Lately, I've been blogging about classroom management strategies in the music room. Today's blog post includes a podcast episode with more ideas! Listen to the podcast, called The Music Room, in the iTunes Store , or here: Here are the links mentioned in the podcast episode: IG: www.instagram.com/mrsmiraclesmusicroom Blog posts: Star students in the music room Point system for the music room Transitions in the music room FB group: Mrs. Miracle's Chat Room Strategies for Classroom Management Restorative Justice podcast with Cult of Pedagogy Kindergarten lesson freebie 1st grade lesson freebie &q…
Lately, I've been writing with classroom management strategies in the music room. In this post , I wrote about star students, and in this post , I wrote about a point system for your music classroom. Today, I'm writing about one of my favorite ways to keep students' attention throughout the lesson: transitions! I first learned about transitions when I began my Kodaly training at Capital University. In a music lesson, transitions are how we move from one activity from the next, so that kids stay engaged, and the lesson flows smoothly. Although I've thought of this as more of a les…
Today, I'm continuing my classroom management series to write about a great way to reward the whole class: a point system for the music room! Since I started teaching, I've rewarded individual students for exemplary behavior by choosing star students , but it wasn't until a few years ago that I began rewarding whole class behavior. I read this book, which is great read for any special areas team: In the book, the author outlined a four point system for rewarding whole class behavior. I adapted it a bit from the author's ideas, and have used it since with success. In each music cl…
Looking for a great way to keep students engaged and focused during music class? Today, I'm writing my first blog post in a series about classroom management in the music room. This post will be about one of my favorite strategies: star students in the music room! So why choose a star student? I've used this strategy my entire career, and every year, I've seen students get so excited about the possibility of being chosen. Students also like to cheer each other on! It can be a great way to point out specific behavior too, like "I'm choosing Tyler because he participated so m…
Pondering the best way to end music class? In this blog post , I wrote about great ways to start music class. In today's post, I'll write with my favorite ways to end music class before another class walks through the door! #1: Closing greetings A simple but fun way to say goodbye to your students is to sing goodbye to them! If your first graders are working on sol-mi, you could sing "Goodbye first grade," on sol-mi-sol-mi and they could sing back "Goodbye Mr./Mrs. ________." Then you could sing "Have a good day," and they could echo that. You could even sin…
A couple months ago, I wrote about all of the flexible seating I purchased for my music classroom . Today, I'm blogging about how I've introduced the flexible seating in my classroom. I have lots of fun seats in my room now, so of course, the students want to try them out! I decided when I first started that I would only use them for small groups and centers--otherwise, it would be a bit of a mess for whole group instruction, with students sitting at different levels. Here are a few ways I've let students try out the seats: Star Students: I choose two star students at the end of every…
A couple months ago, I wrote about all of the flexible seating I purchased for my music classroom . Today, I'm blogging about how I've introduced the flexible seating in my classroom. I have lots of fun seats in my room now, so of course, the students want to try them out! I decided when I first started that I would only use them for small groups and centers--otherwise, it would be a bit of a mess for whole group instruction, with students sitting at different levels. Here are a few ways I've let students try out the seats: Star Students: I choose two star students at the end of every…
As we near August, you may be starting to think about your music lessons for the upcoming school year. Today, I'm blogging with six musical ways to begin your music class. Please note that there is no right or wrong answer with how to welcome your class. It's totally up to you and what you think is best for your students! You might try changing it up a bit to see which way you like the best! #1: Singing game This is my preferred way to begin music. I want my students to be immediately singing and experiencing joy, so playing a singing game is a great way to do that! One of my favorites f…
As we near August, you may be starting to think about your music lessons for the upcoming school year. Today, I'm blogging with six musical ways to begin your music class. Please note that there is no right or wrong answer with how to welcome your class. It's totally up to you and what you think is best for your students! You might try changing it up a bit to see which way you like the best! #1: Singing game This is my preferred way to begin music. I want my students to be immediately singing and experiencing joy, so playing a singing game is a great way to do that! One of my favorites…
Today I'm writing with advice for those teachers who are new to music education. I remember how nervous I was to start my first teaching job, so here's some advice for those of you just starting out teaching, and/or starting at a new school. Although some of the tips are specific to music education, many of them could apply to any teacher! #1: Have flexible expectations As you're thinking about what your teaching situation will be like, it's easy to idealize that vision, to think that you know exactly what it will be like. But the thing is, you don't. No matter how much you&…
Today I'm writing with advice for those teachers who are new to music education. I remember how nervous I was to start my first teaching job, so here's some advice for those of you just starting out teaching, and/or starting at a new school. Although some of the tips are specific to music education, many of them could apply to any teacher! #1: Have flexible expectations As you're thinking about what your teaching situation will be like, it's easy to idealize that vision, to think that you know exactly what it will be like. But the thing is, you don't. No matter how much you&…
Today, I'm blogging about singing games in the music room. I know, it's summer, and you probably aren't thinking much about singing games OR your music room, but here are some ideas to consider about using singing games, keeping track of turns, and more, as you plan your next school year! First of all, why should you use singing games in your music room? I am Kodály-tra ined, so singing games were a big part of my pedagogy training. Here are my main reasons for planning singing games in my lessons: Singing games are FUN and students enjoy them. They provide a relaxation aspect to the…
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