'And Winter Came' by Enya on YouTube

If you're looking to change up the music a bit for the month of December, you should check out this holiday collection from Enya. It's called 'And Winter Came' and it is amazingly beautiful. As you already know, I am a big fan of Enya. This holiday collection consists of original and classic holiday music, done in only the way that Enya can do it. As usual, the entire "video" simply consists of the album cover.

Enya's 'Amarantine' on YouTube

When searching for Enya on YouTube, I came across a more recent album that is not in my current CD collection. 'Amarnatine' is one of her most calming and beautiful musical collections to date. I feel like I could listen to this one on a loop for hours on end. It runs about 45 minutes in total length. Again, the only visual is her album cover. The titles of each track do appear at the bottom, but nothing else changes that would distract the children. It's just beautiful. Give it a try.



What do you think of this one?

'The Best of Enya: Paint the Stars' on YouTube

Whenever I listen to Enya, I am transported to a place of sheer calm and tranquility. I remember listening to her often during my Montessori internship year. I have collected her CDs and used her during work time ever since.

Here is another YouTube collection. This one is from her earlier greatest hits CD, called Paint the Stars. The entire soundtrack makes for the perfect background noise while walking on the line or focusing on works. The only video that you see is a stationary picture of the album cover.

The last half of the CD is the most relaxing, I think. Which ones do you like best?

'Those Relaxing Ocean Sounds' on YouTube

The ocean is definitely one of my happy places. Unfortunately, it is a minimum of six hours for me to access it. I live in Upstate New York, which provides me with an endless supply of lakes. Sure, you get waves on those, especially up on the Great Lakes, but it just isn't quite the same. Fight the winter blues and relax to ocean waves with this spectacular video I found on YouTube.

It is about an hour long and shows a variety of ocean beaches. The water is clean blue and turquoise, just begging for you to come dive in. Use the sounds for relaxation or watch parts of it as a part of a lesson on oceans. See if you can identify some of the wildlife that also makes its presence known through sound. For example, around the 24:00 mark, you hear birds. Around 43:00 you can hear a dog barking. You could play it during a listening activity at circle.

'Rain Relaxation Sound' on YouTube

Are you looking for something different from music to have as a relaxing sound in the background? I found a clip that lasts for almost two hours. It is simply the sound of rain falling. It is accompanied by a photograph of rain falling. It may be more appropriate to pipe in to a quiet corner, as opposed to the entire classroom. I haven't noticed any thunder, so young ones won't have to be startled by that.

'The Best of Mozart' on YouTube

This video that I found consists of two straight hours of Mozart. Again, his portrait is used for the background video. It's so calm, peaceful and relaxing...

'1 Hour Forest Relaxation Sounds' on YouTube

You can easily supplement your studies of the forest while simultaneously creating relaxing sounds in the classroom environment. I came across this video that consists of one hour of sounds in the forest. The birds are chirping. Insects are buzzing. It elicits the feeling of walking through the woods on a clear summer day. The video is a static photo of a path in the woods, with wildflowers abounding. That means there is less distraction from a changing video. I think this is one of my favorites, as walking in the woods is one of my favorite things to do.

I can see myself playing this in the background while reading books about the forest and trees to the kids. I would put this one up on the SmartBoard. It would also be an asset to a quiet area. Play games to see if you can identify the sounds you hear.

Beethoven's 'Moonlight Sonata' on YouTube

I think "Moonlight Sonata" is my favorite Beethoven piece. It is for many of us, I am sure. This one isn't as long as others I have been posting for background music. It's only 15 minutes, but it is still beautiful. It would be even more appropriate for a short lesson on Beethoven or whatever. This one also includes a portrait of Beethoven while the song plays.


Another thought: Ask the kids why they think this song is called "Moonlight Sonata."

Mozart's 'Requiem in D minor' on YouTube

The last piece that Mozart wrote, and the one that essentially killed him. Sure, it is a very dark piece, as you would expect a requiem to be. But it is so hauntingly beautiful at the same time.

Some may find the operatic singing to be more distracting in the classroom. However, some children may not be fazed by it at all. It can be background music or a teaching tool, however you see fit.

This video opens with a quote from Mozart and then focuses on his portrait for the rest of the piece. It is a live recording, so you will hear some applause. The heavy applause hits at the 52:00 mark and continues for quite some time.

Mozart's 'Symphony No. 40' on YouTube

Mozart is probably my favorite classical composer. We listened to him a lot when I was a child. My parents went on a rare date to see Amadeus in the theatres when we were kids. They had it on videotape because it was so good. We watched it over and over again. Even as adults, my sister and I still love to watch the movie on DVD.

While perusing YouTube for some longer length pieces, I came across "Symphony No. 40." It lasts about a half hour and would be another god addition to play in the background while kids are working. Or, you could set it up in a smaller station in the corner of a room.

What I like about this video is that it features a portrait of Mozart, which is a good teaching tool for the kids. What I do not like is the number of ads that you have to x-out in order to see his face. Most of them are links to other pieces, but nevertheless annoying. Still, it takes less than a minute to carefully remove all of them and then Mozart is visible.


What is your favorite Mozart to play in the classroom?