Fall is Here, Hear the Yell…

Well, it’s that time again. Time to go back to school shopping (or find our school clothes) and to get back to a routine. This is not easy for any of us, is it? I love the relaxed feel of summer. You don’t have to wake up early every morning and get ready to meet the bus, or get in the car to drive to school. No long days of classes and then coming home to homework. This transition back to school can often be a tough one, and getting back into a routine and schedule can be difficult for anyone. How can music help us with this change?

Music can be a great resource to help with transitions, even the transition back to school. Here is a list of a few ways to use music to help!

• Make a Playlist. Sometimes just getting back into a routine of waking up early and getting ready on time can be difficult. Having only an hour or two to wake up, get dressed, and have breakfast before walking out the door is sometimes hard to get back to. A playlist is a great way to help kids to pace their morning. You can pick songs they enjoy and will motivate them (I would pick anything from Mumford and Sons new album for mine) or maybe each song could relate to what they are doing when its playing (I used to wake up to “Ain’t No Rest for the Wicked”). This can help to make something unpleasant more enjoyable. You and your child (or children) could even work together to put it together before the summer is over!
• Music and Relaxation. Going back to school can be a stressful transition for some. In the afternoon when your children come home from school, take some time to play some relaxing music and just be quiet. This will help the transition back home to be better, and it might even help to better focus on the homework they will have to complete that evening!
• Self-expression. I have shared a way to make transitions smoother and to relax, but what if it was a tough day at school? Music is a great way to express frustrations or stress in a constructive way. If you child is able, you can have them pick a few songs that might reflect their feelings after school. This could be another playlist where they can pick what they would like to listen to, or just something you chat about on the way home from school. Either way, have them select some songs that reflect these feeling and share those feelings with you through the music. This can be a simple as playing the song for you, or they could change words if they would like. This can be a helpful way for kids to share how they feel in a constructive way and to get a conversation started!

I hope that everyone has a wonderful start to the school year! I want to leave you with one of my favorite back to school songs by The White Stripes. It talks about going back to school and making new friends. As you listen, are there any other ways that you can think of to use music when going back to school? If so, please share them with us in the comments!