Carol Kordsmeier immediately gained fellow “campers” attention during her ActivLesson presentation as she donned her peers in lab coats while the tune of “The Adams Family” played.  Instantaneously, the atmosphere in the room changed from quiet reserve to obvious excitement and expectancy of what was to come. Carol frequently uses music to make her middle school science lessons come alive and set the tone the classroom.

Research supports the use of music in the learning environment.  In Twelve Benefits of Music Education and Using Music in the ESL Classroom, authors state that music can help increase standardized test scores, foster teamwork, help students think creatively and solve problems, improve concentration and memory, and motivates learning. From Elona Hartjes’ Teacher at Risks: In “Music and the Mind”, author Nina Jackson, calls music the new teaching tool for the 21st Century.  She believes in the use of music to stimulate students’ brains, get pupils ready to learn, and cause their brains to function steady and stronger.  She writes:

 At the Ron Clark Academy, music is used throughout the day as a basis for reinforcing important facts, dates, and ideas.  Teachers and students frequently use the tune of a popular song as a springboard for learning.  Original lyrics strongly focused on curriculum content are composed and sung to a familiar tune.  As the students sing the lyrics,  they are moving, engaging different parts of their brains, enjoying the classroom experience, and LEARNING! So, to sing or not to sing? I would say, definitely, sing away!  Plus, music makes learning FUN!