One request I frequently receive from teachers is about music for movement integration suggestions. I totally understand. Even if you are a music lover, you may not feel that the music in your personal library fits your teaching purposes. I rarely use music I originally bought for personal use in my dance work with students. At one point I had asked my elementary students to give me music suggestions to use when they earned a free dance. Unfortunately I found most of the songs were inappropriate; either the topic of the music was not suitable for my students or the song contained language not suitable for schools. Fear not! I have some some pointers to consider and suggestions to help get you started collecting music for integrated teaching. Happy Collecting!
Things to Consider
Meter: In my General movement integration playlist on my iPod, most of the music is in duple meter. Much of popular western music is written in duple meter. If you can count 1-2-3-4 throughout the song, it’s duple meter.
Steady beat: I also stick with music that has a clear steady beat throughout the song so students can hear it and count it. If you can clap along to that pulse you hear, the song has a good steady beat. Many choreographers and teachers create phrases that are 8 beats long and teach sections of choreography in 8 beat segments. If you are a fan of dance movies or have taken dance class yourself, you may hear the teacher “counting the dancers in” saying, “5-6-7-8.” That ties together the steady beat and the duple meter aspect.
Tempo: I try to choose music that is moderate in tempo – not too fast, not too slow. It is difficult for young or inexperienced dancers to hold or extend movement integration to very slow music and we don’t want to whip them into a frenzy with hyper-accelerated music! A tempo that is too fast will also make it difficult for children to create and articulate movements.
Instrumental: For the most part, unless it’s just moving for fun like a freeze dance, I use instrumental music. Words can distract from the movement, especially if it’s a song the students know well. Music that is instructive and guides the movers like Greg and Steve who create movement integration music for young children has it’s place and can be used very effectively in the classroom but would not be suitable for movement integration and exploration.
Length of recording: Songs that last for 3 minutes are more are preferable as they allow for lots of exploration of an element or skill without running out of music.
Style Variety: The more variety you have in your playlist, the more likely you are to have what you need for your instructional purposes. It’s great to have a playlist at the ready that can accommodate different learning needs.
Artists/Albums to Try
Lindsey Stirling – Lindsey Stirling
Features violin music mixed with electronics for very modern and danceable music. The violinist is also a dancer and singer so that informs her compositions. “Transcendence” is a favorite selection of mine.
Peter Jones – Three Characters
Features accordion with a very cool and varied twist. “Character 3” makes me think of Paris – so fun!
Bobby Morganstein Productions – The Complete Multicultural Party, Vol. 18
Great if you want a variety of traditional folk music at hand. “Rhythms of the Hightlife” is a West African favorite of mine.
Putumayo Presents – The Best of World Music, Vol. 2 Instrumental
Such a great and varied collection of instrumental music, I have used them all so many times but my favorite is “I Already Have a Husband” – fast and fun!
Putumayo Presents – Islands
Although many songs on this album do have vocals I have two favorites I use VERY often: “Olinda Road” – slow instrumental I never tire of hearing; “Danca Ma Mi Criola” – not an instrumental but my favorite warm-up music. It helps that I don’t speak the language so the vocals meld into the instrumentation for me.
Cirque Du Soleil – Solarium/Delirium
This album has a multicultural flavor with very modern electronic sounds as well. “Gamel” is a favorite I’ve used really often especially for space related movement integration.
Mickey Hart – Planet Drum
This also has an multicultural vibe featuring hand drums, favorites are “The Hunt” and “Evening Samba”.
Nova Menco – Fortune Teller
I’ll call this fusion flamenco. I can’t help but move when I hear it!
U137 – Dreamer on the Run
These songs have a cinematic, meditative quality. You could have it on in the background but when you actually listen each song has its own flavor and can elicit some really expressive movement.
Various Artists – Unforgettable Instrumental Hits
This collection features 1940s and 50s hits from Big Band Orchestras. I’m a sucker for Big Band music and some of these songs are classics and so much fun. I created a dance lesson on time using “The Syncopated Clock” and “Humoresque” makes for a great skipping Little Red Riding Hood.
FAQs
Listening to music can have a calming effect on the mind and body. Also, since music improves our focus, learning and retaining information is more manageable, as stress and anxiety can interfere with the learning process. It can also influence one's mood, and affect cognitive performance.
How do you incorporate music and movement into the classroom? ›
- Welcome students with a curriculum music video. ...
- Create a song or playlist to demonstrate mastery. ...
- Use music for routine transitions. ...
- Play music to set the tone for the classroom. ...
- Use instrumental music to inspire writing. ...
- Rewrite lyrics to a popular song. ...
- Teach vocabulary with music. ...
- Set up class discussions with music.
What do teachers need to know to meaningfully integrate music? Teachers need to understand every facet of music to truly integrate it into their teaching. They need to understand the terms used in music and the elements used to create it. Teachers need to understand the different forms, styles, and genres of music.
What are tips for incorporating music in movement and dance? ›
Play a variety of musical pieces and ask students to express the music's mood, dynamics, or imagery through their movements. This activity fosters creativity and personal expression. 8. Incorporate Props and Instruments: Use props like scarves, ribbons, or tambourines to enhance movement activities.
Which of the following are benefits from music integration? ›
Embracing music as a core component of educational activities paves the way for a dynamic and enriched learning landscape. Far beyond the realm of entertainment, music in educational settings emerges as a powerful catalyst for enhancing memory, concentration, creativity, and even social and cultural awareness.
What does integration mean in music? ›
Integration requires that there be music objectives as well as subject area objectives, and that both subjects are treated equally. Keep in mind that any lesson can be made into an arts-integrated one, by simply delving in deeper to the art form itself to find structural details and meaning from which to draw.
How does movement play, music, and art enhance stem instruction in the early childhood classroom? ›
Arts integration develops cognitive skills
Using the arts to teach science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) makes abstract concepts more concrete for young children. Arts integration can improve language development and literacy in young children, especially English Language Learners.
What are some ways to integrate music into the curriculum? ›
Strategies include having students listen to music to identify the rhythms in math, make music to learn about engineering concepts, write lyrics and/or music critiques, and explore the music of different cultures to see how it relates to history and politics, thereby bringing ancient civilizations and cultures alive.
What is an effective teaching strategy in teaching music? ›
Get and keep your students engaged with music, such as letting them dance and sing, experiment with different instruments, listen to recordings, and watch videos of musicians from different cultures and genres. And, finally, make sure that you establish continuity with both your students and fellow teachers.
How does music and movement support creativity? ›
Benefits of Music and Movement for Creativity
Problem-Solving: Movement activities often require children to think on their feet, improvising and finding solutions to physical challenges, which are valuable skills in creative problem-solving.
The four elements of any type of music are melody, harmony, rhythm, and timbre. The melody of a piece of music is a particular sequence of notes.
What is a way of teaching music through movement? ›
Use Interactive Songs: Choose songs with built-in movement instructions or create simple choreographies for familiar songs. Interactive songs like “The Hokey Pokey” or “Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes” are engaging and help reinforce body awareness and coordination.
How does music affect student learning? ›
Music-based activities in early childhood education have proven to support self-regulation, cognitive and intellectual development, literacy, and language. No matter their age, students can continue to benefit from music to help their academic performance.
How does musical intelligence affect learning? ›
People who demonstrate musical intelligence often think in music and rhymes and learn concepts easier when turned into a song. They have a heightened understanding of structure, notes, tones, and pitches. They also tend to memorize phrases and words in foreign languages easily.
How can music enhance the teaching-learning process? ›
How Music Helps Enhance Learning
- Music helps create a positive learning environment. ...
- Music can improve memory recall. ...
- Music helps solidify a foundation of concepts. ...
- Music helps boost engagement and motivation. ...
- Music makes learners happier. ...
- Music helps improve student/teacher relationships.
How Does Music Bring People Together? Listening to music and singing together has been shown to create a sense of group identity15and may be particularly potent in bringing about social integration because it directly impacts on the neuro-chemicals in the brain which facilitate feelings of closeness and connection16.
