Music is something that I think transcends boundaries of difference and brings people together (even if it brings people together to dislike a certain song or musical genre).  I think music is a powerful tool to use in the classroom, but as with everything else that educators do, there must be intention behind the use of music.  I previously have used music at the top of class to cue students to work on their entrance ticket assignments.  However, this semester in this middle school context I was entering I was wary about using music in the same way.  However, I noticed one of the strongest aspects of the classroom atmosphere that my mentor teacher had cultivated was a space in which students were encouraged and expected to share their ideas with each other and engage in democratic discussions with one another.  Turn and talks are strategies that I think most educators are familiar with.  I, however, wanted to put a unique spin on them so I came up with the idea of "Musical Partners" which is based on the game "Musical Chairs". I asked students to stand up and walk around to a song of their choice and when the music stopped, to find a partner.  I then projected a question for them to discuss within their partnership.  "Musical Partners" was an excellent way to weave in music, productive dialogue and movement into the classroom environment.  Furthermore, the questions that were project were student-generated so students were able to both ask and reflect on some pretty thoughtful questions.