“But I just want to teach music!’ How many times have you had this exact thought? You went to college to become a music teacher, not a glorified babysitter. Yet, many times, you feel like that is all you’re doing. It’s so frustrating, disheartening at times, and overwhelming. Although you may have learned so many classroom management strategies, you feel like nothing is working. You’re needing classroom management for elementary music teachers that actually work.
Can I be honest for a minute? I taught at a school where this was my daily reality (you can read and listen to more about my story here.) The kids were wild at times and I would leave school wondering if I even taught one second of music that day. After going back to the drawing board (several times), I figured out strategies that actually worked.
Procedures for the Win
Every teacher knows how important procedures are, but I don’t know if you realize just HOW important they are. I had a few procedures in place, yet when I really added procedures for literally everything, I was amazed at how much of a difference it really made in my classroom.
Here are the procedures you must have in place for your students:
- entering the classroom
- walking to their seats
- getting instruments
- when to play their instruments
- putting their instruments away
- how to play their instruments
- ways to choose a partner
- expectations for singing
- expectations for movement activities
- when to talk and when to be quiet
- behavior procedures
- exiting the classroom
I know I missed some, but these are the key ones in my opinion to have in place in your classroom.
You literally can’t have too many procedures in place, and although it may seem tedious, once you begin implementing these procedures CONSISTENTLY, you will notice a huge difference in your classroom. You can find out my favorite “3 Ways to Practice Procedures” here.
Practice what you Preach
Listen. No one wants to be known as “the wicked witch of the West.” You also don’t want to feel like you are mothering your students.
If you have practiced procedures until your blue in the face, then the next step is to really implement classroom management.
I know, I know, this is the part of teaching that makes teachers want to crawl under a rock. It isn’t fun and you just want to teach music.
But…when you have a great classroom management system, your students will know what to expect, and will know what will happen when they choose positive or negative behavior.
Classroom Management that Works
I know we all have “those difficult students.” You know the kiddos I’m talking about. It seems like no matter what you do, these kids just don’t cooperate and make you feel like you’re in a losing battle. I’m going to keep it real with you and tell you what works for me.
1. Call their bluff
Seriously. Do it. What I mean is this. The student keeps challenging you over and over, and is just super disrespectful. They say something like “I don’t care if you call my momma.” So, what do you do? You walk them to the phone and call their mom.
Will this pause your class period for a minute? Yes.
Does it make every other child pay attention? Yes.
Will this student continue challenging you? Probably.
Calling that child’s parent just once does a few things. This shows them that you mean what you say, that you will involve their parent if they’re acting like a hot mess, and will show the other students that you mean business.
When I first started, I had a teacher tell this advice and it really helped.
2. Practice procedures
“Um, didn’t you already talk about this?” Yes I did! Here’s what I mean. You may have a student who knows the instrument procedures, yet continues to not follow directions.
During class time, have them practice instrument procedures and then lose instrument privileges. It will probably take just one time of doing this for them to follow through with procedures the next time.
If a certain class is having an off day, then the whole class can practice procedures until they decide to cooperate. You can find out more about why I think this is so important by listening to this podcast episode.
My Favorite Classroom Management Strategy
My favorite classroom management strategy for classes is having sticker charts.
Classes start each class period with 3 stickers on their class chart. If the whole class is having an off day, they can lose 1-3 stickers. At the end of the 9 weeks, count up each classes stickers and the top class from each grade gets some kind of reward.
The reward can be having the students bring their favorite CD’s, have a class period full of music games (so they’re still learning music), or whatever else you choose.
Kids are competitive (aren’t we all) and the sticker system works really well.
What are your favorite classroom management strategies? I’d love to hear all about it in the comments below or share your thoughts on social media as you share this post.
Also, I’d love for you to share this post or any of the resources on my website with a friend or colleague who you know NEEDS to see it.
P.S. Are you feeling frustrated or stuck as an elementary music teacher? Check out these free resources to help you teach elementary music with confidence!
Also…I wrote a book called “Make A Note: What You Really Need To Know About Teaching Elementary Music” to help music teachers move forward in your teaching career. You can get your copy here.
I use raffle tickets for grades 3-5. They get tickets at the end of class for having a great day as a class, usually 3 each but could be more or less. They also get tickets for answering questions, being good role models, getting caught being good, winning a game, etc. they wrote their name in the tickets and once a month we have raffle day. I usually have raffles for the number of holidays that we had during that month. I buy little musical prizes, stickers, pencils, etc from oriental trading or a party store. Students who have a bad day and after a warning wind up in my “take a rest” ( timeout) chair do not get tickets that day. They are always aware that the more tickets they get, the better chance they gave to win.
I love this idea!!!! So creative and I know your students respond to this because you have a plan in place. Great job!
If your school discourages competition or the kids get too wrapped up in it, classes getting a predetermined number of stickers by the end of the quarter get parties.
I actually have 3 personas in my classroom: Miss Mobley, Mama Mobley, and Nanny No-So-Nice. Miss Mobley likes to have fun in music, Mama Mobley is for kids who need a little extra guidance but their own Mom isn’t here to make them behave, and Nanny Not-So-Nice – well, she could make a 6th grader cry! NOBODY wants to see Nanny Not-So-Nice to crawl out of her hole, but fortunately she never stays very long. So if I ever do really lose it with a kid, and it’s a very rare occurrence, I take a breath and say, “Well, I guess you all just met Nanny Not-So-Nice””
Oh my gosh this is the best comment of all time! I love how you have three personas and think that is definitely an important part of being a great music teacher!
Just finished the first week of school and considered quitting and dying after teaching 5th grade. Last year I taught K-4, and everything went well up until 4th grade. They were exceeding disrespectful and deliberately hurtful towards not only me, but other students. However, I loved them dearly and saw so much potential in their abilities. They’re truly talented children. This year I’m teaching 2-5th grade and the rising 5th graders didn’t even skip a beat. Although 1 class is milder than the other, I still find myself saddened and heavy ladenned by their behavior.
All of my grades except for 5th grade performed last year (when they were 4th graders). I want them to perform this year for their sake but I’m struggling with getting on a good foot with them. I’ll continue to practice procedures with them and I don’t mind nixing all content until they’re solid in executing procedures. However, I’m still lost. Any suggestions?
Also, I’d like for the students to work in groups the majority of the time but can’t quite figure out how to facilitate that. I did it quite well last year but had fewer children per class. Now that I get the whole class, I’m not sure how that would work.
PLEASE HELP ME! Only the first week in and I’m already running on E. 😟
Oh my goodness! First of all, give yourself a big pat on the back for finishing your first week of school. The first week is always the hardest. 4th and 5th grade are by far the toughest grades to teach as an elementary music teacher because all the hormones are starting and they’re nearing closer and closer to middle school.
I’d encourage you to stay consistent. Consistency definitely pays off. Don’t hesitate to continue practicing procedures and finding engaging learning activities your students will be interested in.
Did you read the blog post about centers? If you like doing small group activities with your students, maybe centers is something you could consider. http://www.thedomesticmusician.com/6-fun-elementary-music-center-ideas/
You can do this. You’re called to be a music teacher and I know you’re making a difference in the lives of your students lives.
-Jessica
A few things that I rely on
1. Write the agenda for the class on the board (I have an interactive white board so I can have a separate file for each class, but I still did it in my chalkboard days). My students have always liked to self monitor during class. I alternate between seat learning/ singing with games or creative opportunities. The kids know of they do A well then they get to do B. They also encourage others to do well so they can see the puppet or whatever. At the end of class go back over the agenda and give positive feedback. Make note of what needs to carry over until next time.
2. Even when I have to spend the first part of class on procedures (because, like yesterday, a class of first graders decided it would be fun to come in and stomp their feet as loudly as they could) I still intersperse humor a little. I will model the desired behavior and contrast it with a completely over-the-top example that lets them “be the teacher” and correct my behavior. You have to know that you can get your class back afterwards. I can’t do that with all classes. I have also used puppets to model the behaviors so it’s easy to put them into time out.
3. Group work – when starting with a class keep it in small chunks. Constantly walk around and monitor. Listen, ask questions, affirm. Don’t spend too much time with one group. Give them a set time to accomplish the first task. Set a timer. Check for undertanding. Allow for more time or move on to the next chunk. Allow for flexibility when students have good ideas. I allow the kids to “break the rules” if they have a valid reason (we’re suppoded to create a 16 beat rhythm but would like to have an introduction and coda). Make sure that you leave time to have each group perform for the class. The “audience” is responsible for attentive listening and giving positive feedback. The audience is actively engaged and responsible. To avoid the general “it was good” give the audience a clue to watch for. “What was the form they used?” Or “How many times did they…?l
4. Be patient. Praise progress. It sounds like you may be dealing with a lot of the students’ past experiences and perceptions. Look at the big picture. What do your students REALLY NEED? If they have singing baggage, snare them with some fun rhythm activities and build their confidence and your relationship. If their basic needs aren’t being met, find ways to offer safety and security. Maybe you don’t get to all your mandatory objectives, but you will have accomplished sho much more.
5. Find support in your area. If there is a local Orff or Kodaly chapter, attend their workshops. You will get some wonderful ideas and techniques, and you can network with local teachers who can help you.
6. Personally, I don’t have classes compete against each other anymore. I try to encourage intrinsic motivation and want them to do their best. Their class needs to be about THEM. Everyone has their own strengths and weaknesses. Each child has their own struggles at home and school. And face it, I wouldn’t want my administration comparing my performance to that of other music teachers in my district. If you feel the need to give points it needs to be in a way that is only for them, as a way to monitor their progress.
These are my personal opinions based on my personal experiences. In no way do I pass judgment on people who believe something else or teach with a different philosophy. I am merely sharing my humble opinions. Take them for what they are worth.
Thank you so much for your comment. I LOVE your feedback and love when music teachers support other music teachers. Great points!
I found that my students had a more positive attitude about my behavior chart when I set it so the question was WHEN they would be rewarded (rather than IF they win). I make it so they get their reward when their chart is filled. I had an ocean theme last year so they had to earn 9 stickers on the fish for their reward.1 sticker per class.
That is a fantastic approach! Great job!
We use a point system. Each class is divided into 2 teams. One class job is the score keeper. Points are earned by following directions, participating in the lesson, following procedures with instruments/supplies etc. We only give points in increments of 10 Ex. “Team 1 you have earned 10 points for coming in quietly” or ” Team 2 has earned 20 points for cleaning up stations quickly” At the end of 9 weeks, we count points and then its a trip to treasure box. Start over with points each 9 weeks. We’ve been using htis for the past 4 years. Love it!!!
This is such a great idea! I think keeping the classes accountable for their behavior is key!