Four Cognitive Skills Supercharged by Music Education

In recent times, music programs seem to be one of the elements being reduced or eliminated in schools. However, music has so many educational benefits for all students, not just for those who are musically gifted. Students that are not musically talented can also participate and sharpen different cognitive skills while musically inclined students will take their learning one step further by tuning their musical abilities.

Academic Processing and Skills

Acquisition of language occurs faster in students who study music rather than students who do not participate in music. Since similar regions of the brain are responsible for language and reading, reading skills also develop faster. Students work on math skills in music because the music itself is grouped into sets such as beats of four. When playing music as a group, for example, fractions and ratios play a part because someone playing the bass guitar may play one note every two beats. In this example, participants would understand a 1:2 ratio when playing music with others. If he is not able to do so, the group would not be able to create cohesive music together.

Critical Thinking

Part of music is putting different elements together. These elements can include dance, multiple instruments, or different music styles. To this, students need to have an understanding of the purpose of the different elements and how to integrate each without having one of the elements compromised. No matter what the musicians try to do, they always need to keep in mind the purpose of the overall musical creation. Is the performance being used to convey a story? Is the performance showing great emotion? Or does the performance show progress students have made over time? Incorporation of these ideas must also be done appropriately, and with intention or else the story gets lost, and the audience becomes confused. Combining all these elements takes practice, failures, and critical thinking to bring them together as one.

Long Term and Short Term Memory

When learning a new instrument or song, students need to be able to mimic the notes back to instructors. To be able to do so, their short term memory must be sharpened. Learning music does just that. Decoding the music takes precision and practice. Once learned and mastered, notes, songs, and movements are transferred to the long term memory. Pathways are created in long term memory to act as a filing cabinet that can be accessed when needed. Even when time has passed, the learned information and actions can still resonate with the individual who may even be able to play a song on a piano they learned 20 years ago!

Attention and Focus

Music is based on different rhythms, measurements, combining different instruments, and physical movements, whether this is through playing an instrument or dancing to the rhythm of music. To be successful, students need to be aware of beats, pauses, and deliberate movements. If children cannot maintain attention or focus, even for a second, there can be a disconnect between the music and one’s involvement in the music. The more this is practiced, the more nerve pathways are developed and connected.

Music engages students with different interests and teaches skills dynamically rather than through rote memorization or rote practice. Each student involved in music can learn something whether the skill is coordination, teamwork, fixing mistakes with instant feedback, or expressing one’s self.

Switch your high school classroom to flexible seating

Sitting in a molded plastic chair all day can be hard on anyone, especially high school students. For that reason and others, high school teachers have introduced flexible seating in classrooms, and their decision seems to be paying off.

Flexible seating allows students to choose from various seating options in the classroom, including traditional desks, tables, and chairs or soft seating like couches and beanbags. By introducing flexible seating, teachers change the learning environment, making it less clinical and more student-friendly.

Teachers who are critical of flexible seating may think that it’s too informal for a high school classroom, yet the casual design approach offers students an opportunity to sit comfortably while learning. Some educators also have expressed concern that students might destroy the furnishings, misbehave, or wouldn’t pay attention in the classroom, but in fact, just the opposite has occurred.

In fact, teachers who have chosen to adopt flexible seating have discovered several benefits to the new arrangements, including better student attendance, improved responsibility for taking care of the room, and more positive attitudes among students.

Design strategies

You don’t have to be a design diva to get started. Most high school classrooms aren’t large enough to initiate a comprehensive design plan, so it’s best to begin with a small area or one corner of the room.

As you look for ways to create a flexible seating, consider the following:

  • Think of your seating options as solo (floor cushions, bean bags, gaming chairs, arm chairs, yoga balls, standing desks) or cluster arrangements (bar-height tables, couches, benches).
  • Opt for sturdy over cute and trendy. Hefty furniture will stand up to bigger kids.
  • Maintain line of sight with students. They need to be able to see the board and other visuals, and you need to be able to see them.

Beyond furniture

Flexible seating isn’t just about the furniture. Flexible seating arrangements require you to consider sound and lighting as well.

An area rug and a few throw pillows can help to muffle sounds in the classroom. Movements will seem quieter, and so will collecting materials. Fabric and fibers absorb sound. When the background noises are filtered out, your students may find they can speak in more natural voices, too.

Bring in additional lighting in the form of table or desk lamps. Some students prefer working with softer light. For additional ambiance, try suspending strings of LED lights.

Funding your flexible seating

Furniture can be costly, but your flexible seating doesn’t have to be. Look for finds in these places:

  • Dollar and discount stores
  • Thrift stores and resale shops
  • Garage sales
  • Families seeking to downsize

A few hundred dollars will go a long way. Many teachers, however, introduce flexible design in their high school classrooms for as little as $50 – or less. Sometimes, if you tell vendors what you’re trying to accomplish in your classroom, they’ll give you discounts.

Your students will know whether or not flexible seating is for them.

Require your kids to try each area before deciding where to sit permanently. Those who prefer flexible seating over traditional seating may want to get to class as quickly as possible, so someone else doesn’t take their favorite seat.

By giving your students a choice between traditional and flexible seating, you’re accommodating the physical needs of every child in your high school classroom.

20 strategies to use right now for teaching high school

There’s no doubt that teaching in high school is like no other kind of teaching. You’re responsible for delivering in-depth, rigorous content while managing large class sizes and teenage emotions.

These twenty strategies will keep you confident and in charge:

The classroom

Provide the rationale for assignments. Once students understand why they must do something, they’ll be more likely to get it done.

Create a workshop environment for your classroom by providing materials for completing assignments.

Less is more. Remove anything you’re not using during the grading period. If you can, eliminate the teacher desk, too.

Stay organized by using color-coded folders for each period.

Decorate your classroom with memes and student work.

Seat hyperactive on the ends of rows so they’re less likely to disrupt others.

Ask your students to make notes in class. When creating their notes by hand, they are more likely to retain what you’ve taught them.

Use the ceiling tiles. Create a grid for math, identify the best classic literature of all time, or let students decorate a tile as a reward.

Have some fun. Incorporate icebreakers or other ways to get students up and moving. Sitting in a chair for six hours a day is difficult.

Create an assignment binder. Every time you give students an assignment, place a master copy in the binder. When students who have been absent return to class, they can see what they missed and get caught up without having you stop what you’re doing to help.

The students

Get to know every one of your students. With a teaching load of 150 or more students, knowing everyone can be difficult, but by getting to know them all as individuals, you’ve won half the battle.

Have students take responsibility for refilling supplies when needed.

Be visible in the high school community. As tired as you are, go to your students’ games and concerts to show how much you care about them.

Encourage your students to be creative. Let them write songs about vocabulary or create skits to teach a concept back to their peers.

Avoid confronting students about their behavior in front of their peers. Hold a private discussion away from everyone else.

The professional

Show a quick video at the beginning of each class. You’ll have fewer tardies, and you can take attendance or handle other administrative duties during this time.

Set personal boundaries. Students don’t need to know the details of your personal life. Leave those details at home.

Be the adult in the room. Someone has to be in charge; that should be you, regardless how much students try to push back.

Don’t take it personally. High school students may say mean things; don’t feed into their antagonistic behavior.

Teach every day, including the first day of school. Your sense of urgency will be contagious.

Most of all, though, be yourself. Your students will appreciate you for who you are. Of course, it helps that you have some excellent ideas for teaching high school, too!

The Edvocate Podcast, Episode 7: How Digital Age Teachers Can Win Over Parents

Education is a collaborative process, as it takes many stakeholders working in unison to help students succeed academically. One of the most integral parts of this collaborative team is parents, as teachers know all so well. So, if you are a teacher struggling to increase parental engagement, how do you fix this issue? In this episode, we will discuss 7 ways that digital age teachers win over parents.

The Edvocate Podcast, Episode 4: How to Create a Culturally Responsive Classroom

Building a culturally responsive classroom is hard. To help you along your journey, here is your guide to exploring and respecting the cultural backgrounds of your students while also using diversity as an asset. If you you listen to this episode of the podcast, and take my advice, you will have a culturally responsive classroom in no time.

References

Culturally responsive teaching is a theory of instruction that was developed by Dr. Gloria Ladson-Billings and has been written about by many other scholars since then. To read more of her work on culturally responsive teaching and other topics, click here to visit her Amazon.com page.

The Edvocate Podcast, Episode 2: How Edtech Companies Should Start the New School Year

As summer reaches its peak, and fall gears up to make its arrival, students, parents, teachers, and administrators are all preparing for the beginning of a new academic year. So many gains were made last year, and they are eager to build upon that success. When we talk about education stakeholders who are concerned with starting the school year off right, we rarely, if ever, talk about edtech companies. They too are an integral part of the school community, as they provide a valuable service.

So how do edtech companies stay on their “A” games to begin the new school year? Not to worry, we have you covered.

Hello, my name is Dr. Matthew Lynch and welcome to the second episode of The Edvocate Podcast. Today, we will discuss back to school tips that will help your edtech company get off to a running start and sustain that momentum until summer break comes around again.