Visitors to McPherson High School teacher Rick Reed's American Government classes may believe they've walked into something closer to a concert than a classroom.

Music is often playing, with many genres represented - from rock to baroque.

Reed is one teacher who has integrated music into their teaching practices as part of brain compatible learning, an approach to teaching which uses techniques based on brain research.

“How do I orchestrate my classroom environment to make learning as good for the students as possible or make the environment conducive for learning?” Reed asked.

He begins by playing music before class even starts, which he said clears out “working memory” - the stresses and concerns of the day.

“At schools, kids can have traumatic class periods third hour and have to be completely different fourth period,” Reed said.

To start class, students snap their fingers to the song “Money for Nothing” by Dire Staits. As they snap, Reed previews the hour ahead.

“It actually primes students' brains - here we are, let's get started,” Reed said.

During class, music is employed to energize and soothe students and orchestrate activities such as tests which may be taking place.

For tests, Reed plays baroque music, which he said matches the average beats per minute of a human heart at rest.

“The idea is that learning is more physiological than psychological,” Reed said. “So if I can get the heart to where it needs to be during testing periods, anxiety goes down, success goes up and long-term memory is facilitated.”

Class often ends with upbeat music.

“Songs that tell students ‘Hey, listen, someone cares about you,” Reed said.

According to Reed, music can be applied in any classroom.

“Teachers have the concept that you have to be teaching certain subject matters to use music in their classroom and it's not right,” he said.

Music should be used to facilitate and orchestrate the classroom environment, Reed said, not simply for its own sake.

“It has to be more than turning on music to listen to music,” Reed said.

Reed said he hasn't always embraced this style of teaching.

“I was the guy that had 25 desks in a row - speak up and I'll crack your head - and learning is much different than that,” he said.

The change came when Reed's own children entered school.

“I think the ‘a ha' moment for me was not seeing any joy or wonder in my own kids in school,” he said.

For Reed, the process of change came slowly.

“I was fortunate, our school district here, we have Dr. (Randy) Watson (Superintendent of USD 418) who's willing to train everybody, all educators, in brain compatible learning,” Reed said. “Then it truly became my choice whether I wanted to do what was best for students or what was easiest for me as an instructor and I made an attempt to choose what was best for students.”

Reed's been teaching to the beat ever since.

McPherson Unified School District 418
514 N. Main
McPherson, KS 67460
620-241-9400
It is the policy of McPherson USD 418 not to discriminate on the basis of sex, disability, race,
religion, color, age, or national origin in its educational programs and/or activities, nor in its employment practices.

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