MANAGING ANOTHER SCHOOL DAY
Emma Archibald wanted something quick, easy and free to help manage the transitions and demands of a normal school day. This is what she came up with.
Tuesday morning, 9 o’clock
Picture this. Thirty children have just come in from a noisy playground. Coats are still on. Two children are arguing over a pencil case. One is staring at the ceiling. You have fifteen minutes before the literacy lesson needs to start and, right now, the room feels impossible.
What you need is a clear signal to help the pupils move from what they have just experienced to what they are about to do.
A teacher reaches over to her desktop and presses ‘play’. Within seconds, the room begins to change. Children sit at their desks, tracing a slow-moving pattern on the screen with their fingers; their breathing slows to match their actions. The arguing fades. The child who, moments ago, was staring at the ceiling is now fully engaged.
The lesson can begin.
More than a nice idea
The music playing comes from Classroom Grooves, a free YouTube channel Emma founded around a simple idea: that the right sound or visual, at the right moment, can transform the energy of a classroom by providing a clear and reassuring cue.
‘I created the channel to bring together practical content for the pressure points of the school day – focus music for independent work, finger-tracing brain breaks, mindfulness and sensory videos, transition tracks and much more,’ Emma explains.
Music has always had the power to move us and, in the classroom, that same power can support teaching and learning. While music has long been used as a teaching tool, Classroom Grooves brings carefully selected music and visual resources together in one accessible place, ready to support teachers and pupils at key moments throughout the school day.
Emma was encouraged by research suggesting that carefully selected, calming music can support children’s concentration, task performance and classroom behaviour.
‘Used thoughtfully, music can help to create a calmer learning environment in which children feel able to ask questions, make mistakes and try again,’ says Emma. ‘It does not simply make the classroom feel better – it can help make learning possible.’
Many pupils, particularly those with SEND, find transitions, emotional regulation, concentration and movement challenging. Teachers and parents often need simple resources that they can use immediately, without any fuss and preferably at no cost. Classroom Grooves brings these resources together in one easily accessible place, avoiding the need to search across different platforms.
Moving to the next level
What began as Emma’s casual experiment gradually developed into something more organised. She later began collaborating with Mellissa Walker, a marketing and creative professional. By combining Emma’s educational experience with Mellissa’s creative and marketing expertise, they developed Classroom Grooves into a growing collection of practical videos for teachers, pupils and families.
Emma was clear from the outset: ‘The resource had to be free and easy to use.’
There is no app to download, no account to create and no training to complete. Users can simply find Classroom Grooves on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@classroomgrooves and begin using the resources available.
To their surprise, the Classroom Grooves YouTube channel now has more than 10,000 subscribers worldwide, with particularly strong and growing engagement across South and Southeast Asia.
Just press play
For international teachers working across different cultures, languages and learning needs, this accessibility matters even more. Music can cross language barriers in ways that spoken instructions sometimes cannot. A calming, largely wordless track does not depend on the same level of language comprehension and can provide an accessible cue for a child who is still finding their feet in a new language. It can help bring the room together without the teacher having to say a word.
‘In my experience, it works,’ says Emma. ‘At a time when teachers are supporting increasingly varied and complex needs, I have found the channel incredibly useful.’
The channel now has 53 videos designed for different moments throughout the school day. These include finger-tracing brain breaks, calming and breathing activities, timers, transition and tidy-up songs, sensory activities, confidence-building videos and much more.
Emma’s aim was to create an enjoyable, practical tool that could support a wide range of learners. The experiences of teachers already using Classroom Grooves show the difference it can make in everyday classroom practice.
Ruth Nantongo, a primary teacher in London, says:
‘I use the channel several times a week during independent work, transitions and regulation activities. It makes a noticeable difference to engagement and focus.’
Shazia Siddique, a teaching assistant in Dubai, adds:
‘Classroom Grooves has become part of our daily routine. It helps create a positive atmosphere, and my pupils respond really well to it.’
Like many teachers using Classroom Grooves, Ruth and Shazia simply press play when they need some music or a quick transitional activity.
Emma Archibald is an experienced teacher, Assistant SENCo and founder of Classroom Grooves. With experience across the UK, USA and UAE, she is passionate about inclusive education, pupil wellbeing and practical classroom support.
FREE RESOURCE – Visit Classroom Grooves at www.youtube.com/@classroomgrooves for focus music, finger-tracing brain breaks, mindfulness and sensory videos. Free. No sign-up. Ready to use tomorrow.
FEATURE IMAGE: by monkeybusinessimages on iStock
Support Image:Â Â by Rawpixel on iStock
