Music for Classroom Community

Try it Today

Here are some simple ways to incorporate music into your classroom routine to make a positive impact on your classroom community:

• Choose a morning greeting song to sing to your students every single day
• Use a steady beat and chanting to play a Name Game (see video below)
• Choose a Classroom song that belongs only to you and your students. Pick a familiar tune (Twinkle, Wheels on the Bus, etc.) and change the words to make it personalized to you and your students.
• Throughout the day, play Circle Games with your students where everyone is included in the activity. “If You’re Happy and You Know It”, “Skip to My Lou”, “Bluebird, Bluebird”, and “The Farmer in the Dell” are some examples of singing circle games.

How do you know if it’s working? Watch for these clues to let you know that your students feel like a member of your classroom community:

• They look forward to singing their songs together and playing the circle games together.
• They show care and concern about each other’s well being.
• They make good choices when holding hands and playing circle games (i.e. they don’t squeeze hands, pull arms, or move too fast or too slow for the rest of the group)

Music Mary shows you how to play the Steady Beat Name Game. This simple game gives your students a playful way to greet each other and to start learning each other’s names. This helps to build a joyful community and their brains will get a powerful morning boost!