Loud, as in very crazy and can't think, classrooms aren't the best learning environments either because it's difficult to get things done. Somewhere right in the middle would most likely be the best balance of communication without hindering communication.
Music is a great tool for enhancing any classroom. It comforts, energizes, sets a rhythm, inspires, motivates, and even helps control noise.
What? CONTROL noise? Yes, and here's how it works. When playing music in a classroom (mine were typically between 16 and 42 students) there is bound to be one who will ask you to turn up the volume. This was great because it allowed for a teachable moment.
Call the student over the stereo, computer, or radio that's playing the music and tell them you're going to experiment (this was easy since I taught science). While the rest of the class is working in groups, ask the student to turn up the volume one unit every 5-6 seconds. The idea is to have them go slow enough that the other students don't notice a sudden change in volume. Sit back and let the student turning the volume tell you what they observe.
After about 30-40 seconds of turning the volume up, begin the turn the volume down the same way. Every 5-6 seconds turn the volume down one unit. Ask the student to again notice what happens. You could even allow get them to turn it down all the way so the music is completely off.
By this time the student is usually smiling and saying things like, "that's cool," or "wow, that's fun." We then get in to a short conversation about crowd dynamics and how you can CONTROL the volume of a crowd without saying anything. Simply play some music and adjust the volume.
Music is universal, and students love music. We need more of it in the classroom. Teachers don't always have a great amount of time to put great playlists together for their classroom and then change them up so they don't get redundant. Pandora is an option for bringing great music into the classroom that's centered around an album or artist.
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