Specific Ways Music Can Be Used At Work Or In A Classroom
Learning New Information
Music can be used to help us remember learning experiences and information. In Active Learning Experiences music creates a soundtrack for a learning activity. The soundtrack increases interest and activates the information mentally, physically, or emotionally. Music can also create a highly focused learning state in which vocabulary and reading material is absorbed at a higher rate.
Active Learning Experiences
Music will activate students mentally, physically, and emotionally and create learning states, which enhance understanding of learning material. For example, play music with an association for your topic in the background while reading a concise summary of the important information.
Focus and Alpha State Learning
Music stabilizes mental, physical and emotional rhythms to attain a state of deep concentration and focus in which large amounts of content information can be processed and learned. Baroque music that’s 50 to 80 beats per minute creates an atmosphere of focus that leads into deep concentration in the alpha brain wave state. Learning vocabulary, memorizing facts or reading to this music is highly effective.
Memorization
Songs, chants, mantras, jingles, poems, and raps will improve memory of content facts and details through rhyme, rhythm, and melody. Teaching these to students and employees or having them write their own is a terrific memory tool. It’s a great way of preparing for tests, exams or employee and brand engagement.
Attention, Attitude and Atmosphere
Preparing for work or a learning experience can make the difference between job well done, lessons well learned or just passing time. Certain music will create a positive work or learning atmosphere and help employees and students feel welcome to participate in the learning experience. In this way it also has great affect upon their attitudes and motivation to work and learn.
Welcoming and Attention
Background music is used to provide a welcoming atmosphere and help prepare and motivate students for learning tasks. Music can energize lagging attention levels or soothe and calm when necessary. Simply playing music as students enter the classroom or as they leave for recess or lunch totally changes the atmosphere. Depending on the music, you can invigorate, calm, establish a theme or even give students content information with content-songs.
Community Builders
Music provides a positive environment that enhances student interaction and helps develop a sense of community and cooperation. Music is a powerful tool for understanding other cultures and bonding with one another. Selecting and playing a classroom theme song, developing a classroom "ritual"---such as a good-bye or hello time that uses music, or other group activities with music are ways to build lasting community experiences.
Expression through Musical Intelligence
Music is a kind of doorway to the inner domain on the person. The use of music during creative tasks and reflective practices facilitates and helps with personal expression while thinking, writing, meditating, creating art, movement exercises and variety of other ventures. Creation of musical compositions offers a pathway to expressing feelings, beliefs and values in the language of musical sound.
Creativity and Reflection
Background music is used to stimulate internal processing, to facilitate creativity and encourage personal reflection. Playing reflective music, such as solo piano in either classical or contemporary styles, while professionals and students are writing, reading, contemplating, working on mathematical equation, software coding aids to hold attention for longer periods of time than without the music.
Accelerated Learning
The use of background music during lectures, vocabulary decoding, or group readings is a cornerstone of Accelerated Learning techniques. Two methods for using music, designed to create very different but equally effective learning environments, were developed through Georgi Lozanov, “the father of accelerated learning” are called Active and Passive concerts. The Active Concert activates the learning process mentally, physically and/or emotionally while the Passive Concert is geared to place the student in a relaxed alpha brain wave state and stabilize the mental, physical and emotional rhythms to increase information absorption. Both methods result in high memory retention. Used together the two concerts provide a powerful learning experience.