As someone who absolutely LOVES music, I just naturally brought it into the classroom with me. Through trial and error, I figured out a couple of fun ways that music could play a big role in making my classroom successful. I'll be sharing 8 of those ways over the next few weeks. Feel free to subscribe to my feed or follow by email (in the sidebar) so you don't miss any of them!
#4: To lower your stress.
Have you ever dropped your class off at Art only to walk back to your room and groan because your 30 minute 'break' is already down to 28 minutes and you still have 50 minutes worth of things to get done before you pick the kids back up? Yeah, that *never* happened to me either ;)
It was on days like these that I would ignore the stack of papers that needed grading and walk straight to my computer. I'd log into Pandora and click on the Christmas music channel...and feel the stress drain away at the first strains of 'Chestnuts roasting on an open fire.'
Yup, you folks just learned about one of my quirkiest quirks: Christmas music is my year-round friend. I have to endure quite a bit of ribbing from my husband when he comes home and hears it blaring from the computer in August, but hey- at least he's coming home to a happy wife, right?!
There's just something about jingling bells and happy lyrics that improves my mood instantly. Knowing this fact about myself, I used Christmas music strategically throughout my day to keep my attitude a positive one. I played it during planning periods, after school, and I have even been known to turn it on for the kids as a "super special treat!" when I was having a particularly hectic moment.
So what's the genre of music that takes you to your happy place? You may just want to start stocking your desk drawer with a few cds (and some chocolate- don't forget the chocolate!) to get you through the stressful days.
Check out the rest of the series 8 ways to use music in your classroom :
#1: Start the day off in a calm way
#2: Clean your room in 3 minutes
#3: As a free and easy reward
#4: To lower your stress
#5: To keep the room quiet
#6: To Teach a set of facts
#7: Create smooth transitions
#8: Grab students' attention without yelling
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