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Science points to the fact that human beings are wired to respond to music. Elena Mannes, the author of The Power of Music, discovered that music stimulates more areas of the brain than any other action that humans take. Music has the potential to change and even heal the brain, which is compelling research for any teacher, educator, or parent.

Music is innately powerful to the human mind. As teachers, we can use this information to utilize music as a transformative tool in our classrooms and homes. Its transformative powers prevail across borders, boundaries, cultures, and communities. Music connects humans beyond and between cultures. As educators, music is a tool for fostering multicultural classrooms and developing a sense of curiosity and citizenship in our students. Here are some ways I incorporate music in my classroom to raise conscious kids and to create a multicultural community filled with joy, energy, and curiosity.

4 Ideas to Tap into the Power of Multicultural Music

1. Morning Music

There are so many musical apps and websites that give you access to music from around the world. Since music and culture are interconnected, let’s talk about how to use music within your daily routines.

My favorite apps for finding international music are Radio Garden and iHeartRadio. These applications allow you to tune into morning radio stations around the world.

To create a morning music routine, pick a new country each morning. I tend to rotate by continent to ensure I am representing all parts of the world. Then, highlight the country on your classroom map so that students can connect the song to the geographic location. Play the song as your students arrive for the day. You can even have students respond to the song through a journal or an activity. This is a fun way to set the mood for a multicultural day.

If you are looking for an activity to pair with your morning music routine, try this free Multicultural Music activity, which includes versions for grades K-2 and grades 3-5.

2. Multicultural Morning Meetings

Do you love morning meetings? Are you looking for ways to bring culture and diversity into your morning meetings? Multicultural Morning Meetings are my favorite way to start the day! That is why I designed a set of Multicultural Morning Meeting Task Cards that include games, activities, greetings, and more. Incorporating other cultures into our morning routine normalizes the fact that there are many different expressions of culture. All expressions of culture are valid. The younger we introduce students to other ways of being and doing, the more they accept and embrace cultural differences and approach multiculturalism with curiosity.

Morning Meetings are the perfect amount of time to include tidbits of culture like music, greetings, and cultural norms. For my multicultural morning routine, I select a country to highlight for the week. I teach my students a bilingual song in the country’s native language and in English. We learn the tune and the movements and practice every morning. It adds so much energy and laughter to our mornings. Throughout the week, I also teach games and activities from that country. We learn how to properly greet someone, both in our words and our actions. By the end of the week, the students are global citizens ready to explore a new place in the world.

3. Audial Activities

If you are studying a world holiday or culture, incorporating audial activities into the lesson will bring the cultural study alive for students. Music is deeply connected to culture, and we can learn so much about a culture from their music. It helps students better understand the cultural values and customs of a place.

For this activity, select a traditional song from the culture that you are exploring. A quick Google search will do the trick. Have students listen to the song and list every sound they hear while they listen. Use the worksheet in my bio for this low-prep activity.

4. Mindfulness Music

Now more than ever, mindfulness is a necessary practice in the classroom. Our students are stressed, tired, and anxious, as are parents and teachers. Kids’ lives are getting busier and more complicated at younger and younger ages. Mindfulness has become a widely embraced practice to manage stress because it teaches us to live in the present moment and experience only what exists in the now.

Children learn best when they are calm and safe. Mindfulness is one tool that teachers, educators, and parents can incorporate into their daily routine to tackle the growing challenges that students are facing on a daily basis. Mindfulness practices support students’ mental and emotional well-being. Music is one tool we can use to enhance our daily mindfulness practice while incorporating multiculturalism and cultural diversity so that all students feel embraced in their community.

To make mindfulness and make it multicultural, I love to pair coloring with music. Select coloring pages of famous landmarks around the world and pair them with calming music from that country. Students will enjoy a short trip around the world as they relax and unwind from the stressors of their day. After lunch is a particularly good time to include mindfulness into your day.

BONUS: Lesson Hooks

Whether you teach Kindergarten or twelfth grade, it is imperative to have lesson hooks to get students engaged. Music is a great tool for lesson hooks because people connect to it so easily. Start your lesson by playing an interesting song related to the lesson. Students will be intrigued by how the song will connect to the upcoming class. This is one of my favorite teacher tips that I use for social studies.

Try selecting one multicultural music practice to include in your classroom or home routine. Introduce it to your students. Even if you only have five minutes per day, they will love and embrace your new multicultural music routines. You might even try introducing a new multicultural routine every week or every month. Multicultural practices give students the opportunity to explore and expand their understanding of the world. It is a high-interest topic in my classroom. Plant the seed of multiculturalism in your classroom through music, and it will stay with your students for the rest of their lives.

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