Creative Ways to Incorporate Music Each Day
One of my favorite things is to play the beginning of a song. The first goal is for students to have fun seeing if they can guess the title and artist. The second goal is to see if students can create a connection with the literature we are studying and suggest ways that the music reminds them of the setting, theme, characters or something else in the book. It is a lot of fun to share a song with students! Example: When we were studying Romeo and Juliet, I might play ¨Standing Outside the Fire¨ by Garth Brooks and students could explain that the fire or fued began before Romeo and Juliet´s time.
Other Ways to Include Music
-Play music as students enter and leave the classroom.
-Share a song in the middle of class for no reason (just to savor it and enjoy it together).
-Have students list their favorite genres of music. Try to play a few during the week.
-Teach poetry by using song lyrics
-Look at the back story/ historical references in songs. Discuss what was happening during the time a song was released.
-In an English class or history class, find music that goes with the time period.
-Analyze a song and pick out literary elements.
-Create a soundtrack for a book or short story. Explain why the choices of songs are used.
-Have students match the mood in a story with the mood in a song.