Elementary teachers can use music to help students transition from one activity to another. The teacher can play music as the students enter the classroom and switch music to something more upbeat as she prepares to begin instruction. Music tempos of 60 beats per minute help students calm down and focus on new material according to an article by David Newnham published in "TES Magazine" on June 10, 2005. Music tempos at 120 bpm helped students retain information.
Elementary teachers can use music to help students learn content. Teachers can use music to teach math, state capitals, grammar and other memory work. Teachers may locate songs created by other teachers, PBS or educational stores. Teachers can also make up their own songs using melodies students are familiar with like "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star."
Students can sing the songs to help cement the material into memory. They may even sing the songs during tests to help trigger the memory.
Teachers might encourage students to help create the songs. The use of original student-created music can encourage students to engage in learning and take pride in helping other students learn the content.
Students can use well-known songs to learn to read. The rhyming quality of songs can help students learn to recognize words and letter combinations. Students can match the sung words to words on paper.
Research conducted by Carol S. Woods and reported in the Spring 2003 edition of "Montessori Life" reports that students can learn spelling patterns, letter and sound relationships and phonics rules through the use of music. Students learn quickly to identify spelling families like run, sun, fun and bun through the similar phonetic sounds.
Students learning about other countries can use the music of that culture to aid in understanding the people. The teacher can use recordings of children's songs to teach the class authentic music. Students can learn the words in the original language.
The teacher might allow students to perform the music using instruments. The students might also learn dance steps to go with the ethnic music.
When students have difficulty settling down and focusing on educational activities, teachers can utilize music and movement to energize students. As the students move around, they can expend the excess energy and use it creatively in games, dancing or following directions. Once the movement time is over, students can settle down and focus on instructional activities.