![]() ![]() As a musician myself, my first instinct to say that music is beneficial in the classroom because it’s beautiful and artistic and inspires students to create beautiful and artistic things, but there is so much more to consider. ![]() The benefits of music in the classroom…where to start? There are so many, each and every one valuable in its own way. Our students likely do the same! It might be a little bit of a learning curve, but incorporating music in a way that supports emotional well-being and is responsive to students’ needs will pay off in the long run. Many of us listen to music to help us feel energized, focused, inspired, or soothed. Not only does music help create a sense of calm, it can also: I don’t claim to be a music therapist at all, but I have found that utilizing some modified music therapy techniques can help students regulate their behavior, create a calm classroom atmosphere, and create meaningful connections to curriculum. Over the course of my career, I’ve become more aware of the different sensory processing issues, anxieties, triggers, and behavioral challenges my students struggle with. I often play high-energy pop music as students are coming into class I wouldn’t make the same selection during a test.Īs much as music can set an energetic tone for the class period ahead, it can also be used as a tool to help students stay calm, focused, and in control of their emotions - extremely important in the uncertain, chaotic times we’re living in. If music can both express and elicit emotion, we should be aware that the music we pick for the classroom can have a big impact on students as they work. Those responses are instinctual and natural - and very telling of how music can modify behavior. I’ll never grow tired of watching my youngest students in kindergarten and first grade respond unprompted to new pieces of music they hear, marching with John Philip Sousa’s brassy refrains or slumping on the ground in fake slumber as Brahms’ “Lullaby” gently plays. ![]() ![]() Here’s what I’ll discuss in this article: As a music educator, I’m thrilled to share what I know about the power of music and how it can be applied in the regular education classroom. How many adults listen to music during work in the name of focus and productivity? Heck, I once listened to the same song six hours straight while I rushed to finish a term paper.īut background music is only one tool in our arsenal there are many, many others worth using and understanding. White’s research was done to answer the question of whether music in the classroom can be beneficial to students and the answer is… Research from committed educators like Kevin White suggests that having background music on during class helps students stay on task, monitor their behavior, and improve self-motivation. I’m not sure those teachers were thinking about the particular benefits of music in the classroom, but it turns out they were onto something. Most of us can remember at least one “cool” teacher who had the radio playing softly during class, or who let us listen to our iPods as long as we weren’t being obnoxious. Students are hearing and listening to music constantly is that reflected in our classroom practices? Music is everywhere - from internet ads, to supermarkets, to radios, to television shows. ![]()
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