Learning through Sound: Sound Learning
Music and Accelerated Learning

by Chris Brewer, MA, FAMI

A Brief History of Music in Learning

Accelerated Learning, based on the Bulgarian-born Suggestopedia, appears to be the first educational system in contemporary times to develop a program for using music to actually enhance learning and carry content into memory. It is quite possible that traditional societies and ancient civilizations used music to teach and learn in their learning systems, but we have no record of any specifics. A few music officianados, such as Carl Orff, and insightful, spiritual educators like Rudolf Steiner, promoted music use in learning in very unique ways in their methodologies. However, there is no evidence that any of the factory-model teaching methods of the 20th century recognized the powerful role music can play in learning until Georgi Lozanov. His Suggestopedia model appears to be the first to integrate music in learning, which he did in a very complete and elegant manner.

Suggestopedia was adopted in the United States as Accelerated Learning. Certain education models that developed after AL have included basic use of music in their practices. Howard Gardners' Multiple Intelligence theory recognizes music as one of the eight defined intelligence areas. The evolving MI teaching models support the development of the musical intelligence but do not promote music as a teaching tool except for the use of musical performance to depict academic concepts, an activity which builds musical intelligence and helps some students understand concepts better. It is interesting to note that this use of music as a direct metaphor for specific academic concepts has not been used by Lozanov.

Research results, such as the UC-Irvine Mozart studies, have substantiated some benefits of music in learning. Teaching practices stemming from the Mozart research and other studies are being implemented to some degree despite on-going controversy over accuracy of the research and disputes over methods of implementation. Brain-based learning promotes music use in very broad terms but spends more time acknowledging the benefits than providing directions for use. In the corporate realm, some training departments are integrating music, most often using contemporary, upbeat music to enliven training or using slow music for relaxation exercises and focused work sessions.

All of these music uses are valid and appear to be increasing the productivity of the learning experiences. However, despite the new interest in music as a teaching tool, Lozanov's method remains the only system that has carefully analyzed the possibilities of music and learning and developed methods for integrating music comprehensively within a teaching framework.

Do you need to use the full AL Cycle to use music effectively?

Music, when used fully within the cycle as Lozanov designed, becomes a dynamic force, creating high-achievement learning! However, each form of music use in the AL Cycle can function effectively independent of the entire AL cycle. In most contemporary adaptations of Accelerated Learning, music plays a lesser role than it does in Lozanov's original system. Some trainers/teachers choose to use only certain music techniques within their training rather than using it in the full manner prescribed by Lozanov. Many especially use music only for exits, entries and breaks but do not present concerts, sing, use it with movement, or play it as background for activities or studying. Others may add in one or two of these additional uses but still not incorporate all of them. A few continue to use the full spectrum of music as Lozanov detailed, an experience that for me remains the most powerful and effective. Yet I can still appreciate that any use of music expands learning success and so I recognize these adaptations as acceptable and beneficial.

I believe it is sufficient to state that there are many different yet valuable approaches to the use of music in AL teaching. The key is finding the technique that is most comfortable for you to begin using and then slowly expanding your use to other techniques as you become more relaxed with music use and more familiar with AL teaching. The beauty of educational use of music is that it can be developed gradually, allowing for learning enhancement as you grow in knowledge and abilities of how to most effectively integrate music in the classroom. You may begin your sound orchestration of learning with simple and relatively easy techniques and add in more complex uses as time passes. You will still have significant, enjoyable successes in using music by using only one or two music methods.

Music Use: What Does Music Do for our Teaching?

Throughout the traditional AL Cycle, music is used with calculated purposefulness, each incidence of music use being designed to effect a specific outcome. At every step in the cycle, music is added before, after, and/or during the activity to expand the effectiveness of the learning process. In the film industry, music carries the emotional and mental experience in powerful ways. Classroom use of music in AL motivates the learning state and attention just as powerfully as the carefully scripted sound track puts the audience into the appropriate mood and state of focus in the theater. If our curriculum designers only recognized how attentive people are in movies because of the use of music to involve the watcher, they would all be scripting music as a learning score for lesson plans.

Here are the ways that you and your students can benefit from music use.

Music helps us learn because it will
• establish a positive learning state
• create a desired environment
• build a sense of anticipation
• energize learning activities
• change brain wave states
• focus concentration
• increase attention
• improve memory
• facilitate a multisensory learning experience
• release tension
• enhance imagination
• align groups
• develop rapport
• provide inspiration and motivation
• add an element of fun
• accentuate theme-oriented units

What are the ways you can use music?

Lozanov's work expanded our view of music beyond entertainment value and reinstated a respect for music as a tool for enhancing our lives in various ways. Most contemporary societies have extensive dedication to music as a mode of deepening human experiences of social pleasure, cultural development, love, relationship, relaxation, enjoyment, and religious practices. There are no cultural examples I can name, however, of learning systems that use music as broadly as Accelerated Learning. Within the AL methodology, music is used for multiple purposes: to set an effective learning environment, assist in attaining appropriate learning states, enhance motivation, create enjoyment, promote bonding, support a learning theme, memorize facts, acquire knowledge, and gain abstract, metaphoric understanding of concepts.

Names for the individual music activities vary between AL practitioners but I have divided them into the following categories that encompasses all of the uses:

1. Learning Information

Active Learning Experiences

Music helps create learning states that assist in holding attention and increasing retention of information. Active Concerts can activate students mentally, physically and emotionally and help the information be activated within their memory systems. Active learning experiences can also include movement activities accompanied by music.

Focus and Alpha State Learning

Music stabilizes mental, physical and emotional rhythms to attain a state of deep concentration and focus in which large amounts of content information can be processed and learned. Passive concerts, learning journeys, visual reviews, and guided imagery are some of the techniques using music with content in a focus state for memory enhancement.

Memorization through Rhythm and Rhyme

Songs, chants, poems, and raps will improve memory of content facts and details and provide a hook for retrieving information easily later.

2. Attention, Attitude and Atmosphere

Welcoming and Atmosphere

Background music as students enter, exit or take a break is used to provide a welcoming atmosphere and help prepare and motivate students for learning tasks.

Soundbreaks

Music can energize lagging attention levels or soothe and calm when necessary. A quick, energizing activity can recharge students' attention levels. So can a few minutes of rest and relaxation with peaceful music. Once re-energized, students are better able to continue to work effectively.

Community Builders

Music provides a positive environment that enhances student interaction and helps develop a sense of community and cooperation. It is a wonderful way to celebrate learning and each other. Music is also a powerful tool for understanding other cultures and bonding with one another. And using music just for fun creates a motivated, enthusiastic classroom.

3. Personal Expression

Creativity and Reflection

Background music can be used to stimulate internal processing, to facilitate creativity, and encourage personal reflection.

Personal Expression through the Musical Intelligence

The creation of music expresses inner thoughts and feelings and develops the musical intelligence through understanding of rhythm, pitch and form.

What is a Concert?

Concerts are unique to Accelerated Learning. They may sound complex but they can be as simple or as complicated as you design them to be. Quite simply, they are content with music. The content can be in many forms: a story, vocabulary, important text, a play, quotes. The content can even take the form of visuals with no spoken words. The basic form of a concert is to play appropriate music while the content is presented. Active Concerts are designed to activate the participant while Passive put students into a state of relaxed alertness.

How do I learn specific techniques?

Suggested reading and resource materials are included here (also see References section on website). Experience is learning in this case and I find that when people participate actively in learning through music, they become instant supporters and followers of educational use of music. Training with someone who uses music extensively and well is the quickest and best way to become adept in classroom music use. While there have been few trainings available on this in the past, there is definitely a move toward integrating music in teaching. Many experts exist in specific uses of music (example: singing with music or music for motivation) and a few trainers offer courses in comprehensive music use. You will find a list of my specific music trainings here as well as on my website www.musicandlearning.com

Where do I start?

Most people start by playing music to welcome students to the classroom, entertain them during breaks and escort them enthusiastically out of the classroom. I call this use Welcoming Music in my work. Passive concerts in various formats, both traditional and contemporary, are also popular and pretty easy to create and present. Music with movement activities or songs and raps are often used, too, especially in public school environments. The Active Concert is a highly effective learning tool but does take longer to learn and prepare. I have adapted the concert to a simple format which expands the opportunity to use the essence of this technique. I teach how to do this in a game I call, "Sounds Like." I fully recommend that you ultimately learn how to effectively present both active and passive concerts and incorporate them in your teaching. These techniques are powerful learning tools from which your students will benefit.

To begin: select a music technique that feels comfortable to you and begin using it in your classroom and then gradually expand to include more techniques.

Wherever you start, remember:

"Music is the electrical soil in which the spirit lives, thinks and invents."
-Beethoven

What music do I use?

Picking music is important and can be a lot of fun, too. The fun part of selecting music comes from listening to a lot of music and keying into how it makes you feel. This is most likely how it will affect your students. If you keep this in mind, and you are clear on how you want to affect the classroom atmosphere, you will be successful!

Some trainers offer lists of recommended music and these can be quite valuable as they are generally tried and tested by the trainer. Note that I have seen a number of trainers incorporate Lozanov's suggested lists with some of their own favorite selections. At issue here is the fact that a few of Lozanov's suggestions, while especially effective in AL language learning, are not particularly appropriate except in language courses and you may find them awkward to use in other situations. Be sure you understand the recommended use of music and be sure it is the use you want for your training before you buy.

Through my company, LifeSounds, I have created a catalog of suggested AL music. It is categorized into specific uses of music corresponding to how-to chapters in my manual Music and Learning: Seven Ways to Use Music in the Classroom. These recordings have been successfully used in many settings and I sell them from my catalog as a way of making sure people who desire to use music can have a successful experience. After you have become familiar with using music in your classroom, you will find wonderfully acceptable music on your own. In fact, you will probably find that you have recordings in your personal music library that work well. If you do find music that works that I don't carry in my catalog, please let me know as I am always interested in what works! You can email me at chris@musicandlearning.com.

What about styles of music?

Remember that you are the orchestrator of your students' learning experience and your selection of music is based on how it will best create the optimal learning environment. Be clear about what you want to do with the music and then select the music that will get you there optimally.

I recommend using a variety of styles. The traditional classical music works best for certain activities, especially when it involves attaining specific brainwave states. Lozanov developed Suggestopedia in Bulgaria in the mid-1900's when the country was closed to travel in or out and there was little cultural exchange. He used the music available to him, which at the time was Western Classical music. This music has a powerful depth and integrity to it that works very well for creating specific learning states. I recommend that you use at least some classical music in your trainings, especially the slow Baroque-era music for focus and concentration.

There are many other styles of music that also have great integrity and when used appropriately can be highly effective. When picking styles look at the age, gender, culture and interests of your group. Find music they will relate to and use this music AS WELL AS the classical standards. However, don't be afraid to use music that is new to your students as this will expand their listening abilities and introduce new rhythms to them. Consider contemporary, new age, classical, cultural, light jazz, old rock and big band favorites. The most important factor in picking music is to be sure that it will accomplish what you intend. Energizing music can be classical, jazz, contemporary, big band or a variety of other styles. Relaxing music can be new age, classical, Asian or Native flute---it just needs to evoke the relaxation response.

Using contemporary music-pop songs from the radio---can be fun and build rapport. Again, use this music at appropriate times---for entries, exits, or breaks, for themes or during special activities---but don't limit yourself to only popular music as it has only limited use! Your goal in using music in the classroom is not to act as a DJ but to use music to help students learn and this will take a variety of music styles.

Finally-be aware that music with words needs to be used sparingly and only when the words support your learning. Theme songs with motivational words, pop music that ties into your theme or topic, and cultural/historical songs that reflect some aspect of your content information are highly appropriate for welcoming music, content activities, or classroom bonding. At other times use instrumental music that fulfills your teaching needs at the time.

For more information on music selection, see the book reference lists.

What about Use Rights?

This is an issue and has been for many years. Public school teachers are currently exempt from needing use rights to play music in the classroom. They cannot, however, duplicate recordings in any way. Corporations and private individuals are unquestionably bound by law to obtain rights or pay use rights fees. Some options exist.

1. Obtain a permit from ASCAP, the American Society of Composers, Authors, and Performers, for rights to all the music they license, which is considerable. Look for information on their website about the Trainers license, www.ascap.com.
2. Use LifeSounds usable music, which is a collection of music for which the rights to use in classroom settings has been obtained by The Music Resource Group. Any of these recordings may be used in face-to-face teaching and training. These use rights do not allow re-recording in any way. For a catalog of usable music recordings, go to www.musicandlearning.com.
3. Purchase music from a music library, such as Crank City, the Music Bakery and Music 2 Hues---all of which have excellent websites. Though this can be expensive if you purchase a large amount, this kind of production music also allows you to use the music for re-recording, internet and video use which some of the above options do not.
4. Check out Gary Lamb's website for his music which comes with a Royalty Free Waiver.

What about equipment?

Your equipment needs to be easy to operate and situated where it can be heard well and is convenient. Boomboxes are acceptable if they have enough volume capacity. Many classroom teachers play music from a computer CD ROM drive. Training in large rooms may need amplification. I often travel with pre-amplified speakers that fit into a hard-sided suitcase and plug into a walkman. This simple system is inexpensive and travels well. Good pre-amplified speakers (not those designed for computers) will produce good sound. CD's are easiest to use and can be organized in a CD wallet for minimal searching during training. Other than purchasing appropriate CD's---that's all you need!

A final word

I always like to leave teachers with the encouragement to begin using music in some way in their classroom, however simple. I suggest starting simply by playing music as students enter the classroom-you'll be amazed at how it enhances the learning environment. From there you can orchestrate your entire symphony of learning!

I think Oliver Wendall Holmes had the right idea when he said:

"Give yourself a music bath at least once a week for it is to the soul what the water bath is to the body."

ANNOTATED MUSIC BIBLIOGRAPHY

The Music and Science Information Computer Archive.
www.musica.uci.edu
University of California at Irvine.
MuSICA provides all issues of MuSICA Research Notes. MRN is a newsletter of analysis and commentary on the broad field of research on music and behavior, including evolution, brain mechanisms, child development, perception, learning, memory, performance, health and related topics. The author of all material is Dr. Norman M. Weinberger.

International Foundation for Music Research.
www.music-research.org
The International Foundation for Music Research (IFMR) was founded in 1997 to support scientific research to explore the relationship between music and physical and emotional wellness, with particular attention to the elderly population, the impact of music making on at-risk youth, and music education and the effect of music and music making. IFMR disseminates research through its publication, IFMR News, and various on-line research referral services and archives.

Andersen, Ole, Marcy Marsh and Dr. Arthur Harvey. Learn with the Classics: Using Music to Study Smart at Any Age.
LIND Institute, San Francisco, 1999.
This is a thorough review of how to use classical music to enhance focus. Includes learning skills for students, teachers and parents to use for enhanced learning and information on brain research. Includes a CD of classical music for learning.

Bamberger, Jeanne. The Mind Behind the Musical Ear: How Children Develop Musical Intelligence.
Boston, MA: Harvard University Press, 1991.
A comprehensive review of how musicality develops through childhood. Includes activities for enhancing the development of the musical intelligence.

Brewer, Chris and Don G. Campbell. Rhythms of Learning: Creative Tools for Developing Lifelong Skills.
Tucson, AZ: Zephyr Press, 1992.
A classic in music use, this book provides background information on why music assists learning plus activities on using music, art and movement to enhance teaching and learning. Includes 75 activities. Don Campbell is the author of "The Mozart Effect."

Brewer, Chris: Soundtracks for Learning: Using Music in the Classroom
Bellingham, WA: LifeSounds Educational Services, 2009
This book makes it easy for every classroom teacher to use music as a teaching tool with the activities, research and music recommendations needed to hold student attention, set a positive learning attitude, simplify classroom management, support memorization and effectively review lessons.

Campbell, Don G. 100 Ways to Improve Teaching Using Your Voice and Music: Pathways to Accelerate Learning.
Tucson, AZ: Zephyr Press, 1992.
Short activities for using music and your voice to improve classroom atmosphere and learning.

Campbell, Don G. The Mozart Effect.
New York: Avon Press, 1997.
An overview of the ways music is used to learn, heal and improve quality of life. Interesting research reviews and stories about music successes.

Campbell, Don G. The Mozart Effect for Children.
New York: Avon Press, 2000.
How music can help children to learn, grow and develop.

Hull, Arthur. Drum Circle Spirit: Facilitating Human Potential Through Rhythm.
White Cliffs Media, Tempe Arizona: 1998.
Techniques for learning and teaching drumming and rhythm to people of all ages.

Jensen, Eric. Music with the Brain in Mind.
San Diego, CA: The Brain Store, Inc., 2000.
A review of the current science and research concerning music and learning. Very thorough and easy to understand.

Millbower, Lenn. Training with a Beat.
Sterling, VA: Stylus Publishing, 2000.
A simple overview of how music affects us and our learning processes plus a description of classical music styles. The book also includes a few specifics on how-to but is light on the practical aspects. It has a wonderful list of music to use for specific topics, especially corporate use.

Miles, Elizabeth. Tune Your Brain: Using Music to Manage Your Mind, Body, and Mood.
NY, NY: Berkley Publishing Group, 1997.
Techniques and ideas for using music to enhance living and learning.

Ortiz, John M. The Tao of Music: Sound Psychology.
York Beach, ME: Samuel Wiser, Inc. 1997.
A how-to for using music and sound for psychological health and well-being. Includes emotional intelligence, community building and other social uses of music.

Ortiz, John M. Nurturing Your Child with Music: How Sound Awareness Creates Happy, Smart, and Confident Children.
Hillsboro, Oregon: Beyond Words Publishing, 1999.

Storms, Jerry. 101 Music Games for Children.
Alameda, California: Hunter House, 1995.
A wonderful collection of games that use songs, sound, and rhythm for play