Music in the Classroom

I believe the greatest tool in a teacher's toolbox is music. As a [former] teacher myself, I used music in the classroom not only to enhance the learning experience for my students but also to boost overall class culture and peer dynamics. I found that every time I reached into my "toolbox," music was not only the easiest tool to use but also the one that almost always worked!

I received my bachelor's degree in music before getting my teaching credential and was pleasantly surprised when I first learned how compatible these two areas of study were. In my own kindergarten class, I saw firsthand the impact of music on the academic achievement of my students.

The Long-Term Impact of Auditory Learning

Have you ever found that you can still recall information because of a song you learned when you were a student? Maybe it's the 50 states in alphabetical order . . . for me it's the US Preamble because of that catchy Schoolhouse Rock! song. And it's safe to assume we all retained at LEAST one concept through song: the alphabet!

Karisha Wagler, a Grade 5 teacher from Moorpark, California, shares, “We love to use music to make chants for learning . . . we changed ‘Three Blind Mice’ to ‘Three States of Matter’ when learning about gas, liquids, and solids.” My own kindergarten students mastered their letter sounds by singing “Who Let the Letters Out?” (which yes, was a spinoff of “Who Let the Dogs Out?”).

In Using Music During Instruction to Support Cognition, Judy Willis writes, “Multi-sensory experiences that include music can extend wider-ranging brain connectivity . . . this extended network of the information can then be accessed by any one of the sensory experiences through which it was incorporated.” Essentially, students who learn information by singing about it are going to better understand and retain that information for longer periods of time.

The Science of “Shaking Our Sillies Out”

Another way music can be utilized in the classroom is to ensure greater student focus. Even in kindergarten, we needed every minute of our day to fit in all the required learning. But I also saw that when my students didn’t have the chance to give their brains a break, they lost focus quickly, making it challenging to teach everything I needed to.

In Why Students Shouldn’t Be Forced to Spend So Much Time Sitting at Desks in Class, Valerie Strauss reports that “fine motor exercise allows brain reorganization and nerve growth . . . standing, stretching, walking, or marching can help the brain focus.”

Therefore, it was NEVER a waste of time to have a moment of music to give the brain a break and wiggle the body. I would pull out my guitar and play a quick “Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes” or Raffi’s “Shake Your Sillies Out” and found that when we then returned to the learning, students who might have been beginning to zone out were now fully back and engaged.

How Music Benefits Classroom Culture

On the first day of school, my favorite thing to do with my students was to gather them at the carpet and sing “The Name Game” song by Shirley Ellis. Not only did this support students in learning (and remembering) their classmates’ names, but it also provided an icebreaker. They loved the silliness that came with singing “banana-nana-fo-fana!”

Music also was a large part of our daily social-emotional learning (SEL) lessons. With the variety of challenges students experience these days, many school districts are realizing the value of learning about emotional regulation and are implementing SEL curriculum to further aid students and teachers.

All students have the right to experience “big” feelings, and how we, as teachers, help students handle those emotions is a very important part of our jobs. One strategy I used to help my class de-escalate on days when emotions ran high was playing one of my instruments and/or singing at a low volume in a calm tone. Not only would this help bring my students’ roars to whispers because they wanted to be able to hear the music, but it also had a calming effect on the energy in the classroom. Additionally, at the beginning of every morning, after we said the Pledge of Allegiance, we would sing morning affirmations to set the day up for positivity and success.

Making Music an Instrumental Part of Your Classroom

The good news is that you don’t need to be able to play an instrument or even sing to achieve these effects in your classroom. There are many free music streaming channels, that provide minutes' to hours' worth of calming music, and even musical affirmations, that you can play just as easily. Or, make a playlist at the beginning of the year that you can have handy.

Any subject or lesson plan can benefit from music—and so can every student for that matter. If music is not yet a tool in your “toolbox,” I encourage you to make it one by thinking about which musical strategies you can implement this school year.

Want to hear more from Julene? Tune in to her episode of the Extraordinary Educators™ Podcast.

Want to learn more about using music to set the mood in your classroom? Check out Connecting with Middle School Students by Extraordinary Educator, Da’Jhon Jett.