Digital Geography

Need music for PowerPoints and exciting audio visual presentations using PhotoStory 3 or PhotoJam?
eMusic is probably the most straightforward way of acquiring legal music that works on any mp3 player and isn’t affected by annoying restrictions. Unlike the deservedly popular, but highly controversial Russian mp3 site, the artists do actually get paid and there really is no catch at all. You pay a small monthly fee which entitles you to download music at half the price of ITunes or similar services. The chances are quite high that you won’t find the latest chart music, although searching through the huge catalogue of independent labels will reveal endless opportunities for introducing new music to the students. Actually, since eMusic UK was launched last month, the catalogue now contains quite a lot of current releases, for example the new Franz Ferdinand album.

Click the banner to download 25 mp3 songs over two weeks absolutely free with no obligation to buy anything else.

I had a quick go at compiling my personal album for the geography classroom from eMusic. A couple of my favourites including “Giving It All Away” by Leo Sayer, “Sound of the Suburbs” by The Members and “The Circus” by Erasure didn’t make it in because they’re not in the catalogue, however most did. So here are my top 25 tracks, all classroom tested and approved by students. Some fit with generic themes such as urban decay, volcanoes or migration, others create an atmosphere, and a couple are just played very occasionally when the mood takes.

How You See The World No. 2 Coldplay
Riddler! The Fall
I Ain’t Got No Home in This World Anymore Woody Guthrie
Tipitina Professor Longhair
9-5er’s Anthem Aesop Rock
Northern Industrial Town Billy Bragg
Dreamy Days Roots Manuva
The River Nitin Sawhney
Bhindi Bhagee Joe Strummer and the Mescaleros
Down By The River ‘O’ Rev Hammer
Ghost Town The Specials
Council Estate of Mind Skinnyman
The Eighth Station of the Cross Kebab House Belle and Sebastian
Another Pearl Badly Drawn Boy
Brand New Day Dizzie Rascal
Firestarter The Prodigy
Holiday in Cambodia Dead Kennedys
F.E.A.R Ian Brown
Wake The World The Levellers
Shipbuilding Suede
Download Sway
Nowhere Road Steve Earle
Leaders of the Free World Elbow
Gnossiennes No.1 Erik Satie
Call to Prayer (Adhan) Unknown

Helen Gosnell has an excellent Geography Songs blog.