User:Mckennalu4/Music in the Classroom

Music in the Classroom

Music playing in classrooms can be a great tool to help study study better if used correctly. It can give them a boost in their mood and help them increase their productivity and capability to focus. Listening to music uses both parts of your brain that will help your memory if it isn’t distracting. It can help fidgety kids or people with ADHD be able to sit longer and keep them stimulated. Having specific types of music on can help them decompress and relax without getting distracted. Lastly keeping it consistent will help, as far as music played and tempo and volume.

Learning Theories

Tulane students studying

Letting students listen to music while studying has been a hot topic for teachers, but knowing strategic ways to use it can make it a positive thing in classrooms. Everyone learns differently, and listening to music while studying has become a more widely accepted thing in classrooms. It's argued to be distracting and overstimulating, but studies have shown that listening to music increases dopamine and productivity levels if used at the correct time. According to the National Institutes of Health, “Music can increase worker activation, which leads to increased performance.” Having music on can block out distractions, whether that’s kids talking or internal distractions. Music can help students know it's time to focus on work as well as get students motivated and reward them for working hard.

Listening to music actively engages both sides of your brain that help with memorization and what we need to study. Specifically in your “hippocampus. It then starts a process called neurogenesis, where new neurons are produced that help improve our memory”. Although having it on can help students productivity, it can be harmful if it's on at the wrong times. Music should be played when the students are working independently, not when they are collaborating with other students. If played when trying to accomplish group work, “Listening to music can inhibit class participation and social interaction”. Music shouldn’t be played when you want all students collectively focusing on a presentation. Playing music works best when the students need to focus on a task, not when you want them to focus on an activity or assignment. During independent work times, It is seen in kids with ADHD that having music playing can help them “avoid boredom longer and showed reductions in motor activity”. Music can help students go longer without getting bored and fidgety, helping them be more productive.

Musical Classroom

The type of music you play is important to help students be successful. Different genres of music can help students in different ways but there are some universal ones proven to help students dial in. Classical is the most common answer for music that is helpful to get students to relax and increase their productivity. This is mostly because lyrics can be found distracting to students, so experts believe that “little to no lyrics is best” They also suggest listening to jazz music, it can “Boost creativity and reduce stress, the arch enemy of memory ability” Creating a calming playlist is another option is to listen to a film or game soundtrack.

Keeping your music consistent is needed to help students be the most productive. There should be a consistent and predictable theme in the music playing, not switching from classical to rock as that would just be more of a distraction. Helpful tips are to think about the “tempo of the music and keep it at the same volume". that's not too loud. Listening to an album or soundtrack is a good example if it’s appropriate. Making sure there are no ads with talking in the middle that break up the flow is also important. The students should be able to focus on their work rather than what music is going to play next.