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Create a group playlist of music to study by. The curated list can be used in sessions as background music but can also be used as a module tool – analysing the music. Group lists can help students to bond and gain a sense of group identity. The focus on something to aid revision is also a talking point for how we deal with exam stress.
This can also be used as part of module learning – a playlist for a family festival, a playlist of odd time signatures, a playlist of top-grossing artists etc. This could help students to see the relevance of the module – finding songs that they know/enjoy that fit a given criteria.
Discuss how students are feeling about an upcoming assessment.
Choose a theme for a playlist – for concentration, to energise, to relax etc.
Each student contributes a song and explains why this song helps them.
Apply the songs to the knowledge activity for the session (e.g. analyse the lyrics in songwriting looking for common themes).
You may want to create the list on a platform such as Spotify and share it so all students can access it.
Use the creation of a playlist to add to the knowledge learning – in Music Theory analyse the songs; in Journalism review them; in Music Business curate them.
With large groups, you can either run this as a solo activity and then put students into groups to discuss/ adjust their decisions or you could have small-group discussions which contribute to a whole-group activity, generating one list.
To play background music with the best sound in Zoom: in advanced audio settings chose ‘music or computer sound only’. When you play music from Spotify etc. control the volume of the music within the app.
Students have a chance to voice concerns about exam stress and feel part of a group due to the shared experience.
Use the playlist as background music in sessions when students are engaged in an activity. You may want to follow on with support from Student Services or use Time Management TLAs.
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