Music is a timeless element that has existed since humans first created rhythms from beating sticks and stones. It is powerful, drawing deep emotions and memories buried in the thick of things. But most of all, music stimulates the mind, body, and soul. Physical education teachers have implemented music and dance into their curricula in many creative, fun ways to get kids moving and active. Let’s look at a few benefits of music and dance in PE class.
5 Reasons to Include Music in Your PE Class
It’s easy to make the case for including music and dance in your PE class, but here are five quick reasons to turn up the tunes and get your students moving!
1. Dance comes in numerous styles and genres.
When you teach your kids to play basketball, the style of play can seem very limited. The same goes for football, soccer, and almost any other sport or activity with specific rules. Dance comes in countless genres and styles, from ballroom to modern. With such a variegated collection of genres, it’s easy for students to find something they enjoy, whether it’s stomp, ballet, waltz, hip-hop, or tap.
You can also easily combine styles. Teach your kids several dance genres and finish PE class by having groups create unique routines that combine elements from all the dances they learned. Consider recording and using the routines to promote dance and activity to other kids. This gives them that extra bit of motivation and an end result to strive for and look forward to.
2. Music motivates movement.
Music naturally stimulates parts of the brain responsible for unconscious movement. That’s why you find yourself head-bobbing, shoulder-shrugging, and toe-tapping when you hear your favorite jam.
Younger students typically have no problem getting down on the dance floor, but even the most self-conscious teens should have no problem moving with the groove. Even without formal instruction on any specific dance style, you should notice a distinct mood change that encourages students to continue moving.
This comes in handy when you feel that students are straying off task. Just crank up the tunes to get their attention back on the activity. For added motivation, have the kids recommend their favorite school-appropriate songs.
3. Music is a great timer.
Music is a great way to practice keeping time. When students are using weight machines, you can create minute-long chunks of music followed by fifteen to twenty seconds of silence to give students a chance to reset the equipment and move to the next station. Do away with clocks, alarms, stopwatches, and whistles, and challenge students to keep the flow through stations. You can apply the same idea to running laps, warming up, or stretching.
4. Music enhances performance.
Music naturally blocks the voice in your head that tells you to quit when you get tired. This dissociation effect has been shown to reduce perceived effort and increase endurance, essentially tricking people into performing intense exercises for longer periods.
Music positively affects mood and makes students happier by presenting a more welcoming, positive atmosphere. This motivates students to push themselves and work harder.
5. Dance is a lifetime sport.
The great thing about dance is that it’s a lifetime sport. It’s a timeless activity perfect for all ages, from kindergarteners to older adults. It builds coordination, rhythm, flexibility, and muscle groups throughout the body. Unlike contact sports, dancing is generally low impact and easy on the joints. It’s also easy to vary the difficulty or intensity of any dance to fit student skill levels and preferences.
Even if students don’t pursue a career in dance, it’s something that carries over throughout various social functions—weddings, proms, nights on the town—so it doesn’t hurt to learn a few basic dance steps. Find fun, creative ways to incorporate music and dance in PE class.
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More PE Activities & Ideas
If you want more inspiration to keep your students engaged and encourage a love for healthy physical activity, visit the Physical Education category page and see what’s new. You’ll find lesson plan ideas, suggestions for Teacher Favorite products, and much more. We also offer hundreds of high-quality PE supplies and tools on the School Specialty online store.
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