Music and Memory ~ a Powerful Connection

Ever been instantly transported back to a place and time just from hearing a song? Or heard “your jam” on the radio and start car-dancing, completely embarrassing your kids? Or, like me, can you still remember your very first telephone number that you learned in pre-school to the ABC song? I can recite that bad boy even now… over 45 years later! Nevermind that I don’t remember a single other phone number before my current one, I’ve got that very first one eternally cemented!

Why?

Because music and your memory have a solid connection in your brain!

Music…

can elevate or set our mood.
help us to remember mathematical formulations and sequences of numbers (like phone numbers!).
shows us a different perspective thereby helping us to empathize with others.
decreases stress and put us at ease, thereby lowering the Affective Filter.
strengthen group bonds and builds appreciation for others.
So. Much. More!

How I use music in class

As a “hook” or tie-in to a novel or unit. Music can set the scene, so it’s great to use to connect units.
As a Brain Break or reason to get up and move (this can be elevating the mood OR deescalating silliness).
Teach culture.
Teach grammar implicitly or in context.
Teach more about culture – geography, demographics, and climate.
Help students to hear the spaces between words.
LOWER STRESS.
Make a powerful connection to our content.
BUILD EMPATHY – the more students learn about our differences with other cultures, the more I can point out the similarities. “Sameness,” or learning that we are all essentially very similar, is a powerful thing! The “thing” they remember is the music, while the “thing” they actually acquire is appreciation for others.
Teach even deeper culture – as in values, perceptions and beliefs.