You’re back! How are you feeling? You gonna make it? I know, the weather still feels like summer, your circadian rhythm is out of whack, your schedule is still being tweaked, AND you know it’s just going to take a little time to get in your groove. Hopefully, you’ve got your room setup, things are in their place, bulletin boards are ready to be filled, and you’re raring to go!
And your students? Are they looking refreshed, excited, and hopefully walking in with a sprinkle of nervousness toward the new year, which keeps them in good form? Enjoy it while it lasts, right?
Well, it can last all year long! I know this to be true, although it’s sometimes hard for me to follow my own advice, but set up your routines and expectations NOW. Focus on procedures and routines and together with your students, voice your hopes and expectations for the upcoming year. Practice them for the first 6 weeks of school. Slowly introduce musical activities calculating all while the balance between behaviors and what you want to accomplish in your curriculum.
I’m here to say I have failed at this in some years. I get so excited about all that I want to do with students, that come October when they still don’t demonstrate simple classroom procedures, I realize that it’s because I jumped into music-making way too fast. What propels this misstep for me is the nagging question I still get even after 22 years of, “What are you going to do in those first couple of weeks of classes?” I really do find planning the beginning of the school year difficult! So what do I do and where to start?
FIRST:
Yeah, this does seem a little boring, but gosh does it pay off in the long run! I do end with some fun…..keep reading.
Establish how to enter the room: This first foot across the threshold into your room sets the tone for the class to follow. Students and I practice it over the course of the first few weeks. Ask them: how do YOU think we should walk into our classroom? Then it becomes easy for them to see and follow their own advice, we practice it again. Practice it as many times as necessary. I try to throw in a little humor with my serious expectation of how we enter the room. I know, so mundane, but it really does pay off! Eventually I’ll do things like play recorder or sing to lead them in, or lead them through movement to their circle spot. But this is an added layer that I strip away at first so students can simply walk into the room in an orderly fashion.
Warm-Up: Depending on the grade, I begin with rhythm echo clap; solfege echo; recorder-sing back what I played using solfege, followed by a movement exercise. Now, this morphs as the year progresses, but it’s always those 4 elements: rhythm, solfege/melody/song, and ear training, movement.
Transitions within the room: Moving from one activity to another in the music room happens best when we have catch phrases for different formations within the room. My students know:
- Circle Spots
- “Make a forest:” a standing scatter formation
- “Cluster of grapes:” sitting together in one area of the room
Make a connection through conversation: Here’s where relationships start. You’ll craft a chemistry that will build a dynamic with your students. Sometimes this will occur right when they sit down, or right before they get up for the movement portion of the warmup. I’ll ask students sincere questions prompting them to share something about themselves ‘cause I really want to know! And, at the beginning of the year, I’ll tell them something about myself that’s fitting for the moment. Since being in international schools, it has seemed fitting to show them a little slide show about me. It will include a map showing where I’ve lived, a picture of my son, and things I like to do like kayaking, hiking, and cooking. They love the visuals.
Folk Dancing: Yep, here’s the fun part! At the beginning of the year, I start with folk dancing. It’s too soon to pull instruments out. I believe folk dancing breaks the ice really well because it’s just fun!
Wonder what others do? “Breaking the Ice” Part II, check it out!