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Sashadroogie · Posted: Wed Aug 15, 2012 7:26 pm Post subject: Music in the classroom.

We Communists long ago proved that no deity exists. However, we have also proven that if he does exist, then he listens to Borodin, and is moved. How about you?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aGNObWgU2Qw&feature=related

Slavic soul does exist. Has been proven too.

Anyway, tried using this as background music in a lesson while the students were doing their tasks. Didn't work, obviously. Should have known better. But did provide lots of talking time for the learners, so not a total disaster.

What unobtrusive music do you use in your lessons?

Teacher in Rome · Joined: 09 Jul 2003 Posts: 1286

None.

Not only is music an extremely personal thing for me, I'm not able to listen to music and concentrate on something else at the same time. I can't work with music on, for example. Too much stimulus.

Sashadroogie · Posted: Wed Aug 15, 2012 7:48 pm Post subject:

This is a good point. However, the other side of the argument is that by having some sort of soft music on, learners can chat away in some sort of privacy and security. Useful when dealing with shy and reticent types.

Teacher in Rome · Joined: 09 Jul 2003 Posts: 1286

Maybe. But if I get a class to do some pairwork or groupwork, I can then go round, and sit and listen to the shyer of the students... Very often students are shy when speaking among their peers or when speaking up in class. If you've got everyone working on a task, it gives you time to have a bit of a 1-1 with the shyer ones, with the surrounding noise giving them that privacy. I've found that this works with small and larger class sizes, but of course, it does stretch out the speaking activities - not in itself such a bad thing either.

Sashadroogie · Posted: Thu Aug 16, 2012 7:32 pm Post subject:

That is fine, of course. But when you have the odd class where no one seems to be much of a talker, then some light background music can be useful for cloaking pairs and thus giving them some sort of security in what would be an otherwise very quiet room, with every utterance echoing embarrassingly for others to scrutinise.

Music can also be played while the learners read a text or complete some controlled practice work etc. Some find it stimulating. All very Suggestopaedia, I know, but worthwhile exploring.

Music can be a task in itself. Simple tasks such as listening to an excerpt and describing what you see or how you feel can yield good speaking opportunities. Also, presenting the music as a film score, and then setting the task of the learners thinking up a film scenario to go with it is a 'fun' way of combining the four skills.

Teacher in Rome · Joined: 09 Jul 2003 Posts: 1286

oceanhue · Joined: 19 Aug 2012 Posts: 7

I can't work with noise around me and that includes music. I find it very distracting.

Andrew Jordan · Joined: 25 Sep 2011 Posts: 26

I have used music as background in a few classes. It worked very well as a reward to classes who worked hard. The key was making sure the students knew I would only play the music if the did their work. If it was distracting them I would turn it off. Almost always the frist day I would have to turn it off, but the next time I would remind them of the rules, and they were better at following them. It also was played very very softly so that it did not cover up them talking, preserving my ability to moniter effectivly. Classical (mostly piano) music and bob dylan seemed to work the best, but with each class I would try a varity to see what they enjoyed.