Students entering the music room the right way will help set you and your students up for success for the rest of the class period. Starting with expectations right away will help the rest of your class time run smoother. In this blog post (and on episode 168 of The Elementary Music Teacher podcast), I’ll share how your students can not only enter the classroom, but what to do once they come in as well.
Meet students at the door
I remember being a frazzled, hot mess during my first year of teaching. When a 2nd grade class was leaving, 5th grade was waiting to come in. I was in a hurry trying to clean up from the last class period and getting them out the door while my next class was already coming in. What ended up happening was, these 5th graders would wander around the room, were talking to their friends, and by the time I was ready to start class, it took a good 5 minutes to get them settles and ready to go.
While students are entering the music room, it’s important to meet them at the door. This might mean you need to work on transitioning from one class to the next or have your materials prepared ahead of time so you can do this. But, when you greet your kiddos, put a smile on your face and high five them (or elbow bump) as they enter the room. Honestly, sometimes this might be the first time your students have seen an adult smile at them all day. These little gestures truly go farther than you can imagine.
Do body percussion activities as they walk in
A great book to use to do body percussion with your students is The Body Rondo book by Jim Solomon. While looking at one of the rondos, decide what body percussion (clap, stomp, pat, snap) you’ll do with your students. It can be one line from the rondo and you can vary it up per grade level.
But, you don’t have to use a book. You can honestly keep an 8th note rhythm while snapping (I explain this in way more detail in podcast episode 168), pat your legs, or do various rhythms while mixing up the body percussion patterns. Getting kids moving their bodies gets the blood flowing, but it also keeps their hands and minds busy right away.
Do silent echo rhythms or movement activities
Now that students are in the music room, do silent echo rhythms or movements. This literally means exactly what it says. You can wave your hands in the air and students will silently start copying you. You’ll notice maybe half of the class is participating and the other half isn’t paying attention. Then, they’ll notice the other students around them are moving their bodies and will begin to join in.
When I say to do rhythms or movement silently, what I mean is to start leading them without giving instructions. Stand at the front of the room or walk around and clap, move your body, or do echo patterns for students to follow. Do this for about 2-5 minutes and then begin what you planned to do for the day.
Sing simple warm-ups
I get asked a lot about if you should do more body percussion or singing warm-ups with your students entering the music room. There isn’t a right answer to this question. But, like I said earlier, I think getting kids moving or doing body percussion will help them to focus. Then, after doing something with movement will help students to be able to transition to singing.
A simple singing warm-up is the roller coaster singing warm-ups. Students will see you hold up a poster and do what it tells them to do while following the roller coaster with their finger. This image will give you an example of what this might look like:
Of course, your students can do other singing warm-ups or sing any familiar songs. Even reviewing a song that was already learned can be a warm-up as well.
Practice procedures and stay consistent
Students entering the music room need to know what to do and where to go. Go over procedures consistently, so when they come into the music room they know what to do when they go to their seats. What do they do with their hands? How are they expected to sit? Don’t just expect for students to know what to do, yes even your older students, but let them know what you expect and then tell them again and again.
Staying consistent really does pay off. You will always have a class that challenges you and it feels like they’re just not getting it. Keep practicing, keep reminding, keep going over procedures, and don’t let up. If you need to walk that class right back out of the classroom to walk back in again the right way, then do that. I promise this will only need to happen a couple of times for them to get it.
How do you have your students come into the music room? 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.
