I once heard a teenager confess that the first thing he does in the morning is put on music and that he couldn’t function without music. For many young people, music generates energy. Teachers can harness the energy generated by music to generate motivation and enhance learning. The various ways in which the power of music can be used effectively in the classroom are described below.

songwriting

Songs have long been used as a teaching tool. Many people find it difficult to recite the letters of the alphabet without singing the alphabet song. Songs can be used to memorize a long list of related information, such as the names of capital cities, chemical elements on the periodic table, mathematical formulas, or the spelling of difficult words. Writing songs can also lead to higher levels of thinking. My students have written songs that describe how a character might feel after an important event in a story. This same activity could relate to a historical figure after a significant event in history. For students to write such a song, they are required to synthesize and evaluate information, the highest levels of thinking. It is often helpful to give students a structure for creating their songs. For example, a teacher might have students write songs in groups, with each group creating a song in a different genre of music, such as blues, rock, gospel, reggae, rap, salsa, etc. Most music genres have specialized formats and rhythms that can provide students with structure for writing a song.

dedication of the song

Instead of having students write their own songs, they could research existing songs to represent a character, a group of people, a time period, or a discovery. Students could write an essay explaining why the song they selected matches what they have studied. Students could even create an entire album to reveal various aspects of what they are studying.

writing message

Music can be used as a muse for creative writing pieces. To teach setting, a teacher might play music from different parts of the world or the sounds of a specific place, like the ocean. After listening to the selection, students could write a paragraph describing the location and what might have been happening there. Students can use what they have written to start a short story or poem.

timing

Music could be used as a means of keeping time that adds excitement to a lesson. When I have the students debate, I use the Jeopardy Song during the time the students prepare their arguments. When the song ends, that means the preparation period is over. Music has also been a timer in my classroom for writing games. When the music plays, the students must write freely. When I stop the music, that indicates that students should stop freewriting and switch roles with another student who will continue writing where they stopped.

Positive background noise

Music has a way of changing the atmosphere of a room. With the right melody, you can help influence the tone of the class. For a noisy high school class, I have seen teachers play classical music to calm the tension in the room. For a lethargic high school class, I’ve played musical themes from Broadway plays like The Lion King to liven up the class and build excitement as students work on group projects or interactive activities. A teacher must use wisdom in deciding when, what kind, and what type of music would be effective to use as positive background noise.

Music is a part of life that most young people love. Used effectively, music is another tool that teachers can use in their bag of tricks to benefit their students in the classroom.