Most of the time, you probably sit down to plan lessons on your own. As an elementary music teacher, more often than not, you’re the only music teacher at your school. Also, it’s hard to find the time to collaborate with other music educators, whether online or in person, due to time constraints. Maybe you want to plan with a “team” like you see the grade level teachers doing, but you honestly don’t know where to begin this process. If this sounds like you, then this blog post will show you how to effectively plan with other music teachers. Make sure to listen to episode 228 of The Elementary Music Teacher podcast where I break down each of these steps in an even deeper way.
Identify Who’s in your Network
When it comes to effectively planning with other music teachers, look at who is already in your network. Start with your actual school building. Are you the only music teacher or are there more than one music teachers at your school? What schools are near yours? Could you trade off with collaborating with one or two teachers from neighboring schools once a week? In your district, what elementary music teachers do you think you would work well together with? Identify no more than 3-5 teachers you would love to not only learn from, but also to share your ideas with as well. Also, think about who’s in your online network. Who do you naturally have conversations or shared interests with on social media or in a Facebook group? Shoot a message to that teacher and begin brainstorming ways you could collaborate together.
Decide How you want to Plan
We all have different personalities and some of us are more introverted than others. I like to plan lessons by myself. But, with that said, I quickly realized the value of collaborating with others. In my student teaching placement back in the dinosaur ages, my cooperating teacher taught 3rd-4th grade music. There was another music teacher who taught 1st-2nd grade music. One of these teachers was introverted and the other one was definitely an extrovert. But, they decided together how to effectively plan with one another.
When lesson planning by yourself, what do you do each time you sit down. You probably have your scope and sequence and/or curriculum map in front of you. Then, you decide what concepts you’re teaching to your students that week. The next thing you do is look at your songs and activities and decide what would make sense when it comes to teaching towards the concepts and standards. So, how could you do all this in a collaborative way? You could email song ideas back and forth. Or, meet once a week to discuss what concepts you’re teaching, then go back on your own time to find your own songs and lessons. Or even, jump on a Zoom call with a few music educators (even if they’re in other states) to discuss ideas. How you choose to plan with others is completely up to you. Decide what you need and go from there.
Be Open to Sharing and Learning New Ideas
We all know those teachers (hello staff meetings) who share without even thinking twice about it. We also know those teachers who don’t share much, but when they do, you know it’s going to be great. Which one do you identify with? Neither of these teacher types is wrong. In fact, the education system needs both types of personalities. But, don’t think just because you’re a newish teacher, or you’re still figuring things out (by the way… we all are), that you have nothing to share.
Every single music educator has ideas that no one else has thought about before. Even if you’re teaching the same song to the same grade level as another music teacher, you don’t present it in the same exact way. Also, when you’re sharing ideas, it will encourage the other music teachers you’re collaborating with to share theirs as well!
Collaborate in Other Ways
Of course when considering how to effectively plan with other music teachers, the main way is to actually meet up (whether in person or online). But, there are other ways to collaborate as well that you may have never thought of. You know when you’re scrolling on Instagram or in a music educator Facebook group and you see someone share an amazing idea? How many times have you read a post like that and you thought about sharing a similar idea or posting a comment to share something else you do that song? This is a fantastic way to collaborate, and not to mention get to know, other music educators.
Share as much as you consume. Answer questions to those who are needing advice. Shoot a direct message to a music teacher who is struggling in a certain area and form a friendship or be a mentor.
How do you go about planning with other music teachers? Tell me about it in the comments below or share your thoughts on social media as you share this post. 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 too.
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.
