Christmas music??

[momhas2boys]

Any thoughts on using Christmas music for class? Have you tried it or run across any existing Cd's that might be appropriate. I teach mostly in gym and community centers not in studios. Just curious as to what others are doing.

[Elizabeth]

I haven't used these for a class--I do own a bunch of them--but you might find music you can use on the "Winter Solstice" CDs by Windham Hill. These are classical-"new age" instrumental pieces (in case you find words distracting). You could always make your own CD if you need to rearrange the tracks to suit your class format.

One thing you might want to consider is asking your students how they'd feel about holiday music. The reactions you get might help you make a choice. I can see how some people might love it, but maybe others might feel like it is holiday-overload (I work in retail, and some of my co-workers are pretty sick of Christmas music already). Maybe you could have a separate class featuring Christmas music, a sort of "treat" class? It would be fun to have candy canes and hot cocoa afterwards :)

[Elizabeth]

I had another thought about this today. There is a series titled "Lifescapes" that you can buy at Target (and perhaps other places) that is also instrumental holiday music. I think the CDs are themed--one has harp, for example--but again you could mix and match. Mom and I bought a bunch of these on the post-Christmas sales a few years ago. While that idea wouldn't help for this year, you might be able to make it work for next year. Also, there's always ebay and swapacd.com for second-hand music.

[diyyogini]

Why don't you poll your class and ask them what holiday music (if any) do they like? Let them help you put your playlist together.

For no-lyrics, I suggest the Nutcracker suite - it's a gorgeous album with lots of rhythm complexities and joy.

[jsmith]

I have used Jim Brickman (piano) and Mannheim Steamroller (jazzed up Christmas music). I usually wait until the week before Christmas to introduce Christmas music and have received positive feedback with the artists mentioned.

Merry Christmas & Namaste,

Julie