You Will Need:
A Computer with Internet Access
Speakers
A (fun, fast, free) Grooveshark Account
Step 1: To begin, go to the Grooveshark homepage and create a free account.
Step 2: Once you have your account, you can start searching for music to add to your playlists.
Step 3: Create several different playlists for each part of your school day.
Morning Work Playlist:
Source: steveandcat.net
Try searching for melodies with a bit of energy. You are trying to wake them up and get them ready for the day.
Search artists such as Steve Reich, Ratatat, or try some classical music with a tiny bit of pep.
Math Playlist:
Source: sharpbrains.com
Study after study has praised the positive effects of listening to classical music and its impact on a brain engrossed in math.
Try searching these compositions and composers, which are recommended for mathematical thinkers at this site:
-Mozart’s Symphony #40
-Bach’s Anna Magdalena, Notebook #7
-Bizet’s Toreador Song from Carmen
-Beethoven’s Pastoral Symphony #6
-Rossini’s William Tell Overture
-Schumann’s Melody
-Haydn’s Surprise Symphony
-Strauss’ On the Beautiful Blue Danube
-Chopin’s Waltz #18
-Handel’s Harmonious Blacksmith
Writing Workshop Playlist:
Source: dstracywrites.blogspot.com
Make one playlist without lyrics and the other with lyrics. Why? Some children might actually benefit from having a few softly spoken, poetic words float past their ears. They will subconsciously grab onto turns of phrases and words when they are writing, which provide them a spring-boarding platform for ideas they are trying to develop.
Reading Groups Playlist:
Source: ecslibrary.edublogs.org
Try to search music written for a single instrument, like piano. Because it only has one voice, they will be able to hear their own reading voice inside their heads much better. Make sure there are no lyrics, since a song’s story might interfere with the one they are “listening” to in their minds as they read.
Consider making a playlist that can be used in a listening center.
Source: randalllearninglibrary
*Search for historical ballads (“Battle of New Orleans”) and print out accompanying lyrics.
*Look for silly songs that can teach rhymes or simple literary techniques (Raffi songs are amazing for this).
*Some learners are more likely to engage with a song than with poetry (try searching Regina Spektor, Fleet Foxes, or Local Natives—check lyrics for appropriateness per song).
*Look for songs that can help you teach imagery (“Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds”) or personification (“Lighthouse” by Nickel Creek).
Social Studies Playlist:
Source: xphomestation.com
Download patriotic songs, old ballads, songs that sing about your community or region, or songs written by local artists in the past and present.
Also, during the month of February, look for artists whose contributions help us celebrate Black History Month (Ella Fitzgerald, Count Basie, Louie Armstrong, Duke Ellington…) Go to this site for more suggestions.
Science Playlist:
Source: images.yourdictionary.com
Search for songs that are related to the content topics your class is currently studying.
Start by searching “Intelli-Tunes” by Ron Brown.
Dismissal Playlist:
Source: thatballsouttahere.com
Using a playlist for dismissal time has the potential to make your life a whole heck of a lot easier. The songs you choose can be staggered to mirror time requirements for each dismissal activity: finishing up their exit slips; packing and cleaning up; dismissing car riders separately from bus riders or after school, etc.
Jeopardy has successfully used a song as a timer for 50+ years. We’ll take “Why Not Teachers?” for 100, please, Alex.
Energizer Playlist:
Make a playlist with fun, high-energy songs to play during reward times, energizers or indoor recess.
Other Tips on Finding Music
Source: anewmorning.com
*Search soundtracks (try Mr. Holland’s Opus, Remember the Titans, or Music of the Heart)
*Grooveshark now has a “Similar Artists” feature that works like Pandora’s algorithms or the Genius feature on iTunes to find music with similar tones, energies, and focuses.
*Share your playlists with other Grooveshark account users. See if other teachers at your school or in your grade level would like to create playlists to share. Spread out the work. Standardize certain procedures (like dismissal, for example) by using music across your grade level.
Other “Sound” Advice
Source: catseyewriter.com
*Try to avoid popular, current music when you plan on using that music to develop your classroom routines. Many of those songs have other habits, emotions, and behaviors already associated with them.
*Music is a wonderful tool. Use it with your students who have a hard time focusing; but if you know that certain students have a difficult time with auditory interference, make sure to have private conferences with them about their feelings and their productivity when listening to the classroom music selections.
*Make “Playlist DJ” a weekly job in your classroom, one that is assigned to your Star Student or Student of the Week, perhaps.
* As a reward for students with behavior charts and/or special behavior plans, add “Choose a Tune” to their reward list. They can search the Grooveshark archives and add another song as a reward at the end of the day or the end of the week (after you have approved it for appropriateness, of course).