Music in the Library

This may sound weird to many, but I cannot stand silence.  What librarian says that? As a classroom teacher, I always had background music playing, usually Pandora, for concentration, improved behavior, and just a general "feel-good" component of our classroom.  When I became a media specialist, it was natural for me to want to play music in the background to try to recreate the feeling of comfort, relaxation, and welcoming nature of my classroom.  Pandora was amazing because it offered song selections based on songs or artists you listen to, like The Piano Guys.  I paid the $4.99 subscription to not have commercials.  While Pandora was awesome in its' own way, I tried a free trial of Spotify and fell in love with collaborative playlists and all that Spotify has to offer.  While it is a tad more expensive ($9.99/month), I feel like the ability to compile my own playlists is worth it.  My main reason-I do not have to worry about my playlist accidentally playing a song not appropriate for the library or a song with words, as I do only use instrumental music.  

At the middle school level, I love incorporating more than the Piano Guys like music scores and game scores because the students feel connected more to the music.  It also generates some good rapport building when they say they like the music or start talking about games/movies they're interested in.  The more I know about each student, the more I can help with reader's advisory.  If I know what type of movie or game a student enjoys, I can help pick out that 'just right' book that might pique their interest.  The other part of that is if students feel like they can talk to me, they feel more comfortable being in the library and participating in the programs I offer.  Everything I do in the library is designed around students' interests, needs, and wants (well...and curriculum), so I love building relationships so I incorporate all of that into our library programming.  All of that, I truly believe, starts with the music I play in the library.  

So if you've been thinking about playing some Skyrim music, go for it! You never know what unmotivated turned motivated student you may have just ignited a relationship with because of a song!

---