im not a teacher but my teacher always put on v 100 or like a soul radio station but sometimes she put on 103.7

I’m a French and Spanish teacher and I use it a lot. If you can find songs that teach grammar, I think it would help you tremendously. Students can sing any song they know by heart so music is a very important part of their lives. Here is one website with some grammar songs on it (in English, although they also have French and Spanish): http://www.educorock.com .

Two things stand out in my mind when I think about my own times as a student. When I was in 8th grade, our English teacher took a modern song and we went through it for symbolism (I’m old, so it was “Where Have All the Flowers Gone?”). But yet, I still remember doing that today. She did a couple of other songs as well. I remember thinking how neat it was that we could read song lyrics and see that they were more than just something to sing along with. They had much more to them than I knew.

I also remember when I was little during the commercials of the Saturday morning cartoons, they would play “Grammar Rock”. I STILL know most of the songs by heart and the ones about more social studies issues helped me in high school when I had to memorize the preamble to the Declaration of Independence. (And yes, I can STILL sing the song!) (Oh, and you can buy the Grammar Rock video/DVD and the kids STILL like it — I teach high school.)

I have also read some information indicating that playing Mozart or Bach in the background while students are reading or doing other activities helps the brain to do better at the activities. It seems that those two composers in particular affect the brain more profoundly than other compositions.

I’m interested in talking w/ some of my professors about this. But what I’d like 2 do when I start teaching is perhaps play whatever the students don’t like listening to, whether it’s classical, jazz (regular or contemporary), or adult contemporary. Maybe even easy listening, u’no, instrumental versions of some classic songs. Adult contemporary would just be the old pop ballads like “Wind Beneath My Wings,” “Unchained Melody,” or “Every Breath You Take.” I probably may need to bring a boombox hooked up to XM or Sirius to get the right music. I prefer music that would be undistracting to students while they do assignments. & maybe, if I’m in a good mood, I can finish the “music sessions,” perhaps at the last 3-5 mins of class w/ part of a song they generally would enjoy, like a song from T.I., Red Jumpsuit Apparatus, the “High School Musical 2” soundtrack, Keyshia Cole, or Colbie Caillat.

I teach computer science and I alway play music in my classroom. Usually classic rock and blues, but usually “soft rock”. Put on high energy rock & roll and watch the kids get all cranked up. Put on mellow tunes and they are settled down. Amazing the effect music has… I have been playing in bands since I was 16, that’s 37 years, and I have a big P.A. system. I use 2-18″ subs with 2-15″ & radial horn cabinets on top here in my lab. Very professional system, very sweet sounding. My principal likes it too… (last year I taught a guitar class and formed a band with several kids, we played several gigs and recorded). My advice; play music, it beats a quiet classroom and dig this… the kids talk less because they are listening to the music 🙂

It depends on the learning preferences of my students. Most of the time I have several who are musical learners and remember the things set to music or just plaing focus better with music playing. I always select insturmental pieces (no words, but still a variety of styles). This has always served my students well.

i play relaxing music and classical music…sometimes i use it while they are writing, and other times i use it when i need the kids to be quieter than normal. during science groups, i put it on and i set the level. i let them know that if i can’t hear the music from where i am that it is too loud. if i say ‘i can’t hear the music’ more than once, then we have to put the science stuff away — i have only had to do this once when they didn’t think i was serious. most of them don’t want to put it away beacuse we do a lot of fun projects.

I use music during times of quiet work, group work, and sometimes just because. It’s never too loud, as it makes a great management tool. “If you are louder than the music, I’ll turn it off.”

I usually play Bob Marley and the Wailers, or classical. It has had a wonderful effect. Even parents thank me.

All the time. I use a lot of classical music, especially when students are working independently. It seems to calm them. I use music to set a volume standard when my students are doing group work as well (“If you cannot hear the music then you are too loud. If all you hear is the music then you need to talk to you group about__________ more.”)

I haven’t done this, but a friend of mine teaches Math and found students learned better when he played Baroque music softly in the background.

For language arts…seems there are a variety of linguistic lessons you might try.

You can select songs with lyrics to demonstrate:

* Alliterative verse

* Tautogram

* Figure of speech

* Rhetoric

* Assonance

* Rhyming

* Cynghanedd

Pronunciation practice can be done with some folks songs…sort of a practical application of that joke about American folks songs being characterized by squeezing in as many words as possible in one line of music in one breath.

Some educational research shows that memory retention is longest for songs. Most of us can readily recall songs we learned as kids….way, way, back for some of us…yet we easily forget some recent events. So songs might help increase the retention rate for some of your students.

Hope this helps. good luck in your efforts.

my teachers always put on easy music, like smooth stuff, clean stuff, nothing sceamo/metal, cuz a lot of us work better when they’re quiet music behind us…. my computer teacher turns it on when we’re working on projects, and some of my other teachers to during individual work…. it helps block out other noises