Feb
24
More Music in the Classroom!
Posted by: Natasha Chiang | February 24, 2013 | Leave a Comment
Playlist by Mr. Vasicek, a teacher in Michigan
found here and his philosophy behind it found here
Come-In Songs — Bouncy songs to start the day off right.
- “Walking on Sunshine” by Katrina and the Waves
- “Come on Over” by Shania Twain
- “Best Years of Our Lives” by Baha Men
- “Brown Eyed Girl” by Van Morrison
- “Build Me Up Buttercup” by The Foundations
- “Who’s Ready to Party?” by Fred Figglehorn (suggested by colleague Norman Wright)
Morning Kickoff — These songs provide a short, interactive way to start the day as soon as that bell rings. In my class we accompany the songs with motions and peer interaction. Positive touch each day can really help to build relationships (see Dr. Becky Bailey).
- The Muppet Show theme song
- Friends theme song
- Happy Days TV theme song
- Batman TV theme song
- “I Like That” by Houston (This is for a slightly older crowd. When it plays, we gather in a circle as the Detroit Pistons do before a game.)
Writing Time — During writing time, I play slow-paced songs that have no recognizable lyrics, which would create a distraction. I play these selections ONLY when the students should be writing. The last song is ALWAYS the same so they know they need to wrap up their thoughts. Works like a charm . . . just like Pavlov’s experiment.
- Any of the Hooked on Classics CDs
- Songs by Enya
- Songs by Enigma
Subject Anchors — I use these songs to indicate the start of the next subject. The songs signal what books and folders students will need for the next lesson.
“867-5309” by Tommy Tutone for math “Weird Science” by Oingo Boingo for science”Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious” for spelling Pink Panther theme for mystery reading “America” by Neil Diamond for social studies lessons on American history “Pizza” by Gemini for lunch on pizza days “Peanut Butter Jelly Time” by Chip-Man & the Buckwheat Boyz for lunch on other days “Who Let the Dogs Out” by Baha Men for recess
Timed Transitions — I find TV theme songs work great for this.
- Thirtysomething theme song — one minute (The link goes to an extended version of the song.)
- ER TV theme song — one minute
- Malcolm in the Middle TV theme song — 30 seconds (Again, this links to an extended version of the song.)
- A reader’s comment on my first post about music alerted me to this Web site as a source of free downloads of commercial jingles, video game soundtracks, and TV theme songs.
End of the Day
- “Trashin’ the Camp” by Phil Collins for cleanup time
- “Bye Bye Bye” by *NSYNC for the end of the day dance. I use just a 45 second portion at the end.
- “The Final Countdown” by Europe, to stack chairs and pack up
Class Songs — A song we pick to sing every Friday during our reflection and share time, which we call “Highs and Lows.”
- “Breakaway” by Kelly Clarkson
- “The Climb” by MIley Cyrus
- “Lean on Me” by Rockapella