“Miss Spence, Your Music is Beautiful.” Classical Music in the Classroom

1. Abby Spence “Miss Spence, Your Music is Beautiful.” Classical Music in the Classroom

2. Focus Incomplete Work Rushed Work Noise Level The Problem

3. Will the presence of classical music during independent work time increase the focus and decrease the noise level of my classroom? The Question

4. Songs for letter and number formation Poems and songs Music special once a week Previous Exposure to Music

5. Music provokes powerful emotional responses. Music engages all of the sensory areas of the brain. Music activates both hemispheres of the brain. Classical music has been found to help students concentrate. Music in the Classroom

6. Establish a positive learning state Create a desired atmosphere Energize learning activities Change brain wave states Focus concentration Increase attention Improve memory Provide inspiration and motivation Music in the Classroom

7. Centers • Four 20 minute centers • Writer’s Workshop • Ten minute mini-lesson with a 30 minute writing block • Reader’s Workshop • Ten minute mini-lesson with a 30 minute reading block Week 1: No Music

8. “Free Time written next to every student’s name. Misbehavior results in loss of a letter. Student must have all of “Free” left to earn free time. Part of the word free results in a loss of part of the free time. “Free Time”

9. Spelling handed back/incomplete: • 16 • Number of students without “Free Time”: • 3 Week 1 Results

10. The Rules: • The music should always be able to be heard. • When the music starts, everyone should be in the appropriate place. • When the music stops, the work period is over. Week 2: Introduction to the Classics

11. Spelling handed back/incomplete: • 8 • Number of students without “Free Time”: • 3 • Student comments: • “Your music is beautiful!” • “When can we turn the music back on?” • “I love your music. It makes it quiet in here!” Week 2 Results

12. Spelling handed back/incomplete: • 8 • Number of students without “Free Time”: • 1 • Number of students who preferred music to no music: • 20 • Number of students who felt the music increased their focus: • 20 Week 3 Results

13. Noticeable difference in noise level. Noticeable difference in transition time. Students who continued to struggle to get work done were completing work correctly. Fewer mistakes on spelling work. Set expectations for independent work periods. Classroom Management

14. Classroom management tool Creative outlet Memorization tool Next Steps

15. Brewer, Chris Boyd. “Music and Learning: Integrating Music in the Classroom.” New Horizons for Learning. 1995. 28 February 2010. http://www.newhorizons.org/strategies/arts/brewer.htm Foran, Lucille M. “Listening to Music: Helping Children Regulate Their Emotions and Improve Learning in the Classroom.” Education Resources Information Center. 2009. 10 March 2010. http://www.eric.ed.gov/ERICDocs/data/ericdocs2sql/content_storage_01/0000019b/80/46/45/c8.pdf Griffin, Michael. “Background Music and the Learning Environment: Borrowing From Other Disciplines.” Education Resources Information Center. June 2006. 10 March 2010. http://www.eric.ed.gov/ERICDocs/data/ericdocs2sql/content_storage_01/0000019b/80/33/b6/21.pdf McGovern, Anne Marie. “Working in Harmony: Some Effects of Music in the Classroom.” Education Resources Information Center. 2000. 10 March 2010. http://www.eric.ed.gov/ERICDocs/data/ericdocs2sql/content_storage_01/0000019b/80/16/a0/26.pdf McKnight, Rosemary. “Does Listening to Slow Tempo Classical Music During Independent Writing Affect Children’s On-Task Performance?” Education Resources Information Center. 1998. 28 February 2010. http://www.eric.ed.gov/ERICDocs/data/ericdocs2sql/content_storage_01/0000019b/80/17/96/a7.pdf Carol Roper Concord Elementary Melissa Mercer-Tachick Kyle Shanton Acknowledgements

16. “Music is the electrical soil in which the spirit lives, thinks and invents.” Ludwig van Beethoven