The Art of the Playlist for K–12 Classes

A good playlist gets you moving as a teacher—and makes you feel inspired! Music can affirm students’ cultures and personal interests, open up new forms of expression, and facilitate various emotions and states (high energy, calming down, joy, reflection, and more). Playlists can inform classes, projects, and performances throughout the school year. 

When I think back to the start of my teaching career in 1997, as a specialist in elementary schools, my music selections were highly limited, mainly based on the number of CDs I could afford to purchase out of pocket or could find within the library system. But in this age of streaming music, finding clips on YouTube, and using GarageBand to edit and mix, literally thousands of options are at our fingertips. 

I first learned about the art of the playlist from Randee Paufve. She taught for many years in the San Francisco Bay Area at Marin Academy and Shawl-Anderson Dance Center. Randee showed me how the time and effort put into the music soundscape and selections was integral to the arc of the class.

This summer, I connected with five teachers to get their perspectives on the importance of taking the time to craft a playlist that supports the classroom environment and the learning experience. 

Culturally Affirming Music

The most important idea shared in all of my discussions with colleagues was about culturally affirming and relevant music. Being in community and in dialogue with school colleagues, families, and students can build a music selection that celebrates and affirms students’ cultures and experiences.

Andrea Vazquez-Aguirre is a dance specialist at Southwest Public Schools in Houston, Texas. “Most of my students are fluent Spanish speakers, so we listen to a lot of music in Spanish,” she says. “Oftentimes students will suggest songs from their families’ home countries that we can use in class. Students enjoy sharing what they care about and appreciate, and music is one potent way to let them do that.”

If culturally relevant pedagogy is new to you, check out the work of Nyama McCarthy-Brown through both her book and her recent workbook for educators. 

Student Input

Tamara Irving taught for 12 years in K–12 schools in Atlanta, Georgia, and now runs a dance-education consulting business. When she first started teaching, she was not particularly open to student suggestions, coming from the mindset of “You did what your teacher wanted to do.” But after a couple of years, she realized that she’d get more student buy-in by asking for their input. She began making collaborative playlists on Spotify where students could add onto lists, with a few parameters (clean lyrics, alignment with the curriculum, etc.). She categorized her playlists into buckets, like “Fun Friday” and “Composing Without Lyrics.” 

Ellen Tshudy, also an Atlanta-based educator, at Brookwood High School, uses a Google Form at the beginning of the school year and asks each of her more than 115 students to suggest five or six songs. “I have almost 100 percent participation,” she notes. Sifting through the students’ requests takes effort and time, but the outcome is absolutely worth it. Her playlists are made for the year and the students’ input is valued and incorporated. Plus, “I am much older than the students,” she says candidly, “and I don’t have the ability to keep up with all of the new music. It’s important to make those connections with them.”  

Sharing the Backstory and Context

Educator Meredith Lyons is currently developing a new dance program at San Marcos High School in Santa Barbara, California. She emphasizes the importance of sharing details about the music with students. You might talk about who the artists are, the background on a piece, and why you selected it for a particular lesson or exercise.

Lyons spent time in the Peace Corps in Dominica. This experience continues to inspire her current playlists: She often includes genres such as soca, bouyan, West African, and Afro-Caribbean. “When we go more into the history component—speaking to why I am using this song; Do you know this artist? Who is the artist? Where are they from?—we are honoring the past and present in music, just like we do with dance,” Lyons explains.

“It’s about being intentional, not just with what we’re dancing to but what we’re dancing about,” adds Yeni Lucero, the middle school dance teacher at Crystal Springs Uplands School in Hillsborough, California. “Even if a song is popular, I’ll bleep out inappropriate language or avoid songs altogether if their underlying narrative is vulgar or misaligned with our classroom values. I make space for discussions around meaning, content, and culture.”

Finding Balance, Staying Inspired

The art of the playlist is about balance. Will you create multiple playlists, mix up your existing lists, or choose to stick to the same series of songs for a few weeks or months at a time? Several teachers recommend keeping a few warm-up songs the same, to give students a sense of familiarity as they settle into a class and to help them know what to expect. 

Above all, Lucero emphasizes, “music has to move you just as much as it moves your students. If you’re not inspired, it’s hard to create. So carve out time to explore sounds that light you up. Let the students bring in their suggestions, but don’t forget to bring your own fire too.”