If you do a lot of pulse (or dance) games in your classes, you’re going to need a variety of recorded music to play for those activities. Steer away from “kiddie music” for this. Kids get enough that in videos and games. Instead, present a range of “actual music” to broaden their horizons. They can handle it.
Below are links to 7 songs I use for activities that require recorded music. Only one of them has lyrics. There’s classical, salsa, klezmer, funk, polynesian and, of course, taiko. All are free to download and use and are appropriate for school settings.
Don’t Lie to Inner Child by Sergey Cheremisinov
Een Laastst Liedje by Tres Tristes Tangos
Hall of the Mountain King by Edvard Grieg (also good for tempo changes and to discuss high vs low pitch)
The Stroll by Taiko Project (thank you, Taiko Project, for making Our Many Sides so readily available to the community!)
Happy teaching!