Evidence Based Practice: Playing Music Before the Start of Class

Karyn Turla

What is it? 

Playing music before the start of class can be used to engage the students, help create bonds between peers, and change the tone of the room. 

When to use it? 

The 10-15 minutes before the start of each class. 

Summary of Technique 

 The 10-15 minutes before the start of class provides an opportunity for instructors to connect with their students and create a classroom environment conducive to learning. Playing music during this pre-class time is associated with increasing informal student-student and student-teacher interactions. In addition, the music selected can serve to calm anxious students before an exam, help arouse tired students before an early morning class, help students meet their neighbors in a new class, and just overall lighten the mood in the room and make the content seem less intense. 

Links to Resources 

https://www.bu.edu/ctl/2021/03/the-pedagogical-prelude-playing-music-before-class/ 

https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s40670-022-01596-9 

https://peer.asee.org/our-song-evaluating-the-effect-of-music-during-the-pre-class-period-on-student-achievements-of-learning-objectives.pdf 

Personal Experience 

I play music before the start of every class. I play popular music that I know resonates with me as well as with my students. For me, the music helps to calm me down and brings me into a more carefree space for lecturing. I love to watch the students and see which songs resonate with them. I have noticed that the number of interactions between the students increases, and they smile and laugh more when the music is on. Frequently, the students will email me song requests and ask for my playlist. Overall, I like the energy in the room when music is played, and that energy is retained throughout the lecture that follows. 

Reference List 

Bartlett DL. Physiological responses to music and sound stimuli. In Handbook of music psychology, 2nd Edn, ed Hodges D. A. (St. Louis, MO: MMB Music). 1996;343–385. 

Schäfer T, et al. The psychological functions of music listening. Front Psychol. 2013;4:511. https://doi.org/10.3389/2Ffpsyg.2013.00511. 

Yi F, Kang J. Effect of background and foreground music on satisfaction, behavior, and emotions, Appl Acoust. 2019;145. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apacoust.2018.10.029. 

Schäfer T, Sedlmeier P, Städtler C, Huron D. The psychological functions of music listening. Front Psychol. 2013 Aug 13;4:511. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2013.00511. PMID: 23964257; PMCID: PMC3741536. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23964257/