Using music the easy way

Have you discovered windows media player yet?  If you would like to find a quick and easy way to integrate music into your teaching day then this is the package for you.  It is easy to use and once you have copied your choice of music onto the computer and connected to the interactive whiteboard speakers, it takes just a couple of mouse clicks to pop a quick tune into a lesson and give everyone a brain break!  No more charging around tracking down a spare CD player, looking for the right CD's, or remembering the correct track.  Media player solves it all.  Sound interesting?  Give it a try.

Once media player is selected, pop your favourite CD into the CD drive and wait.  You will see a menu box in the top left that shows the title Unknown Album and then use the buttons at the bottom of the screen in the normal way.

To copy tracks onto the computer hard-drive simply click the 'Copy from CD' button and a list of the CD tracks appear.  The ticked tracks will be copied so deselect any tracks you do not need (Tip:  If you only need one track use the small tick box on the top toolbar and all tracks will be de-selected then re-select the track you need).  Next click the 'Copy music' button top right and the tracks are quickly transferred onto your hard drive.

At this point take the time to add in the CD information (Artist, Composer and Genre etc).  This is important as it demonstrates that you have a copy of the CD from the point of view of the copyright, you are just choosing to play it in this way because it is convenient.  It also helps you to find tracks quickly in compilation albums, so it is worth taking the time to do this.

Now the time saving part:

Creating a Playlist

Go to Media Library option and select 'New Playlist' option which is at the top left.  Name your playlist and click 'OK' - its as easy as that.

I made a separate playlist for all of the Accelerated Learning Categories - Beginnings, Demarcation of Time, Discussion, Energisers (Brain Breaks), Mood, Passive, Concert, and Visualisation.

To add a track to a playlist, select the track by clicking on it and then click 'Add to playlist'.  Select the playlist destination you require and that is all there is to it.

Once they are set up all you need to do during a lesson is open media player.  Click on the playlist you need and all the appropriate tracks are there waiting for you in one place and away you go - simple as that.  Of course, you also have the added bonus of being able to make the classroom like the local disco using the visualisation option of 'Now Playing' but I will leave you to discover that yourselves! Go on, have fun with it and I guarantee it will save time.  Before you know it you will be using music more and more.

Have fun!

Sue Tanner, St Andrew's CE VC Primary School, Cromhall.