{"id":3772,"date":"2016-09-26T08:51:32","date_gmt":"2016-09-26T15:51:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/teachinginhighered.com\/?p=3772"},"modified":"2016-09-26T08:51:32","modified_gmt":"2016-09-26T15:51:32","slug":"musics-role","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/teachinginhighered.com\/2016\/09\/26\/musics-role\/","title":{"rendered":"Music’s Role in Our Teaching"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Playing<\/p>\n

I'm one of those people who almost always has a soundtrack playing in my head. Sharing music with my students is something I've always enjoyed.<\/p>\n

I've now found there to be benefits that I never expected through this process.<\/p>\n

Reach Out to Struggling Students<\/h2>\n

After I set up my equipment for a class, I tend to go sit somewhere in the classroom toward the back. I often find this to be a good way to connect very casually with a student who hasn't been completing assignments, or who did poorly on a recent test.<\/p>\n

It doesn't have to be a big formal thing. We can just both enjoy the song. Most often, the student will bring up their difficulties with me, before I even address the topic.<\/p>\n

Change the Mood<\/h2>\n

As some of you might remember, I sometimes teach three sections of the same class in a semester. I still marvel at how different classes can take on such different personalities.<\/p>\n

I find it helpful to use music to bring more energy into a room. Or, there are those times when we really all need to settle down and center ourselves a bit, and the right tune will help us to do that.<\/p>\n

Expand Musical Repertoire<\/h2>\n

Before streaming music services existed, students used to get a kick out of how large and how diverse my song collection was. They liked to play deejay before class and would help me rediscover artists I had forgotten about.<\/p>\n

Today, it's less about pulling songs from my music and more about being introduced to artists who are new to me. It always seems like a turning point in a class when a student recommends new music to me.<\/p>\n

My Playlist<\/h1>\n

Here are a few songs that you\u2019ll hear, if you stop by my classroom this semester:<\/p>\n