The Delightful Power of Music to Make Learning More Engaging

Michigan Virtual

MAY 07, 2021

Podcasts, Bright

Meet Ben Ashby, a Spanish teacher at Zeeland Public Schools and an online Spanish instructor for Michigan Virtual. In this episode of BRIGHT, we talk about the role music plays in learning, how online teaching has influenced the way he runs his face-to-face classroom and vice versa, and his hopes for education as we look to the future.

. . .Or listen instead on Apple, Spotify, or a different platform.

This week on the BRIGHT podcast, I had the honor of interviewing Ben Ashby — or Señor Ashby as he’s known in his Spanish classroom at Zeeland Public Schools and to his online students at Michigan Virtual.

The person who nominated Ben described him as an innovative teacher who is “YouTube famous in middle-school Spanish classrooms everywhere and [who] does a wonderful job of bridging his face-to-face and online teaching styles.”

Needless to say, I was intrigued.

During our conversation, Ben and I talked about:

The role music plays in learning,
How online teaching has influenced the way he runs his face-to-face classroom and vice versa, and
His hopes for education as we look to the future.

Music plays a significant role in both Ben’s online and face-to-face classrooms. On his YouTube channel, Ben shares hilarious songs and immersive language-learning videos to nearly 5,000 subscribers worldwide.

Ben believes it offers a powerful way for students to engage with learning and cites research demonstrating its efficacy in aiding in language acquisition.

Here’s a sneak peek of our conversation:

https://youtu.be/H1xArehyAuk

One of my favorite moments during this interview was when Ben advised teachers seeking to leverage online/blended learning to make more engaging classroom activities. He says:

“It’s about using your strengths. You don't have to reinvent the wheel. You just have to kind of reinvent yourself a little bit.”

Check out Señor Ashby's interview on the Mitch Albom Show

https://youtu.be/UxJlPObUJD0

Videos from Señor Ashby

Channel Trailer

https://youtu.be/gX-ZA2bInxo

Levántense Music Video (Spanish Classroom Commands Rap)

https://youtu.be/rAuvHC_4jvw

Locura De Marzo Tik Tok Challenge!

https://youtu.be/PNWm_hmx7IQ

Harry Potter Spanish Movie Talk (Comprehensible Input)

https://youtu.be/oXxO4LbEzLE

Additional resources

Señor Ashby's website
- Locura De Marzo competition
- Map of Locura De Marzo participants around the world
Research study: The effects of music upon second language vocabulary acquisition
Research study: The efficacy of singing in foreign-language learning

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Michigan Virtual

For more than 27 years, Michigan Virtual has partnered with K–12 school districts across Michigan to expand learning opportunities for students and educators alike. Through our high-quality online courses, taught by Michigan-certified, highly qualified teachers, we empower students to learn anytime, anywhere. We also provide affordable, impactful professional development to help educators grow in their craft. Most recently, Michigan Virtual has been at the forefront of innovation and artificial intelligence in education, offering consultation services and professional learning to guide schools in thoughtfully integrating new technologies and learning pathways.