Bonding Through Music - All Teachers Can Use Music to Help Students Express Emotions and Add Joy to the Classroom

Oct 15, 2026

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Bonding Through Music explains how teachers can use musical routines—movement, gesture, and rhythm—to help students express emotions, build relationships, and bring joy into daily classroom life. The article centers on a 5th-grade teacher’s greeting ritual involving clapping and coordinated body motion that creates trust and shared focus. It also frames music as a universal human practice for children and adults, offering classroom-ready strategies and guidance on selecting age-appropriate songs and reviewing lyrics.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryHealthcare

FormatPDF

Pages6

Reading Time15 min

AccessFree to download

Bonding Through Music

Greeting rituals and student connection

Music as a daily human practice

Teacher strategies beyond music specialists

Music as a birthright

Bonding Through Music All Teachers Can Use Music to Help Students Express Emotions and to Add Joy to the Classroom By Patricia Shehan Campbell Mr. Waugh is apowerhouse in his classroom. In his particular way of welcoming his 5th-grade students, he sets the tone for his genuine interest in their well-being through routines characterized by movement that is rhythmic to watch (and sometimes to listen to as well). Mr. Waugh can groove, and he does so daily with his students. He scans the line of students that forms outside his classroom door…, awaiting their chance at a hand-clapping routine that each one has devised with him individually, an imprint of who they are and what their interactive relationship is with him. They feel the connection with their teacher, who looks them squarely in the eye as the student’s own personal signature handshake takes off. Sometimes their movement is full-bodied, and head, shoulders, knees, toes, and torso are in rhythmic motion together, and the routine is a shared musical ritual. Mr. Waugh describes the necessity of the greeting ritual for his students, noting that “the gestures we make are beyond a simple‘hello.’ We’ve figured our ‘welcome’ out together, and this is a daily routine. There’s an unspoken tribute to the groove of a hip-hop maneuver that makes ‘the connect’ for us and ensures that weare in this learning venture together.” With student investment ina lively ritual that is inherently musical, Mr. Waugh then can deliver students to the learning they will do in his classroom. He builds trust and gives joy to his students from the outset, and they radiate a kind of controlled energy that follows them into the classroom and into their focus on the academic work they will accomplish.1 M usic is an invaluable facet of everyday human life. Whether we are the music makers or someone else is“musicking” for us (in person or through our earbuds), we are drawn to it, touched by it, engaged in it, and often captivated by it. Adults and children alike spend a considerable chunk of their waking hours listening to music and responding in movement, gesture, and groove. We sing, chant, rap, hum, and whistle, and we play music on a grand variety of instruments—and on noninstrument objects with sound-making potential, like buckets, cans, and tabletops. Teachers like Mr. Waugh employ these musical experiences in ILLUSTRATIONS BY JASU HSU Patricia Shehan Campbell is the Donald E. Petersen Professor of Music atthe University of Washington, where she teaches courses in American and global music cultures, ethnographic research in music, and the musical education of children and youth. A singer and pianist with studies of the Japanese koto, Celtic harp, Carnatic Indian mridangam, and Bulgarian and Wagogo (Tanzania) song, she has authored several books, including Music, Education, and Diversity: Bridging Cultures and Communities, and has edited a seven-book series on world music pedagogy. meaningful ways to build relationships, allow self-expression, and infuse joy into the school day. In this article, I offer several practical strategies and suggestions for all teachers—not just music specialists—to incorporate music into their daily routines.* From listening *A wide variety of songs and artists are suggested throughout this article, and some may not be appropriate for young children. Teachers are advised to review all lyrics before selecting songs for their classrooms. 12 AMERICAN EDUCATOR | FALL 2022 Teachers of all subjects can educate children in and through music. nooks, which maybe all the more important as students recover from the pandemic, to transitions with a groove, all educators will see valuable ways to harness the power of music to enrich their classrooms.2 Music has always turned my head and tugged at my heartstrings. And I’ve been fortunate to enjoy it in many settings and circumstances: the Irish traditional fiddles in the village of Miltown Malbay, the Bu

FAQs

How does the teacher use music during greetings to support students?

He invites students to create hand-clapping and movement routines that reflect their individual signatures and connection with him. The shared rhythmic ritual helps build trust and joyful energy that carries into learning.

Why does the article argue that music matters in everyday life?

It presents music as something people engage with constantly through listening, singing, chanting, moving, and responding. Music is described as nonthreatening, all-embracing, and able to cross cultures while empowering identity.

What guidance does the article give for using songs in classrooms?

Teachers are advised to review lyrics before selecting songs, since a variety of songs and artists are suggested and some may not be appropriate for young children.

Oct 15, 2026

Upload by Mabel