlist go-to – guaranteed to add some energy and smiles to the room 🙂
This summer I’ll be updating my music and I’d love to hear from you! What songs are missing from the playlist above?
I also created a classroom playlist focused on holidays…please hop back soon to check it out!
Hi there.
I'm Jennifer!
I’m Jennifer and I was a special educator in the elementary school setting over the past decade. I entered the classroom every day dedicated to making learning inclusive AND engaging.
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