SCHOOL APPROPRIATE PLAYLISTS

I like to move it, move it! 💃 And I know that my students do too! There are so many studies out there about how music boosts brain chemicals and activity. I think that music in the classroom can be a great motivator! It can help learning "stick", enrich our classroom community, and ENGAGE my students. I always like to have the perfect playlist to set the mood for the day/lesson and today I'm sharing my 8 favorite playlists I've made with you. 

**These playlists all contain clean songs that I have deemed "school appropriate." My standard is no profanity and very limited/no suggestive content. If you noticed that there is something on one of these playlists that you are concerned about, please let me know!

1. Class Playlist

This playlist reflect's my students and their unique personalities 100%!! For more information on how my students and I compile our class playlist each year check out this blog post. I play these student-selected songs on shuffle during movement breaks, transition times, or work time where I'm okay with things getting more noisy. It's always fun to guess which song "belongs" to each student. This playlist is my favorite for community building.

2. Teacher Favorite's Playlist

There are those times before or after school when I'm hustling to get work done and I just like to JAM. This is the playlist I listen to. This playlist was created for teachers by teachers (thanks Insta/FB friends who helped me out)! There are times when I'm getting things ready when I have students/coworkers/parents come in unexpectedly. Because of that, I a made sure that this playlist is clean so that I can stay professional even when jamming out. 

3. Instrumental Playlist

This is probably my most played playlist! My students and I affectionately refer to this playlist as our "Brain Jams." I created this totally instrumental playlist with many different genres in mind. From classical, to pop covers, to movie scores this instrumental playlist has it all. Some days I hit shuffle to get a fun, random mix. Other days I'll scroll to a specific section to play similar styles of songs. Brain Jams flow during small group discussion time, individual work time, and assessments to fill the space and set the mood/tone for the lesson.

4. Throwback Playlist

This playlist always makes me want to stand up and dance! I use this for our movement/dance breaks, welcome music, work time, and for my own getting-ready-for-the-day-pump-up-playlist. It always surprises me how many of these songs my students know and sing along to. 
P.S. This is the playlist I've used for any staff meetings/PD I've helped facilitate. Once again, it's about setting the tone that I want and I've found that these songs always bring a smile to people's faces. 

5. Halloween Playlist

Need the perfect playlist for your class Halloween party or to set the spooky mood this October? I've got you covered! I've compiled some of my favorite, kid friendly, ghoulishly good songs that your whole class is sure to enjoy. 

6. Thanksgiving Playlist

I get so excited about Christmas after Halloween that I sometimes forget to listen to all of the good Thanksgiving Jams out there! Okay, so there aren't tooo many Thanksgiving songs... but I've put together an hour long playlist that is perfect for your class feast or any other festive activities you have planned. I especially love to play "I've Got Plenty to be Thankful For" from Holiday Inn each year as we start our Attitude of Gratitude activity.

7. Christmas Playlist

'Tis the season to be jolly! If your school is as into celebrating Christmas and Winter as my school is -- this playlist is sure to be a hit. Full of fun renditions of well known songs, this 7.5 hour playlist  (what can I say, I really love Christmas) is fun to shuffle through all season long! 

8. Valentine's Playlist 

Valentine's Day (or PALentine's day as I call it in my class) is my student's last class party of Elementary School so it's a pretty big deal. We focus on the love of family and friendship and of course I had to look for some upbeat tunes to match the occasion. 

Join the dance party on Spotify -- my account is MyTeacherStyle. 💃 Let me know in the comments below if there are any other songs you want to see on these playlists. Have fun moving and grooving!