Some school bells make you want to duck and cover instead of moving calmly between classes. That's the opinion of Lee Musumeci, the Principal of Challis Community Public School.
Loading...Musumeci explained to ABC Classic's Breakfast presenter Russell Torrance how she replaced her school's bells with a curated musical playlist and got her students skipping through the school gates.
Challis is just one of many schools around Australia who have made the switch from air raid sirens to music. Here is some advice from teachers who have tried it.
1. Play unfamiliar (why not classical?) music
As part of the ABC's Don't Stop the Music program, Challis teachers received advice from music education expert Micheál McCarthy from the West Australian Academy of Performing Arts. McCarthy recommended using bell times as a unique opportunity to expose students to music they wouldn't otherwise hear. Naturally, we strongly recommend programming some classical music.
2. A calming tune can keep students in line
A bit of Beethoven's Für Elise "really calms the kids down as they come to lines" after breaks, according to music teacher Alyssa Carroll from St Mary's South Public School in Western Sydney.
3. Mix up the playlist
Variety can keep the students engaged with the music throughout the week and stop any one track becoming monotonous. Oxley College in Burradoo uses excerpts from Vivaldi's Four Seasons during break times. They play popular music to signal the start and end of the day. Music teacher Alison Bunyan believes the musical bells have a calming effect on the students. Challis also cycles through a carefully selected playlist of music and plays a more familiar piece of music once a week.
4. Keep excerpts short
Damien Clift managed the bell system at Henry Kendall High School in Gosford, where teachers noticed "an increase in students moving to class with the musical bells." But teachers were not always happy to be interrupted by whole songs as they were setting homework, so Clift recommends keeping musical excerpts to 15 seconds long.
5. Consider the needs of all students
Students with an Autism Spectrum Disorder respond best to consistent bell sounds. Clift edited a boxing bell sound at the start and end of the excerpts to give consistency to the musical cues.
6. Check your copyright licences
All government schools are automatically covered by licences that allow them to use recorded music within school grounds. If you are from an independent or Catholic school, check that your school has opted into the relevant licences with APRA/AMCOS/ARIA through your peak governing body.