Five pedagogical ideas on how to use music to inspire students to write essays

Many of the most well-known written works got their inspiration from music. For instance, Walt Whitman wrote one of his greatest works entitled, “Leaves of Grass” while listening to the opera.

Other famous writers were all inspired by different music genres – jazz, blues, spiritual, and so on. These writers understood what most educational researchers know today – that music has the ability to open up pathways to thinking creatively. Here are five pedagogical ideas where you can use music to inspire your students to write.

Create different playlists

Assign your students to create a playlist for you to play during or after a quiet activity or whenever they feel sleepy in the class. This is a great way to introduce some fun into your classroom, then turn this into a moment of joy while building connections.

With the suggestions coming from your students, you can also come up with a wonderful playlist your students will listen to while reading or writing. With just the click of a button, you can already enhance your students’ moods and make them feel inspired.

Inspire through different kinds of music

Music is more influential than many think it is. Music can take you on a rollercoaster ride of emotions that range from grief to happiness and more. You can play pop music to drive away sleepiness and encourage your students to participate.

Listening to music can also motivate and inspire your students because it stimulates the release of different hormones. For example, music can cause the brain to release dopamine, the hormone that makes us feel happy and calm. Some students also have the habit of writing while listening to their favorite songs. The brain processes studies and music in different areas. This means that you don’t have to feel worried about poor academic performance while playing music for your students.

If listening to pop songs and other fast tracks make your students lose focus, you can always switch to a track that’s specifically made to help them write better. There is a great variety of music out there – just learn how to choose what will help your students write better.

Let students learn more about the great writers

Another pedagogical way to inspire your students to become better writers is by encouraging them to read more about great writers, especially the ones who found inspiration in music. Introduce these famous heroes and writers by going online and reading hero essay examples for free on Samplius. You can also request one of the professional writers of the essay service to help you create written works that you can present in the class. This is very helpful as it will give you time to think of other activities too.

Find connections to current events

Many consider music as a window into and a reflection of culture, history, and society. No matter what the genre, music always draws current events as its source material. With this in mind, you can think of ways for your students to make connections between the music they’re listening to and the current events happening around the world. A great way for your students to make the connection is by having them read, then analyze how writers and journalists make the same connections every day.

For instance, have your students read a summary of an article or some excerpts. Then you can allow them to choose the same topic or something different to write about where they will connect music to their chosen topic.

Use music to trigger moods and memories

Apart from learning how to find inspiration in music, listening to the right type of music can trigger memories that will add genuine realism to the ideas your students write on paper. It can also inspire certain moods to emerge. For instance, upbeat moods will bring energy to your students’ writing. Melancholy music could bring out sadness in the lives of the characters they write about.

You need to find different ways to help your students find the inspiration to write. A blank page can be especially daunting for budding writers when they’re still learning the process of writing. When they get stuck in this kind of predicament with nothing to inspire them, turn on some music and watch the words flow into their blank pages. Students can also do this at home when they experience writer’s block.

Conclusion

As a teacher, you can make your lessons more interesting by using music. Now that you know that music can help inspire students to write, use these ideas to create lessons that will be both compelling and memorable.

Buddy Iahn
Buddy Iahn

Buddy Iahn founded The Music Universe when he decided to juxtapose his love of web design and music. As a lifelong drummer, he decided to take a hiatus from playing music to report it. The website began as a fun project in 2013 to one of the top independent news sites. Email: info@themusicuniverse.com