Pop music has always included innuendo. The lyrics sound innocent on the surface but typically suggest something (often sexual). Over time, some artists began releasing two versions of their songs, one 'clean' - for radio play, and the original (naughty) one for personal consumption. You don't have to worry about such distinctions with this 15 school appropriate songs; they're all 'clean' and kid-ready.
| 🎶 Song Title | 🎤Artist |
|---|---|
| Dance Monkey | Tones and I |
| Walking on Sunshine | Katrina and the Waves |
| Can't Stop the Feeling | Justin Timberlake |
| As It Was | Harry Styles |
| Sky Full of Stars | Coldplay |
| Waka-Waka | Shakira |
| Brand New Day | Lindsey Ray |
| Shiny | Jermaine Clement (Moana Soundtrack) |
| I Don't Care | Ed Sheeran and Justin Bieber |
| Better When I'm Dancing | Meghan Trainor |
| Count on Me | Bruno Mars |
| Shut Up and Dance With Me | Walk the Moon |
| What Makes You Beautiful | One Direction |
| Dynamite | BTS |
| Die With a Smile | Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars |
Dance Monkey - Tones and I
Naturally, we have to start with this unforgettable tune from an Aussie superstar. Dance Monkey is the perfect first song for school dances, and a great selection to wind up club meetings. It has a slightly wistful tone, as though the singer is thinking about what could be going on instead of the current reality.
Whatever you do, don't show the music video in class! The lyrics are all about dancing but the visuals are all about dancing of another sort. The kind that's definitely NOT kid appropriate.
Walking on Sunshine - Katrina and the Waves
Now, let's get this party started on the happiest of notes. This irresistibly danceable ditty talks about love but only in the purest, most platonic terms. It's the musical representation of the feeling we get when our first crush says they like us, too.
This tune has a consistent tempo and beat so even the smallest kids won't get tripped up with rhythm changes. They're free to focus on expressing the glee this tune will undoubtedly provoke.
Play parts of this nearly 4-minute track between classwork instalments, particularly in kindergarten and first year. Doing so helps kids get their energy out to can focus on the next block of work.
Can't Stop the Feeling - Justin Timberlake
When choirs gather to sing Anzac Day songs at dawn, a particular feeling overtakes the crowds in attendance. By no means is that the feeling this delightful tune is talking about. Granted, one can't stop the feeling for either occasion, but one is far more infectious than the other.
Rather than hiring professional dancers, the production team approached random people going about their lives and invited them to get their groove on. The only choreographed part is towards the end, when everyone comes together.
As It Was - Harry Styles
What this 2022 platinum release has going for it is energy. The lyrics don't exactly tell a story and the vocals don't demand broad ranges. The music is fairly standard, one might even say monotone. Oh, but the energy! If you need a stress buster, or a track to get the P.E. class moving, As it Was is it.
Sky Full of Stars - Coldplay
You could find this tune among the school appropriate songs for high school as the melody is rather complex (and highly danceable!). However, the simple, repetitive lyrics make it more suitable for 10-year-olds to sing.
Waka-Waka - Shakira
Sports, like music, are great for breaking barriers and bringing people together. Add Shakira to the mix and you have the perfect recipe for the most energetic of school-appropriate songs for middle school.
Shakira is generally known for provocative dancing and suggestive lyrics (Hips Don't Lie!). However, in this video, Shakira looks like she's just having a blast dancing with the kids. Or is it simply the effusive joy this tune brings? As a bonus, Shakira includes a motivational message.
Bonus Track: Try Everything (Zootopia Soundtrack)
The driving beat and the sheer delight Shakira sings this with make it worthy of inclusion on every kid appropriate songs list. Its lyrics are inspirational, well suited for even a high school graduation ceremony track list. Or a graduation party.
Brand New Day - Lindsey Ray
This is the ideal pop tune for anyone who hates to wake up in the morning. It's peppy and upbeat as it lists the tasks one must complete before walking out the door. And what one should do to wrap up one's day.
It would be hard to find a kindergarten or first year teacher who wouldn't want to start their class day with this singalong. And, this wordsmith is hard-pressed to imagine a young student would won't enthusiastically 'la-la-la' along with the chorus.
Shiny - Jermaine Clement (Moana Soundtrack)
This tune is just what you might expect someone to sound like if they wanted to lord their personal advantages over everyone else. Sad to say, that's a defining feature in classrooms (and societies) today. Interpretations aside, this song's slow-ish beat, simple lyrics, and back-and-forth structure make it a great choir number for middle-school students.
Songs from Disney soundtracks are automatically kid-appropriate songs. That is the Disney model, after all. Lyrically and musically, Shiny is a cut above the other pop tunes on this list. It features many hooks, tempo changes, and mood reversals that challenge slightly older students.
I Don't Care - Ed Sheeran and Justin Bieber
Nobody is so far out of their teens that they don't remember that awkward feeling of not belonging. And how we hate the crowds - everyone posing and positioning themselves. Oh, if only that one certain someone were there to anchor us!
Let it be your best mate or the one you've been crushing on. Just don't miss the message these lyrics deliver! No matter what, get out there and take part. If someone special is there for you, all the better.
Better When I'm Dancing - Meghan Trainor
Meghan wrote this tune in 2015, while she was on tour. She made her record label a bit angry because she insisted on working with a particular producer. She played hardball with her label, insisting on that producer or not recording the track at all.
What a fitting backstory to a song that's all about building one's confidence. Go ahead and adopt Meghan's philosophy: imagine the unpleasant things you have to do being made better with dance. She won't mind, that's what she gave us this gem for.
This is one of the tunes I play when cleaning my room. This song's happy beat and dancing through my chores make them so much easier and faster to finish!
Count on Me - Bruno Mars
Bruno is an energetic performer, a quality that shines through in his singing and dancing. Sometimes, very provocative dancing and very suggestive singing. For this track, he gives all his dynamism (and suggestions) a break.
This tune takes things down a notch, both in tempo and intensity. It's a great song for kids, from Australia to America. As a bonus, it includes an uplifting message about friendship and loyalty.
Shut Up and Dance With Me - Walk the Moon
If this story isn't every teenage boy's fantasy! And every teenage boy's nightmare, too. See in the video, how our hero experiences longing and is almost danced out of the competition? How he gets humiliated - every eye on him! - until she restores his magic with a touch?
Musically, this track has the same driving energy and powerful vocals as other school appropriate pop songs. But the story this one tells, and how it's practically meant for a male teen audience, makes it refreshing.
What Makes You Beautiful - One Direction
This group has been a teeny-bopper sensation since its debut; it's music has always been targeted at tweens and teens. Though it has one mildly suggestive lyric (I want you), it's clean enough to pass muster among school appropriate songs.
Dynamite - BTS
What tune from these squeaky-clean 'bulletproof boy scouts' wouldn't be among clean songs for school? Even if you understood lyrics in Korean, you wouldn't hear anything even mildly shady in their catalogue. This group of seven might have a few risqué dance moves but their music is made for letting loose and having fun.
Dynamite dropped in 2021, as we were all confined in COVID isolation. The group members stayed isolated as they recorded this track, only coming together to film the video. That's why you see each member in their own digs, unsmiling and wistful looking. Isn't it amazing how they turn the mood around as the song progresses?
BTS, already a global music sensation, wrote and recorded this song to cheer the world up.
It was their first original English-language release. They stated that English lyrics were necessary so the maximum number of people could understand their message.
Die With a Smile - Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars
If the party was over ...
Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars
Both Lady and Bruno have a history of provocative music but they leave all that aside for this collaboration. It gives off a sweetly innocent vibe; it's the kind of tune one might dedicate to one's best friend.
It's best not to play the official video in school, though. People of a certain age will take a nostalgic hit over it, but it's not exactly kid-appropriate. Lady Gaga starts and ends the song with a lit cigarette firmly between her lips, and gyrates outrageously during the song's bridge.
Thanks to its nostalgic vibe, it would be hard to follow this tune up with a clean, school-appropriate rap song. So, it's best to make this one the last sound of the school dance, especially as it contains a hint of first love blushing. Wouldn't want to ruin that mood!
Enjoyed this article? Leave a rating!
Loading...
