Practical tips for organizing and setting up your music room. Ideas for arranging your furniture for multiple classroom activities, DIY storage solutions, planning for transitions (singing to writing, dancing to sitting, etc…). This post is crammed full of ideas from a veteran music teacher.
Five tips for setting up your elementary music classroom, whether you're at a new school or rearranging your classroom setup for a new year.
It has taken me a while to put together a classroom tour but I am thrilled to have a week of school under my belt and my classroom set up and humming along! The most exciting part of my classroom setup this year is being able to get back to many of the things I haven't been able to do during the pandemic, but I have also added a few new tweaks to my room from my pre-pandemic setup too, so I'm excited to share those as well. First to give you a lay of the land, here's a quick video around the entire space: Now let's talk about this year's updates! First of all the biggest change is going back to pre-pandemic seating arrangements. Oh how I have missed my circle! This year I used these carpet spots, which have a darker green color than the ones I used last year (my old ones were hard to distinguish between yellow and green), and so far they're holding up well. I've also got my chairs back in rows by color team instead of having each chair spread out: Last year because I had to set up the chairs spaced out 3 feet each, I wasn't able to use my normal job of line leader (I had a job for hand sanitizer instead). This year my line leaders are back! One of those, "Why didn't I think of this sooner?" tiny upgrades this year was on that same magnetic board where I have the color team jobs- the magnets for each class going up the piano keys are now horizontal and much easier to read: A procedural change I made this year was to designate my own hand signals for students to use in music class when they need to use the bathroom or a tissue- I made posters showing those hand signals next to the board. I also made new letters for my "MUSIC" letter system, which you can see in the same photo (those were long overdue for an upgrade!): The final update is one that I'm probably more excited about than I should be... I got new clipboards! I added these to my Amazon wishlist this summer and was thrilled to get them. The clips are much smaller, and they are plastic and of course in my 6 rainbow colors. So much to love about these compared to my old ones! I also decided this year to give students the choice between regular pencils, which I wrapped in a small piece of duct tape, or mechanical pencils. It has been a great start to the year to far and I do have a couple more updates to the classroom I'm hoping to get to throughout the year... we'll see! But for now I'm very happy with our space. Rather than rehashing all of the details on where I got things or why I have things set up the way I do, I'll direct you to my classroom tour post from 2018 where I have a lot more details on most of what you see here. And of course please leave a comment with any questions!
We need to be able to enforce boundaries and standards of behavior, but it can be hard to come up with consequences that we can use as elementary music teachers when our class times are so short and there are often several days between the times we see them. But there are some common practices I hear teachers recommending to others regularly that I think do more harm than good- here are my top 3 consequences I wish elementary music teachers would stop using, and what I do instead. 1. Give a class intentionally boring worksheets as a consequence for expressing or demonstrating negative attitudes towards regular lesson activities As logical as it may sound to think that students will appreciate the fun and exciting lesson activities more if they experience what a boring lesson is like, if there is toxic, negative energy going around for whatever reason about your class, making it more boring is not going to help- it's going to make it worse. There is always a ringleader or two that is the root of the negative energy, even if it feels like the whole class is against you. Start by explaining at the end of the lesson that the negative energy is ruining the vibes and preventing the class from having fun and from learning- not every activity or class has to be their favorite, but everyone needs to do their best and have a positive attitude: "don't yuck someone else's yum". Tell them that starting next lesson, you are not going to allow anyone to ruin the positive energy. If possible, make someone- the principal, the social worker, etc- aware of the situation and that you are trying to turn around the negative energy in a class. Warn them ahead of time that you may need backup during a particular class period while you handle the situation, and work out a plan, either for someone to push in or be prepared to take students, if you need it. I know sometimes teachers don't have adequate support staff or their administrator is unsupportive- in that case I would get a colleague on board who is willing to have a student or two come in their room. But I would encourage you to try to advocate for someone to be available to come in if needed- I've found administrators and support staff appreciate when you explain all the things you've already tried and that you are wanting to do this as a short-term strategy to keep everyone in class instead of having to throw them out or stop your lessons in the long run. Once you've established that you expect everyone to keep negative energy to themselves, start the next lesson overflowing with positive energy, grinning as soon as you see them to show you're excited about having a good time that day. Don't plan anything different than what you normally would have, but be super excited about everything. Give positive reinforcement for all the students who are engaged, whether that's points or whatever other positive reward you have in place in your school or classroom (if you don't have one, start one and explain what it is to everyone!). As soon as the first person starts to make a negative comment/ face (even if it's right as they enter the room), try to quickly catch them and remind them to keep it positive. If they don't, ask them to sit away from the rest of the class and take their negative energy elsewhere and go back to having fun with the others. If they are still disrupting the lesson, offer to let them write down their negative thoughts instead of saying them out loud and spreading their negativity. If that doesn't work, put the backup plan into action: ideally I think it works best if there is someone that can be on call to come and sit with the negative student(s) while you proceed with the others, but if not, get them to leave the room, whether it's the principal's office, another classroom, or somewhere else. The goal is to turn the tide so that the majority of the class that was getting sucked into the negativity before, gets sucked into your positive energy instead. If you have to have a student (or several students) leave the room, it will be important to follow up with that student after class. Often they will be happy that they got to leave the class they were complaining about (which is why it's best to find a way for someone to come in if at all possible)! So there needs to be a consequence for that specific student, whether that's giving makeup work, calling/ writing home, or something else to make sure that student doesn't want this to keep happening. Having that positive reward for the students who were engaged will help here too, since obviously the ones who left will not get whatever the others did. It will get easier and easier to get those students to at least tone down their negativity to a manageable level once the attitude of the rest of the class is positive- it has never taken me more than 4 class periods of this to turn the class around. 2. Put away instruments and ban their use from the entire class because of chaotic behavior while using them or damaging an instrument(s) If students don't know how to use instruments properly, giving them less opportunity to learn how is not going to help long-term. It's also never helpful to punish an entire class for something that most likely wasn't something everyone did. First of all, I have a strict rule in place of, "if you play before I say you'll make the instrument go away". I tell them every single time we get out instruments, and I also remind them often that I'm not here to judge if it was intentional or accidental- if you touch/ make sound with something when you're not supposed to, you will miss a turn with that instrument. The key is to make sure the time they lose the instrument is short and then they quickly get a chance to try again and do it right. If as a group a class is too chaotic while using/ getting out instruments, slow it way down to whatever point you need to be able to monitor each student more closely. Sometimes that means only half the class plays at a time instead of everyone at once, having one student at a time go and get out their instrument while the rest of the class waits and watches and you narrate the correct way of doing it every step of the way, or having a few students designated to get out an instrument for others, etc. 3. Having a class practice coming into class silently/ calmly over and over until they are all coming in the way you expect I used to do this ALL THE TIME at the beginning of my career. Having students practice a behavior or procedure the right way when they do it wrong is obviously a good thing. But again, punishing an entire class for something that is probably not something everyone is doing is only going to make students feel frustrated and agitated, not calm and focused like you want them to be. If the vast majority of a class comes into my room too rambunctiously, I will definitely stop and have them go back and try again. But 1) I only do it one time and I make sure to give positive reinforcement to the ones that do it right, and 2) I do not have them go back in the hallway- I have them line up as close to the door as possible but still inside my room, and then walk to their spots from there. I find going back in the hallway is counterproductive because I never know who else is going to walk by making noise and/or distracting my students, and usually sound carries a lot more in the hallway so every little noise is amplified. I keep them in my controlled environment to practice instead. If it's just a few students, obviously I just ask those few students to do it again. If the class has practiced once there will only be a few students, if any, who still aren't doing it right- in that case I will have those few students try it again by themselves. But again, only once- after that it just turns into a power struggle and it's not effective. If I still have students who are running/ talking loudly etc after that, I tell them we will practice another time and move on. I talk to the homeroom teachers and/or principal and figure out a time when I can take them by themselves and practice walking appropriately (some years I've been lucky enough to be available to do it during their recess, other times I take them first thing in the morning when everyone else has circle time, or immediately after class). As a sidenote, one thing that has helped tremendously with this problem specifically is I've stopped needing my students to walk in silently. Yes, they should not be yelling, running, or touching other people or things, but the thing that has helped me get everyone focused right away without requiring them to be silent is to immediately start student-led warmups. It took away so many power struggles to start class this way! Check out this post on how I do that, and this post for a whole bunch of activity ideas for warmups. I know this may ruffle some feathers but I hope this gives teachers some new ideas to try that will help turn the tide in a positive direction! I would love to hear your thoughts on these common consequences, and any other strategies you have used effectively in these situations, in the comments below.
10 great examples of music classroom decor: Includes ideas for organization, instrument storage, and more!
What you put on your classroom walls should reflect what you teach. Read this article to get suggestions about what to post, how, and why!
Flexible Seating in the Music room is a great idea for all of your classes! Learn about what solutions worked best from this veteran teacher and how to add inexpensive options to your classroom.
I am one of those people who cannot work in silence. I have always incorporated music into my classroom whether it be just for background noise, or to enhance our lesson plan. A few years ago I sub…
If you're starting centers in elementary music class, then you may need some ideas. These are my favorite rhythm centers for general music!
A blog for Preschool, Special Education and Autism for Behavior Management, Classroom ideas and Resources
My Portable Recording Setup for Student Use When Recording in the Classroom
Discover some ...
Music education ideas, activities, games, and songs | Technology tips for the music classroom | Resources for the elementary music room.
I cannot take any credit whatsoever for today's tip- that goes to my cooperating teacher during my student teaching. This is totally and completely stolen from her, and I have continued to use it in every single class, every single day of my teaching career. Transitions between activities, especially when the students need to move, can be one of the most difficult things to manage in the classroom. And in elementary general music, we tend to have a lot of those. Although this only covers one aspect of those transitions, it certainly does make things a lot faster and smoother. I hold up 1 finger as a cue for them to stand, 2 fingers for sitting up/forward in their chairs, and 3 for sitting back. The great thing about having a hand signal for these actions is that I can get them ready for an activity while explaining the directions at the same time. These are also perfect to use in concerts, because the audience can't see me holding up one hand. I use this for everyone 1st grade and older, and they get very good at moving quickly and quietly. At the beginning of the school year we practice and I tell them they have to be fast, but if they make sound it doesn't count. Not only is it great to have a signal for standing, sitting up, and sitting, but I have found that these specific signals are intuitive. When I hold up 1 finger, it is like I am motioning up, so it is easy for students to remember. When I use 2 fingers to have students sit up, I often find myself turning my hand upside down and motioning to a student's feet to remind them to put their 2 feet flat on the floor. Besides all of the up and down we do for singing, playing recorders etc, the hand signals are very handy when we need to move to another part of the room. I use 1 finger to tell them to stand, then I turn that finger in the direction that I want them to turn, and they all turn at the same time. This is also excellent preparation for concerts, especially when students are on risers. Usually I have them then start with the first row to walk to the new spot and the next rows follow, or sometimes I will tell them to start at the back row. Having them all turn together makes it much easier for students to smoothly follow the line and know exactly where to go. Plus it looks very impressive to classroom visitors and concert audiences! Do you use any hand signals in the classroom? What routines do you have in place to make transitions go more smoothly?
It is that time of year again. Time when teachers try to savor the last few days of summer by dreaming about how they will set up the most beautiful, functional and perfect classroom that Pinterest h
Practical tips for organizing and setting up your music room. Ideas for arranging your furniture for multiple classroom activities, DIY storage solutions, planning for transitions (singing to writing, dancing to sitting, etc…). This post is crammed full of ideas from a veteran music teacher.
Music Classroom Reveal: Lots of great ideas for a travel-themed music room!
We need to be able to enforce boundaries and standards of behavior, but it can be hard to come up with consequences that we can use as elementary music teachers when our class times are so short and there are often several days between the times we see them. But there are some common practices I hear teachers recommending to others regularly that I think do more harm than good- here are my top 3 consequences I wish elementary music teachers would stop using, and what I do instead. 1. Give a class intentionally boring worksheets as a consequence for expressing or demonstrating negative attitudes towards regular lesson activities As logical as it may sound to think that students will appreciate the fun and exciting lesson activities more if they experience what a boring lesson is like, if there is toxic, negative energy going around for whatever reason about your class, making it more boring is not going to help- it's going to make it worse. There is always a ringleader or two that is the root of the negative energy, even if it feels like the whole class is against you. Start by explaining at the end of the lesson that the negative energy is ruining the vibes and preventing the class from having fun and from learning- not every activity or class has to be their favorite, but everyone needs to do their best and have a positive attitude: "don't yuck someone else's yum". Tell them that starting next lesson, you are not going to allow anyone to ruin the positive energy. If possible, make someone- the principal, the social worker, etc- aware of the situation and that you are trying to turn around the negative energy in a class. Warn them ahead of time that you may need backup during a particular class period while you handle the situation, and work out a plan, either for someone to push in or be prepared to take students, if you need it. I know sometimes teachers don't have adequate support staff or their administrator is unsupportive- in that case I would get a colleague on board who is willing to have a student or two come in their room. But I would encourage you to try to advocate for someone to be available to come in if needed- I've found administrators and support staff appreciate when you explain all the things you've already tried and that you are wanting to do this as a short-term strategy to keep everyone in class instead of having to throw them out or stop your lessons in the long run. Once you've established that you expect everyone to keep negative energy to themselves, start the next lesson overflowing with positive energy, grinning as soon as you see them to show you're excited about having a good time that day. Don't plan anything different than what you normally would have, but be super excited about everything. Give positive reinforcement for all the students who are engaged, whether that's points or whatever other positive reward you have in place in your school or classroom (if you don't have one, start one and explain what it is to everyone!). As soon as the first person starts to make a negative comment/ face (even if it's right as they enter the room), try to quickly catch them and remind them to keep it positive. If they don't, ask them to sit away from the rest of the class and take their negative energy elsewhere and go back to having fun with the others. If they are still disrupting the lesson, offer to let them write down their negative thoughts instead of saying them out loud and spreading their negativity. If that doesn't work, put the backup plan into action: ideally I think it works best if there is someone that can be on call to come and sit with the negative student(s) while you proceed with the others, but if not, get them to leave the room, whether it's the principal's office, another classroom, or somewhere else. The goal is to turn the tide so that the majority of the class that was getting sucked into the negativity before, gets sucked into your positive energy instead. If you have to have a student (or several students) leave the room, it will be important to follow up with that student after class. Often they will be happy that they got to leave the class they were complaining about (which is why it's best to find a way for someone to come in if at all possible)! So there needs to be a consequence for that specific student, whether that's giving makeup work, calling/ writing home, or something else to make sure that student doesn't want this to keep happening. Having that positive reward for the students who were engaged will help here too, since obviously the ones who left will not get whatever the others did. It will get easier and easier to get those students to at least tone down their negativity to a manageable level once the attitude of the rest of the class is positive- it has never taken me more than 4 class periods of this to turn the class around. 2. Put away instruments and ban their use from the entire class because of chaotic behavior while using them or damaging an instrument(s) If students don't know how to use instruments properly, giving them less opportunity to learn how is not going to help long-term. It's also never helpful to punish an entire class for something that most likely wasn't something everyone did. First of all, I have a strict rule in place of, "if you play before I say you'll make the instrument go away". I tell them every single time we get out instruments, and I also remind them often that I'm not here to judge if it was intentional or accidental- if you touch/ make sound with something when you're not supposed to, you will miss a turn with that instrument. The key is to make sure the time they lose the instrument is short and then they quickly get a chance to try again and do it right. If as a group a class is too chaotic while using/ getting out instruments, slow it way down to whatever point you need to be able to monitor each student more closely. Sometimes that means only half the class plays at a time instead of everyone at once, having one student at a time go and get out their instrument while the rest of the class waits and watches and you narrate the correct way of doing it every step of the way, or having a few students designated to get out an instrument for others, etc. 3. Having a class practice coming into class silently/ calmly over and over until they are all coming in the way you expect I used to do this ALL THE TIME at the beginning of my career. Having students practice a behavior or procedure the right way when they do it wrong is obviously a good thing. But again, punishing an entire class for something that is probably not something everyone is doing is only going to make students feel frustrated and agitated, not calm and focused like you want them to be. If the vast majority of a class comes into my room too rambunctiously, I will definitely stop and have them go back and try again. But 1) I only do it one time and I make sure to give positive reinforcement to the ones that do it right, and 2) I do not have them go back in the hallway- I have them line up as close to the door as possible but still inside my room, and then walk to their spots from there. I find going back in the hallway is counterproductive because I never know who else is going to walk by making noise and/or distracting my students, and usually sound carries a lot more in the hallway so every little noise is amplified. I keep them in my controlled environment to practice instead. If it's just a few students, obviously I just ask those few students to do it again. If the class has practiced once there will only be a few students, if any, who still aren't doing it right- in that case I will have those few students try it again by themselves. But again, only once- after that it just turns into a power struggle and it's not effective. If I still have students who are running/ talking loudly etc after that, I tell them we will practice another time and move on. I talk to the homeroom teachers and/or principal and figure out a time when I can take them by themselves and practice walking appropriately (some years I've been lucky enough to be available to do it during their recess, other times I take them first thing in the morning when everyone else has circle time, or immediately after class). As a sidenote, one thing that has helped tremendously with this problem specifically is I've stopped needing my students to walk in silently. Yes, they should not be yelling, running, or touching other people or things, but the thing that has helped me get everyone focused right away without requiring them to be silent is to immediately start student-led warmups. It took away so many power struggles to start class this way! Check out this post on how I do that, and this post for a whole bunch of activity ideas for warmups. I know this may ruffle some feathers but I hope this gives teachers some new ideas to try that will help turn the tide in a positive direction! I would love to hear your thoughts on these common consequences, and any other strategies you have used effectively in these situations, in the comments below.
Practical tips for organizing and setting up your music room. Ideas for arranging your furniture for multiple classroom activities, DIY storage solutions, planning for transitions (singing to writing, dancing to sitting, etc…). This post is crammed full of ideas from a veteran music teacher.
Organized Chaos: helping music teachers embrace the chaos of creativity through purposeful organization and simple ideas!
Do you need a fun, engaging way to teach music classroom rules? These Back to School Music Activities use Orff Rhythm Patterns to teach classroom rules. Bonus - You are teaching music skills on the first day of school! This resource includes 4 days of sequential rhythm activities with differentiation for grades K-5. Save over 20% when you invest in this TIME-SAVING Back to School Music Activities Bundle. Resources Included in this NO-PREP Back to School BUNDLE FREE Music Classroom Rules Posters* Back to School Music Rules Orff Rhythm Activities Music Mixer Song & Movement Activities for Early Elementary Grades Music Mixer Song & Movement Activities for Upper Elementary Grades *The Back to School BUNDLE includes EDITABLE poster slides if you would like to customize the rules for your classroom. Engaging Lessons Include 4 Days of Rhythm Activities Day 1 - Body Percussion Day 2 - Rhythm Instruments Day 3 - Boomwhackers Day 4 - Rotation Stations Included in this Complete Resource Projectable lesson - PowerPoint version (compatible with Google Slides) Simple directions for uploading as Google Slides version Ready-to-print broad rules applicable to any elementary music classroom. Editable lesson slides for customization of rules, body percussion, or instrumentation Orff rhythm patterns score Boomwhackers score Step-by-step guided lesson leading teacher and students through rhythm activities Each activity is presented in unison, in 2-parts, and in 4-parts Each rhythm rule is highlighted in a different color to facilitate student tracking. Teacher tips for using resource and delivering a successful lesson Large printable posters (legal size - 8 1/2 x 14 ") which may be printed as is or enlarged (editable version is provided) Rotation diagram to aid in activity setup From Happy Teachers Using these Rhythm Rules ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Andrea H. - I really like this resource a lot, and I am looking at your other resources because of how organized this was!! I also like that I am able to change around the rhythms so that I can match the PBIS rules for my building. It was a little tricky to do this, but I am getting the hang of it, and your resource is very editable and customizable. The students are engaged and I look really organized in the process!! :-) ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Thank you for the work you put into this so! The Kafooty is silly and the kids like this as well! I really like the incorporation of instruments. There are so many ways to use this and you've added so much in there from a fun and easy-to-understand rubric, as well as how to differentiate and pace out the lesson for all grade levels. I like your videos as well!! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Christine B. - I use this at the beginning of 2nd Semester. FUN! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Natalie Y. - There were so many activities I did with my students using these rhythm rules! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Debbra H. - Great rhythms for back-to-school rules...I use it every year. ➤ CLICK HERE to follow "Mi" so you are notified when new resources are posted. All resources will be 40% OFF the FIRST 24 HOURS they are posted. It pays to follow "Mi". And, don't forget to leave feedback. You earn TpT credit every time you leave feedback. That pays too! Thanks for visiting our store. Let me know if have any questions through the Q&A feature or at the email address below. Auf Wiedersehen! [email protected] NO-PREP Complete Music Reading Activity Bundles Make music literacy FUN with these guided Music Reading Bundles Rhythm Reading Activity BUNDLE Music Literacy Activity BUNDLE - So, Mi Music Literacy Activity BUNDLE - So, La, Mi Music Literacy Activity BUNDLE - Do, Re, Mi Music Literacy Activity BUNDLE - Do, Re, Mi, So Music Literacy Activity BUNDLE - Do, Mi, So Music Literacy Activity BUNDLE - Do, Mi, So, La Save over 35% when you invest in ALL 41 sequential music reading activities as a part of this. . . . . ✅ Kodály Style Music Activities MEGA BUNDLE Copyright © Frau Musik USA. Permission to copy for single music teacher classroom and studio use only. Please purchase additional licenses if you intend to share this product.
Before rushing headlong into summer, it’s instructive to take a look back. To reflect on what went well during the past school year and what didn’t. Because, unless you know where you need to improve, you’re destined to experience the same frustrations year after ... Read more
We all want our students to have strong communication skills. Communication occurs more frequently when we engineer the classroom to support it.
I love music. I belt out my favorite tunes in the car, I sing in the shower, and I hum when I'm nervous (or concentrating!) So, why not in the classroom? Today, I want to talk about how I use music in my classroom to help increase my student's ability to focus.
I am LOVING how much I am getting done this summer. And I have Tara to thank for this because I know I just NEED to post and link up with he...
A Musical Chairs variation that's suitable for use in a classroom space and with large numbers of students.
I love using Boomwhackers in my elementary music classes! Not only are they fun and accessible for even the youngest students to play, but they are a really helpful tool for exploring some key musical concepts that make them useful well into the upper grades. You can see some of my favorite ways to use them in class in this post, but today I'm kicking things off by addressing the most common setback for teachers: organizing and storing them so they're not a pile of plastic hot mess! If you don't have a good way of organizing Boomwhackers, they can quickly become a major problem. They're too large to fit into nice neat bins, especially the longer ones, and they topple over easily. If you search the internet for Boomwhacker storage ideas you'll come up with some great ideas: some of my favorites include this idea to use plastic shoe organizers, this idea using plastic bag storage containers, and this idea using cardboard magazine holders. But for me, I have found hanging them on the wall with this type of strong velcro very effective (and fun to look at)! I always get questions about my wall-hanging Boomwhackers when I share pictures of my classroom, so let me start by answering those frequently asked questions: Yes, they have held up well. I've had mine up for 6 years and have never replaced any velcro. No, the velcro does not affect the sound of the instrument. I tell students to hold the velcro side in their hand and strike the other side on the floor/hand/whatever they're using. The only time we can't do this is when we're using octavator caps, which don't fit over the velcro- then I just have them tap the velcro side and it still sounds fine. You want to make sure to put the soft side on the instruments and the scratchy side on the wall so that they can hold the velcro without getting scratched. Besides being aesthetically pleasing and keeping the instruments from being a hot mess, I like having them on the wall this way because I often use them with small groups and I like having each octave set separated so I can tell each group to get the ones they need from one row, and they can clearly see the notes next to each other in order when they refer to them for musical concepts like solfege, chord functionality, etc. I've seen many other teachers hang them on the wall with all the same notes next to each other, but I think having one of each note together makes it easier for the ways I use them most. It also makes it easier to get out one set to use in a center etc by taking all of the ones in one row rather than having to go through and collect one of each note. If I had all the chromatics and extended octaves (bass / treble) and such (which I don't), I would not keep them together with the others because I wouldn't want to confuse my students when they're using as a tool to understand a concept- I would store them in one of the other methods I mentioned above off to the side, and pull them out when we needed them for a specific activity. I hope this helps you get your Boomwhackers in order so that they can be more of an asset and less of a headache for your classroom! Next week I'll be sharing tons of ways I like to use them to meaningfully and effectively teach specific musical concepts, so stay tuned, and if you have your own favorite ways to use them in your lessons I'd love to hear about them in the comments below!
Behavior Management for Music Teachers. Organized Chaos. Includes PBIS, Restorative Practices, classroom jobs, routines and procedures, and more for elementary music classroom behavior management strategies.
Classical music or nature sounds, we love them all!
The Scandinavia Song and Test Resource This teaching tool offers a unique blend of auditory and visual learning techniques , perfect for engaging middle or high school students in grades 6-9. By using music and song related to Scandinavia's geography, this resource adds a layer of enjoyment to learning, facilitating better retention of knowledge. Product Features: Format: MP4 video seamlessly integrated into various lesson plans Tutorial Content: Interactive guide through basic geography concepts, with emphasis on Scandinavia Versatility: Useful for introduction to new topics or reinforcement later in the course curriculum Educational Benefits An effective tool that caters especially well to auditory learners. The video allows for connections across different components of the geography module whilst also fostering better recall during assessments. Suitable For: Art & Music lessons, & Social Studies curricula due its distinct combination of geographical and musical elements. Detailed Specifications: - Subjects: Art & Music; Social Studies - Subsubjects: Musical Arts under Art & Music; Geography under Social Studies - Types: Videos type r File type: Video file - Grades Applicable: Learners from Grade 6 through Grade 9. Rejuvenate your traditional classroom setup; captivate learners with our innovative educational resources such as The Scandinavia Song – an ingenious mix of musical elements and visually stimulating experiences! Scandinavia Song and Test
It’s true. I don’t use a clip chart as a behavior system. Are you still reading or did you click out already? I know. I’m such a rebel. So is Jen over at The Teacher’s Cauldron. She recently talked about her behavior system which is not a clip chart either. She inspired me to ... Read More about I Don’t Use a Clip Chart. Please Don’t Throw Rotten Tomatoes.
There is a lot that's broken in education right now, and I have been reflecting all summer- actually, since the spring- on what it is that we need most to start to move forward. The word I keep coming back to is agency, and I really believe that, as we come out of the pandemic, agency is what both students and teachers need. But what does that really mean, and how do we make that happen? Ownership in the classroom is one of the biggest keys to fostering agency for students- today I'm sharing 3 ways I encourage students to have a sense of ownership in my elementary music classroom. Agency is a bit difficult to define, but here is one definition I found helpful: "The sense of agency refers to the subjective feeling of controlling one's own actions, and through them, external events." (source) So agency is control. Giving elementary students a sense of control can be challenging, especially when we know kids need structure and boundaries to learn what is and is not appropriate, and even more so when we have so little class time in elementary music that we have to maintain a fast pace to make sure we get through everything we want our students to learn! In fact maintaining "control" of the classroom is the number one goal most teachers are striving for when behaviors are OUT of control, right? What students need to have a greater sense of control is ownership. They need to feel that they are involved in what's happening rather than just doing what they're told, or having things happen to them. Yes, the teacher needs to ultimately be "in control", but students need to have a say in what's happening. Here are 3 concrete ways I foster a sense of ownership in my elementary music classroom. 1. student jobs The single biggest change I made in my classroom almost a decade ago now to give students more ownership in my classroom was giving them all jobs. Every single student has a job in my class at all times, and everyone takes turns doing each of the student jobs at some point during the school year. Even just knowing that they have a job immediately gives students a sense of ownership, but when they have the opportunity to control a task, and they see their peers doing so, on a constant basis throughout the year, that has the biggest impact on ownership and responsibility- ultimately leading to a greater sense of agency. The basic structure for my jobs is I have 6 general jobs that can be shared by a small group of students. I split my classes up into 6 color teams (read more about that here) based on their seating arrangement (which stays permanent throughout the year, partially for this reason). Each team is assigned a job that they keep for 30 school days (dividing the school year into 6) and then they rotate. I have gone through a few iterations with different jobs over the years, but the ones I have landed on that I find work best are: Supplies (handing things out) Clean up (collecting/ putting things away) Warmup leader (more on that below) Line leader (they go to the door first at the end of class) Compliment (each student gives a specific compliment to a classmate at the end of class) Teacher helper (the catch-all for things like turning off the lights, running errands, etc) It may not seem like a big deal, but even having students be the ones to hand out pencils to the class when they need it, or be the ones to lead the line to the door, gives students the sense that they are involved in leading, guiding, and controlling what's happening. They are involved in all of the processes, day in and day out. That is powerful. It can test your patience as a teacher in the beginning because in some ways it would be so much easier and faster to just do it yourself, but like everything else with teaching if you put in the initial time and energy to teach them how to do it themselves, not only will it give students a sense of ownership but it will genuinely make the classroom run more smoothly and speed up the process (especially over time as the younger students get older and have done the jobs for a few years). 2. warmups Out of all the student jobs in my classroom, I think the most powerful one for fostering agency and ownership (among other things) is the job of warmup leader. A few years ago I started a new procedure for the beginning of class, having a sort of student-led "do now" activity at the beginning of every lesson. These are very simple activities and I have just a handful of warmups that I cycle through during the year, but they immediately require students to control what happens, to lead the class in an activity, to physically be at the front of the room- that has been huge. You can read more about how I run them and the full list of warmups I use in this post, but honestly over the years I have really narrowed my list of commonly-used warmups down to a few categories: mirroring steady beat movement echoing body percussion rhythm patterns identifying music symbols/ notes on the staff/ note valuesThere are a multitude of benefits to these student-led warmups both from a student learning and from a management perspective, but it definitely is one of the most effective, concrete ways to show students they are "in control" from the moment they walk into my classroom, and that really sets the tone for the rest of the lesson. 3. accessible supplies/ instruments It really makes me cringe every time I hear music teachers say they "had to" put away their instruments, hide their pencils, etc because the students "weren't being responsible enough". Sometimes teachers will stop allowing students to use these things entirely, and sometimes they will hide them so they can't touch them or use them independently. How are students ever going to learn to be responsible with the instruments and supplies if they are never given the opportunity to practice? As with everything else, teaching students to take responsibility for something requires a lot of patience, and yes, sometimes things will get lost or broken in the learning process. But just like parents talk about the importance of letting our kids fall sometimes to learn how to be safe, students will learn how to treat things responsibly by trying, and sometimes failing. I think the key is to make the smaller "failures" with supplies both acceptable and understood to be part of the learning process, and also definitely a failure that needs to be learned from. I teach students the expectation that every pencil should be put back facing eraser side up in the corresponding color team's cup in the corresponding color team's supply caddy. If a blue pencil ends up in the orange cup, I don't berate them, but I do correct them. If I set the bar high for the "line" I draw for what is acceptable, and I put in the time and energy to empower them be successful in reaching that bar, I am not only teaching them how to be responsible but I am significantly reducing the chance that when a student "fails" to do something correctly it ends up being something truly damaging, like breaking the pencil or letting it fall between the bars of a xylophone. Making instruments and supplies accessible is more than just putting them within the reach of the students, although that is a big part of it! I use open shelving, rolling carts, and caddies to put everything students use regularly visible and within their reach. But what I've learned is even more important is to make sure the way things are stored is easy for students to understand and maintain. Color coding supplies like pencils, erasers, and clipboards makes it easier for students to distribute those things and put them back (and make sure they're all accounted for). Labeling shelves with the names of instruments makes it easier for students to find what they are supposed to get and put things back where they belong. It's important to make it as easy as possible for students, no matter their age or their height, to be able to safely and quickly get, use, and put away everything. There is so much more I could continue to say about each of these 3 points, more ways to foster ownership, and certainly more facets to fostering agency besides ownership- more thoughts to come! But I would love to hear your questions and thoughts on this in the comments.
What would you add?
Our curriculum was designed by teachers who struggled to find resources that engaged their students and met the standards. So they designed their own and changed the culture of their classrooms. With hands-on cooperative learning
Whether you are a new teacher or have a few years under your belt, working as an elementary music teacher [Continue Reading]
I have to share with you something that I absolutely love: The WOW board! This beautiful piece of poster board was introduced to me by my friend and colleague. I used it throughout the year but found it especially helpful near the end of the school year.
A glimpse into elementary general music . . .
I am one of those people who cannot work in silence. I have always incorporated music into my classroom whether it be just for background noise, or to enhance our lesson plan. A few years ago I sub…
Ahh what a day! I don't think there is any feeling comparable to walking into a classroom that is absolutely empty, and in a few magical weeks, transforming into a space to inspire young minds! It may be one of my favorite parts of the job. Today, I created a goals bulletin board. I half got this idea off Pinterest/ half tweaked it to fit my class' needs. We have daily classroom meetings in room 10! I love this. It brings us together and lets the students know they are a part of a team! I created this board to remind my friends what goals we have set for the week, the day, and even the month! I love that this board isn't limited to just curriculum. I can already imagine using this board to set goals for teamwork, behavior, and even longer term goals. My brain is full of ideas! I plan on using it like the following example: Today we will: complete our study guide for chapter 7 of math. So we can: ace our math exam on Friday! We will know we have it when: we can show off our smarts in the review game! * Note: I changed the last portion from the idea on Pinterest from "I" to "we". This is a personal preference only because we will be using it as a classroom set of goals. Although this board is simple, I love its functionality! I'm getting that back to school excitement! Continue to inspire <3