It’s the start of a new term and the classroom is prepped for the year ahead.

The display boards are backed; the visual timetable is in place; the pencils are sharp; the exercise books are labelled, and the planning folder is already full to bursting!

Perhaps this year, you’ve turned the role play area into a spaceship, spruced up the book corner or made space for a carpet area. Or maybe you’ll be asking the class for their ideas, and you’ll plan the classroom layout together.

Whatever the approach, it’s likely that through the course of a school year many hours will be spent thinking about the classroom environment you provide. Does it suit the needs of the children? How does it help them learn? How does it make them feel?

At Out of the Ark, we passionately believe in the power of singing to create a positive classroom environment. Through our own research, we know that a classroom alive with singing develops a sense of community, fosters personal and spiritual wellbeing, promotes collaboration and encourages an attitude of trust and consideration for others.

So as the new term starts, why not make music and singing a key part of your classroom? Here are some ideas to get you started:

1. SET ROUTINES

Singing is an effective tool for establishing and embedding routines. Just as a visual timetable enables children to understand the structure of the school day, a song can signal it’s time for a specific activity. A welcome song such as 'Today Is The Start' or 'Good Morning' will ensure the day begins on a positive note and if sung on a regular basis, provides familiarity and comfort. Or why not try 'Tidy Up!' or 'Let’s Be Quiet?' These clever signal songs communicate behaviour expectations in a fun way – this reduces anxiety for children and saves your voice.

“Routines take time to develop into habits, but the effort invested in their creation and adoption is enormously useful to the pupil and the class. Like all norms, they should be carefully and clearly taught at the beginning of the teaching relationship, reinforced consistently over time, and periodically refreshed.” – Trainee Teachers Behavioural Tool Kit

As the year progresses and your class ‘find their feet,’ you may well need to mix things up a little – try a new song or refresh the one you are using by adding actions or perhaps ask a group of children to lead it.

Remember, your chosen song doesn’t have to be about ‘routines’, it just needs to be something your class learn to associate with the activity.

“'Lunch' works well in my class! We create a personalized version – inserting new lyrics based on the items in our lunch boxes.”

“I play gentle background music to signal the beginning of a quiet reading session – it calms the mood.” – SCITT Trainee Teachers

2. MANAGE TRANSITIONS

When transitions run smoothly, children feel settled and have more time to spend on their learning. After a busy playtime, a line-up song is a fun and effective way to bring the class back together whilst also ensuring they move around the school safely – after all, this is the reason we get them to line up in the first place!

Once a lesson is underway, songs and music can help your class switch from one type of learning experience to another, something that some children find challenging. A short burst of musical activity helps children process an instruction – it shifts their mindset so that they feel at ease and ready for the next step.

“I use 'Line Up, Line Up' to get children ready for assembly. We start singing it at our tables and then I make eye contact with each group, and they join the line. We keep singing until we get to the assembly hall.”

“I use 'Let’s Be Quiet' to transition the class from a whole class activity to group work at tables. It builds independence.” – SCITT Trainee Teacher

3. AGREE RULES

The new term is a good opportunity to agree and display a set of classroom rules which reflect the values you wish to instil in your children e.g. kindness, cooperation, growth mindset. To support your visual display, choose some key songs that reinforce these values e.g. 'All My Friends', 'Put On A Smile', 'Have A Go', 'We Can Work Together'. (For more ideas, search our 'Wellbeing' category on Sparkyard and filter songs by value or theme.) Perhaps add some of the song lyrics to your display.

Remember, you can use the Share Link feature to share your chosen songs with families – a great way to communicate class expectations and ethos.

4. BOOST MOTIVATION 

Extrinsic rewards such as stickers or certificates have their place in a classroom, but group music-making develops team spirit and boosts the motivation of the whole class. Just look at how these children are working collaboratively to nail the cup rhythms, every child working towards the same common goal.

When rewarding an individual or group for their efforts, why not get them to choose their favourite song to sing as a class? This way, everyone can benefit! 'Well Done!' is a great song to try.

5. ENABLE GREAT LISTENING

Listening skills are vital for learning and help children build positive relationships with their teachers and peers.

The good news is that a daily dose of musical activity such as singing will impact positively on listening skills. Here are just a few reasons why:

• Musical activity activates the brain and grabs the attention of the listener!
• Music strengthens aural discrimination and builds listening stamina.
• Learning songs develops positive listening behaviours: turn taking, eye contact, following instructions.
• Learning songs involves ‘listening and copying’. This develops aural memory.
• The double-click feature in our song player is really useful here. Simply double click the line and get the class to sing it back.
• When singing, children tune in to the sound of their voice and learn control (e.g. singing slow/fast/loud/soft).
• Active listening activities (e.g. dancing, movement) require children to process the sounds they are hearing and interpret meaning.

Look at this class sharpening their listening skills with a game of ‘song tennis’! Notice how they listen carefully and wait for their cue to sing.

6. DEVELOP COMMUNICATION SKILLS AND CONFIDENCE

Over the course of a school year, there is nothing more rewarding than observing a child’s confidence grow. A positive classroom environment will nurture this, and daily singing will boost communication skills and instil a sense of inner confidence in your children. Engaging in musical activity also helps children express and understand how they are feeling.

A few ideas:

• Provide opportunities for your class to share songs with others. Older children could teach songs to younger children or why not hold an impromptu performance on the school playground?
• Consider setting up a small performance area in the classroom.

“Children are happier when they are singing.” – SCITT Trainee Teacher

7. TAKE A BREAK

Creating a calm, reflective space in your classroom gives children the opportunity to ‘be still’ and focus their minds.

Whether you choose to create a cosy spot in the corner of your classroom or set up a simple interactive display, aim to include some reflective music.

In the course of a lesson, brain breaks can also have a positive effect in the classroom, helping children to focus and retain information as well as improving pupils’ attitudes, motivation and enjoyment of learning. For ideas, take a look at our Brain Breaks playlist on YouTube.

8. SPARK CURIOSITY 

Providing classroom experiences that spark curiosity will stimulate creativity and increase motivation. Many teachers plan a creative ‘hook’ to capture the attention of a class at the start of a new topic. Music can lead the way here. The Sing In Every Subject category on Sparkyard is jam-packed with songs to help you introduce and explore specific curriculum concepts and themes. These will invigorate lessons and may well provide a ‘light bulb’ moment for a particular child or group of children. When this happens, take the opportunity to boost their learning further – use the Share Link so they can continue learning the song at home.

You can also try incorporating music into different subject areas:

• Choose an emotive piece of music to inspire creative writing.
• Compliment history topics by playing music from the period you are learning about.
• Provide opportunities to listen to and respond to music using drama, dance, role play and art.

Remember, our Music Curriculum and song pages also include a diverse range of listening examples to choose from.

“Singing and music provides opportunities for children to collaborate with others and be creative. It encourages resilience and is a great way of engaging children across the curriculum.” – SCITT Trainee Teacher

9. ENCOURAGE PUPIL VOICE

Tune in to your children and involve them in decisions about songs and music-making. This teaches them to respect the views of the others as well as showing them they are valued.

• Use songs and music to set the tone and mood in your classroom and take suggestions from your class. Work together to create a playlist of favourite songs and play it at the start of the school day or during more unstructured times. Refresh the playlist every term.
• Get the class voting for their favourite songs and create a Sparkyard Top 10 to display in the classroom! Visit the Downloads & About area in Sparkyard for a handy printable resource.

10. JOIN IN!

A classroom alive with singing and music-making is for everyone, including the adults! Don’t let a lack of confidence stop you singing – children love it when their teachers join in and gain so much from seeing their teachers as learners! Choose a song and learn it with your class. Identify any tricky parts and practise together! Keep returning to the song over a sequence of weeks and notice how it improves over time – this teaches children the importance of determination and resilience.   

“Singing and music has the power to engage and motivate everyone. Children should have access to music every day!” – SCITT Trainee Teacher