Turn Up the Music!!!

I'm obsessed with music! I play it all day long .... in my car, when I'm home, and of course in my CLASSROOM!!  Not only does music put me in a good mood, but it truly helps me to be a better teacher.  I use it for classroom management, transitions, and to put a smile on my students' faces!!!

Using music for transitions is brilliant!  I initially got this idea from the fabulous Rick Morris.  Check out his website for many great ideas!! He's amazing.  Attending his teacher workshops permanently changed how I do transitions in my classroom. 

Like Rick Morris, I have a playlist of songs that I use for important transitions throughout the day.  Instead of giving oral directions ALL day long, these songs cue my students to do specific jobs.  They love it and it saves my voice a little. 

It's also a HUGE time saver.  It only takes my students 2 minutes and 51 seconds (the length of Raiders of the Lost Ark) to clean and pack up at the end of the day!! I'm talking about ALL 28 students!! It's so great!!

 My playlist:
* Crazy Frog Ding Dong Song - 
     I play this in the morning.  Students know to put their backpacks away, turn in homework, and start working on their morning work.
* Andy Griffith Show Theme Song -
     I play this right before recess & lunch.  Students know to clean up and get ready.
* Dancing with the Stars Theme Song -
     I play this right before silent reading time.  Students know to take out a book and start reading.
* Raiders of the Lost Ark Theme Song - 
     I play this at the end of the day.  Students know to clean up, pack up, and get ready to go home.
* You've Got a Friend in Me (Toy Story) -
     I play this after art or when we have rainy day schedule.  Students know to clean up and put their supplies/games away.

My favorite song is the Ding Dong Song.  My students love it!! I play this song with the video.  The first few times I played it, my students were in a TV coma and stared at the screen instead of doing their "jobs".  I promise they'll get over the novelty of it and it will work like magic!!

If you can't access YouTube at your school, you can also find it on Vimeo.

I found all my theme songs from televisiontunes.com.  This site has a ton of shorter songs that are perfect for transitions and more importantly, they are FREE!!!

Using music for transitions adds some FUN to your classroom and will make your life a little bit easier.  Enjoy!!!