Donna Driscoll Assignment2B Visit 6

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PENN STATE UNIVERSITY

Incorporating Music into your Lesson Plan

ddriscoll

Donna Driscoll Assignment2B Visit 6

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The day prior to the music lesson being added I observed the student showed little or no
interest in the lesson terms and definitions. I was curious and asked why they felt that it was not
important to know what the terms and definitions meant, the overall census was; anyone could
do it, it is silly that they have give it name, and why do they always make things so hard.
The following day I did not discuss what we would be doing today. As the students were
getting in their seats I started the music. Two or three students verbalized their dislike on the
music and I just asked them to be still, listen and feel the music. I played the music for three
minutes then I turned it off, the calm was breathless and you could have heard a pin drop and I
now had their attention. We then discussed what sounds we heard, the mood it put them in, and
how could we put the different sounds into the terms for practical task. You could see in their
eyes the excitement to continue and that the music just made the whole idea of the practical task
come to life it now made sense. The students made the decision about what sounds went with
what terms and have we would proceed onto the practical task. We took the practical task to the
clinic floor with independence and organization demonstrating that the students owned the day!
As the students were performing their task, the students were instructed to listen for the
different terms in the different sounds and how to use the rhythmic movements to perform the
procedure. My IEP students were allowed to have the laptop using the visual aid to follow the
task. I observed that two of my IEP students did not what to use the visual aid; I latter asked
them why they did not use the computer, they told me that they could follow the music, watch
me and hear me give the instructions as I walked through the steps with the class. I observed how
attentive the students were to follow my instructions, nor were they taking or off task. Upon
completing the task the students cleaned up without being directed and expressed how much they
enjoyable performing the task. They were ready to do this task again the next day.

Donna Driscoll Assignment2B Visit 6

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The following day the lesson started with retention questions on the terms and definitions,
the student all jumped in on trying to answer. The enthusiasm of participation had crossed over
with more wanting to answer the questions than the ones that did not. I used the thumbs up to
observing that all students still knew the answer. After the retention questions we followed up
with: What made us remember the answer? How did the music help us remember? and Why is it
important to know what we learned? Again the students jumped all over wanting to answer the
questions making a good day at teaching!
In closing, I would like to say, music affects the mood of students, it can give you the ability
to control the classroom tempo making learning fun without the student knowing that they are
learning. Learning through music the student can make associations with a particular thing such
as we have associated a song with an event or time. Guiding and felicitating the student in what
they create out of the music gives them the associations that works for them as they all learn in
different ways. Using the elements of the body and mind, the music connects the behavior and
learning in tandem.