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AudioMicro offers hundreds of thousands of royalty-free songs and sound effects for sale on its site, and it wasn’t created with education in mind. After hearing that, the educator in me thinks, “Why in the world would I want to pay for sound effects and songs, and how would that fit in my classroom?” Well, you don’t have to.

When you search for audio on the AudioMicro website, you can listen to sound effects and songs before purchasing them by clicking the preview button. This one-time “play it out loud” option is perfect for bringing AudioMicro’s library of sounds into the classroom.The teacher can provide a link to the sound effects he/she wants the class to use, and students can play them when cued (or the teacher can play them when needed).  An elementary school class studying frogs could play frog sounds during a lesson. Any class doing storytelling could add sound effects to make the story more rich. Sound effects could even be added to upper level courses like history, literature and more. Some of AudioMicro’s sound effects are free, so those could be downloaded without charge for use later.

Brain research suggests that the more contact points we have with new material, the stronger our memories become. By adding more sensory contact points, we’re improving our brain’s ability to recall information.

Concerns

AudioMicro’s website isn’t intended for use by children under the age of 13, so if teachers of younger students want to use it, they should play the sound effects themselves from their own device so students aren’t accessing it directly.

Sample Uses

  • Playing sound effects to show examples of sounds that correlate with lessons
  • Adding sound effects to stories
  • Adding an additional sensory layer to instruction

Do I Plan to Use It?

I have used it with students and with attendees at presentations.

Commitment and Learning Curve

Previewing AudioMicro sound effects is free, so there’s no financial commitment. Finding the right sound effect(s) may take some search time, but the website is easy enough to use.

Best for ES MS or HS?

Adding sound effects to class is useful and fun at any level!

Cost

Free if you preview the sound effects or download free sound effects.

Website Link

AudioMicro.com

Creative Commons
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