Breaking the Ice

The Start of School, Part II

I was curious about how others start their year in the music room, so I asked a handful of people who so graciously contributed by offering their tried and true ways, thank you!   

There seems to be a common theme around setting up consistent routines and practicing them a lot during the first few weeks of school. 

And I love the few tips for OUR SANITY!  For example, Becky Burdett’s advice about working smarter, not harder!  Or Aimee Curtis Pfizer’s and others recommendation to get your sub-plans in order, NOW!  Or how Griff Gall calls his students, “musicians,” right from the start! There are some really good ideas here, thanks, everyone!!

Enjoy and I hope you find something helpful!

Aimee Curtis Pfitzner, Concord, North Carolina, PreK-5 .    Starting the new year is like making a fabulous cookie- too much of one thing or not enough of another makes the cookie hard and crumbly or deliciously perfect. 

Reviewing procedures and learning names seems to take forever, yet if we don’t take the time to do these things our classes can feel “off” the rest of the year.  Here are some things I recommend:

• Teach procedures by modeling with concise language (walk quietly and make a line behind me) with a small number of students, asking students what they noticed (i.e. everyone walked without talking and waited patiently),  rinse, and repeat!
•  Organization – What works best for how students will use the room?  Use clear stacking tubs with labels (plastic shoeboxes). Store instruments where students can access them. Teach procedures for getting them out, what to do while waiting (play quietly), and how to put them away. 
• Emergency Sub Plans– make at least 10 different activities with directions that are ready to go. 

What is my lesson structure?  Hamburger method – something familiar at the beginning of the lesson, the “meat” of the lesson in the middle, and something familiar at the end.   Laugh, learn, and sing EVERYday!

Name games and songs

Becky Burdett, Lackawanna Trail, Pennsylvania, Lackawanna, Pennsylvania,  K-6  

• Class lists: Since I have 500+ students, I try to get these lists ahead of the first day with the caveat that lists can- and will- change.
• Know your players:  if you are returning to your school, then you already know which students can interact with ease, and which personalities are best kept apart.  If you’re new to the building and school culture, check in with your homeroom teachers from the previous grade level to ask about student interactions.
• Seating charts: I organize my charts in a tabbed binder according to the order of my schedule.  Use pencil, as lists and student needs change all year!  Each class is a two-sided sheet.  One side is the alphabetical list, the other is the seating chart. I use this for attendance, accountability, and other anecdotal records.  In the event of an evacuation drill, I grab this binder.
  • My seating chart is actually marked on the ceiling.  I found brightly colored lightbulb cutouts from a teacher’s store and hung them on a short string from the ceiling (avoiding any movement sensors). When classes enter the room, students go to their ‘spotlights.’  This way there is nothing for small hands to pick at and for me to regularly repair throughout the year.  Once we get through our opening activities, students do not always stay in this organized set.  
• Google Dashboard  If Covid taught me anything, it was to work smarter, not harder. It was a little tedious and time-consuming, but I created a workbook of spreadsheets that keep me organized throughout the year, in one place that I can access digitally.  The tabs are:
  • • Schedule
    • School Calendar
    • Night obligations
    • PBIS events
    • A planning template that I can copy from week to week/ cycle to cycle 
• Schedule:  Once the school’s master schedule is released, I extract ‘my’ schedule from it, including non-teaching duties.
• Sub Binder and Sub Website:  I created a simple binder with written schedules, plans, and materials for substitute teachers.  I also created a simple Google Site where I have general substitute information, as well as pages for each grade level. Each grade-level page has activities or videos in one convenient place. I can also post my own video message there to the classes.   Our substitutes have a general login so they can access our desktops without teachers having to share passwords.
• Less is more!  I used to over-plan every lesson, especially at the beginning of the year.  Back-to-school planning after a summer of professional development and specialized levels (Orff, Kodaly, Dalcroze, MLT) can leave teachers with a crippling sense of choice paralysis.  Give yourself permission to use the same repertoire with multiple grade levels.

Josh Southard,  Smoky Row Elementary, Carmel, Indiana,  K-5, AOSA President.    The wonderful thing about being a related arts/specials teacher is that for the most part, we see the kids for several years!  Sure we have move-ins and move-outs, but for me at least, the large majority of students have had me for 1-5 years!  So the first week back, I pick up right where we left off!  I love starting with a high-energy dance for my 1st-5th graders (Alabama Gal, Fjaskern) and even a “Do whatever I do!” to Starlight in Daden or Avicii’s “Levels.”  Then right away to singing games, body percussion, and/or barred instruments.  Kindergarten is game after game after game and being silly and laughing.  I save all of my drill procedures for week 2.  Week one, to me, is getting them back in the room and reminding them how much fun music can be!

Griff Gall, Danvers Public Schools, Danvers, Massachusetts,  Massachusetts, K-5 ,    The beginning of the school year is a time to build community, introduce and practice procedures, and establish routines that will be the foundation for learning expectations for the rest of the year. 

Transitions within the classroom:  Creative movement is an important part of my classroom routine and so one of the first procedures I teach my Kindergarten musicians is how to safely find a scattered spot for movement, and how to return to our circle spot. 

My musicians generally sit on the floor, around a large area rug. Wherever they “land” that day is their spot for music, but just for that day.  To teach the procedure for exploring open space movement, we play the “scatter game.” We start by pointing to where we are seated and singing, “This is my spot.” I explain to my Kindergarten musicians that where they are seated in their spot for today’s music class, next class they might be seated in a different part of the circle. I then place several poly spots around the classroom. The spots are spread out so that as the musicians stand on the spot, they are standing in open space, which we define as space that would allow Mr. Gall to walk all the way around each musician without bumping into a wall, furniture, or another musician. I have them tell me what it would look like to safely move to one spot on the floor. Walking, not pushing or bumping into each other, etc. Then the game begins. 

Students have to wait for me to say the magic word. When I say “scatter” they walk quickly to one spot and stand like a statue on their polyspot. I count how long it takes for everyone to be standing on a spot in a statue. Returning to the circle involves a call-and-response song. 

I sing, “Let me walk right to my spot,” and they sing “This is my spot” while walking back to their original space around the rug. Their goal is to be seated by the time we have sung the chant twice. We can practice this multiple times, challenging the musicians to be standing safely on a spot while decreasing the time it takes for everyone to be a statue. 

Establishing this procedure early in Kindergarten allows me to safely explore movement from a scattered position around the room, first using non-locomotor movements, and eventually exploring locomotor, open-space movements. After a few lessons of finding scatter spots with the poly spots on the floor, I “forget” to put the spots down, and challenge them to find their own scatter spots. This procedure is something I use K-5 and taking time to explicitly teach this procedure in a game-like way in Kindergarten sets up the musicians for success. 

 Holly Cowdery, Copley-Fairlwan City Schools, Ohio, K-4, Copley-Fairlawn City Schools, Copley, Ohio, K-4,    Do it first, do it right, or do it all year long!    The key to a successful school year lies in establishing clear policies and procedures from day one. I dedicate the first few weeks of every school year to teaching these essential routines. 

It all begins at the classroom door.   Walking safely is the only acceptable way to enter and find their seats. If these expectations aren’t met, we’ll practice again—and often again and again. 

To balance this structure, I intentionally plan lively, engaging activities during the first two weeks. This way, students are moving, making music, and having fun while also learning the behavioral expectations that will guide our time together. You might imagine a strict teacher barking orders, but that’s far from the reality. I focus on giving specific compliments, expressing gratitude, and providing tangible rewards and praise to those who follow the expectations. 

When a strong foundation is laid at the start of the school year, the rest of the year tends to go smoothly. By prioritizing procedures early on, you create an environment where students know what’s expected of them, allowing the focus to remain on the joy of making music together.

Jennie Roberson Andreasen, American School of Doha, Pre-K-2.    The first few weeks of school are by far the most important because you are setting the tone for the entire year. Kids will explore boundaries and expectations and it’s your job to let them know the year will be fun, exciting, rewarding; filled with hard work and teamwork. 

#1 Learn their names: There is nothing more important than knowing their names. I play games that use their names. I line kids up one by one at the end of class by saying their names. I make them line up in the hallway as they enter and try to say everyone’s name. Try it! You’ll have their names down in 3-4 classes. 

#2 Point out when great choices are made: I make a point of stopping and pointing out when students are doing something good that exemplifies a core value of the school or the music room; thereby building expectations and trust.

And above all – have fun and enjoy your students…and they will enjoy you when you enjoy them.

Jeaneau Julian, Manitou Park Elementary, Tacoma, Washington, K-5,    Capitalize on what good is already present in the building. I started a new job in January and customized my classroom expectations within the framework of my new school.  Slow changes help students to better acclimate at the beginning of a new school year.  I will take it a step further this fall by decorating my room using a paw print theme. Students earn “pawsitive” (our mascot is a bulldog)  points through our PBIS system, so it is the perfect theme to have the musical elements displayed in my room, giving it a fresh look. 

Lisa Sempsey, Farmdale Elementary School, Mount Joy, Pennsylvania, K-6,    Embed expectations through active music making.  My approach is to embed the music room and school expectations into activities through active music making! For example, if we’re getting ready to sing, we practice slouching and sitting tall in ridiculous ways and then begin the song. Afterward, in older grades, we discuss why sitting tall is essential for quality singing.  Another example would be forming a circle for a game.  I may play the song on the recorder while students show the pulse in a fun way and then tell me how many beats are in the song.  Then, they check their ideas/answers while I sing the song using lyrics.  Once they know how long the song is, they have that amount of time to form the circle.  But, the catch is that not only should they make the circle quickly and quietly, but at the end, I have a question regarding the lyrics.  I hope this helps with embedding procedures in musical ways.  Have a fabulous year!