TV Theme Songs
The response from teachers who have been using theme songs in their classrooms has been nothing short of overwhelming. Each and every email tells the same basic story.
"I am amazed at how well this idea has worked with my students."
"It's like magic!"
"I have a pretty tough class this year and thought the songs wouldn't work very well. Boy, was I wrong! You should see them scramble to get ready for recess when they hear the first few notes of Mission Impossible. Thank you so much."
The Basics
The main reason music works so well is this:
It's as simple--and complex--as that.
As you already know, there's a massive amount of talking done throughout the day. The majority of the talking is done by the teacher. In fact, research indicates the teacher's voice accounts for approximately 80% of the total volume.
The students, as you can infer, contribute the other 20%. Their talking could be in response to a lesson being taught. It might be the natural outcome of a think-pair-share situation. Add to those two the oh-so-annoying, off-topic social talk that can occur on a regular basis and we're dealing with a virtual tidal wave of words.
Note: Check out Talkative Students for a simple suggestion on how to deal with social talk.
But music, for the most part, is devoid of words. This is especially true of most TV theme songs. The melody of the song is a right-brain cue that is able to cut through all of the verbal clutter and send a clear, unmistakeable message.
Music Messages
A theme song can be used to send a number of different messages. The song could:
- remind the students about something
- initiate a pre-established procedure
- time the length of a transition
- create a pleasant background during student discussions
Listed below are some suggestions to get you thinking about the possibilities. These theme songs can be found on the CD that comes with the book, Eight Great Ideas. (It's included with the book because one of the ideas in the book is about using music for management.)
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NBC
reminder
(0:03)
click to listen
Instead of the traditional "N-B-C" association, my students knew the three chimes meant "Name, number, date." I usually waited until they were well underway on the assignment before I cued up the song. It was the rare paper in my room that did not have the proper identification on it.
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Jeopardy
transition timer
(1:03)
click to listen
The predictability of this song makes it perfect for transitions. After giving my students the transition goals, I would play the song. It only took about a week or two for them to become familiar enough with the song that it became, in essence, an internal clock.
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Andy Griffith
procedure initiator
(0:13)
click to listen
My students had the freedom--a student need--to work away from their seats if it helped them get something done. When it was time to move on to something else, though, this song told them to return to their regular seats.
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Bill Nye, the Science Guy
transition timer
(0:29)
click to listen
My district was big on working with students on the carpet. Not sure why, but they were and wanted to see it. A lot. The Bill Nye song, 28 seconds in length, proved to be the perfect song for getting them to come to the carpet without a word being spoken. From me, that is. They would talk on the way to the carpet; but, I was okay with that. It was an opportunity--freedom, if you will--for them to engage in social talk. All I required was that they stop the conversations and come to attention when the song was over. Win-Win.
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Mission Impossible
procedure initiator and timer
(0:49)
click to listen
This less-than-a-minute song is great for packing up at the end of the day. (Or the end of the period, secondary teachers.) The music is upbeat and high-energy.
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Cagney & Lacy
transitition timer
(0:25)
click to listen
I used just the first thirty seconds of the song as a way to get my students to prepare themselves for the start of our morning BELLWORK™ activity. (You can go to the BELLWORK™ page for more information about how to make this powerful start-off-the-day activity really fly.)
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Card Sharks
procedure initiator and timer
(0:55)
click to listen
Another high-energy, upbeat song, this is a good one to get them out of their seats and pitching in whenever you want to return your classroom to a semblance of neatness.
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Password
background music
(0:56)
click to listen
Playing music in the background as students engage in think-pair-share discussions is a great way to not only time the length of the discussion but also create an environment conducive to the discussion. The conducive part is based on the fact that, psychologically, music is considered to be a "mask." It actually minimizes the impact of the other voices being used throughout the room.
If, for example, two students were to either burst out in laughter or get into a bit of an argument during the T-P-S, just about every other partnership would shut down to see what was going on. But with music playing in the background, the other pairs of students are less likely to notice.
Another advantage to the use of a background discussion song is the fact that the end of the song is a cue for the students to come back to attention.
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Price is Right
reminder
(1:03)
click to listen
I used to play this song when I was about to select a student--or-two--to help with a lesson. To make it a random selection, I made some large name cards with their first and last name written on them. We're talking cards big enough to read from across the room but narrow enough to hold aloft in my hand.
As soon as the first few notes of the song hit their little right brains, they were all thinking: "Mr. Morris is about to call someone to the front of the room to help out!"
As the song played, I would shuffle the cards and then hold one up.
Mr. Morris
In his best Bob Barker voice:
Natalie Adams! Come on down!As you can imagine, there'd be some cheering and clapping just like the game show.
TV Theme Songs website
Here's the site where you can download hundreds of theme songs from television shows and cartoons.
Send in your suggestions
If you've got a TV theme song you're using in your classroom, send in the title of the song and how you use it in your classroom. We'll post your submission on this page for other teachers to see.
Hey, Rick. Here's my theme song idea.
Teacher Suggestion:
After you shared the idea of theme songs, I went a little crazy at first. Now I've learned to be consistent and that more is not always better.
This year, my students were taking forever to line up for lunch. Although they did not want to be last in a line of 8 third grade classes, they were still moving at a snail's pace to get out the door. So, I now use the I Dream of Jeannie song and the goal is to be out the door, in alphabetical order and ready to go before the song ends. It is working great!
Thanks for all your great ideas. It definitely helps me work smarter, not harder.
Audra Ciasullo
Third grade teacher
Teacher Suggestion:
It may be that I overlooked it in the Eight Great ideas book, but I would suggest renaming each of the song titles on your iPod according to the procedure it represents so that when you want name, #, date that's what you see, rather than the song title.
I've used the Jeopardy song as a way to clear a space for Drama in my classroom. My kids move my desk and about nine of theirs and get in place in under a minute. They love Clear Desks, please.
I've also used Andy Griffith to give them an opportunity to share with two other students something I've taught. It's an opportunity to move around the room when I begin to see the wiggles take over.
I hope this was helpful.
David Leonard
2nd & 3rd Grade
Cobb Mountain Elementary School
I tried having my students turn in an assignment to the Mission Impossible theme song. It was amazing to see how quickly they were able to do it.
It was cute to watch the students who had already placed their assignment in the collection box stand around and dance to the remainder of the song. It allowed them to release some pent-up energy which is always helpful.
Thanks so much for the idea about using TV theme songs for procedures.
Gail Forest
Riverbank Teacher's Association
