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Classroom Procedures


Establishing consistent classroom procedures that are familiar to students will allow music class to run more smoothly. Students in my class know that we enter the music room quietly with flow or other movement. We stay standing at the carpet until I have shown the signal to sit down. Every week, I choose a helper from each class. The helper gets to wear a special nametag and will often gather materials for me, choose people for turns, and notice individuals who demonstrate positive behavior.


Quick focus activities can be taught and used consistently to keep students’ attention focused on the activity at hand. For example, students in my classroom have learned a hand jive of sorts as a type of focus activity. We say these words and do the movements at the same time: “Pat pat, clap clap, over over, under under, elbow elbow, elbow elbow, nose shoulder, nose shoulder, tap tap, tap tap (on head), tickle tickle (under chin), wiggle wiggle (ears), brush brush, brush brush (hair), hands in your lap” (or “hands at your sides” if standing). Other focus signals might involve an instrument sound, a call and response, pattern echo, “123 eyes on me,” and/or simply “freeze!”


Establishing a procedure for lining up will make it easier for students to transition smoothly back to their classroom. Stu- dents in my class know that the helper-of-the-week’s job is to line them up. We line up by calling quiet individuals, giving a thumbs up, holding a line-up sign, or by calling colors the students are wearing. Once in line, we sing, “1,2,3 Hair stare!” Students know that this means they are to have a level zero (silent) voice and stare at the hair of the person in front of them. Establishing this common language helps our classroom procedures to be fully successful.


Common Language is Key


Having common language between teacher and students will facilitate a more understanding and predictable classroom environment. Utilizing key phrases such as “Put your self-space bubble on!” or “Find a scattered space spot!” will shorten transitional time between activities. Setting specific bathroom and drink signals can make it easier to know what students need. The use of sign language, facial expressions, and gestures makes it easier to respond without interrupting the lesson.


Expectations: Establish, Reinforce, And Follow Through


In music class, expectations should be high yet attainable, clear, and concise. Class rules are established at the beginning of the year, and expectations are taught explicitly. In my building, our school-wide rules are 1) Be Safe, 2) Be Kind, and 3) Be Responsible; and we discuss what those rules look like specifically in music class. Being safe means you keep your self-space bubble on when we’re moving around the room. Being kind means you “fill someone’s bucket” by sharing our materials and taking turns. (This phrase refers to the metaphor utilized in the book Have You Filled A Bucket Today? by Carol McCloud.) Being responsible means you follow directions and try your best. These are just some of the examples of the expectations that we have in music. Each activity may require separate expectations that can be taught in a fun and positive way. It is important to establish rules that meet student and teacher needs. It is also important to check for understanding and kindly remind students of the expectations. Through consistent monitoring and evaluating of students’ behavior, we can individualize our instruction and identify expectations that may need to be re-taught.


There are a number of ways we can follow through if a student is still demonstrating behaviors that don’t meet our expec- tations. For example, sometimes students just need a space away from the large group. In my classroom, I have a small table and a carpet square so they are able to choose where they’d prefer to sit. Sometimes I invite students to practice whatever the expectation was that they had difficulty with during my next class. This can also occur at a later time in the day, such as during their free choice time. Through this follow-through, students will better understand what is expected of them.


Using composed or adapted songs can be an effective tool for reminding students of appropriate behavior expectations. To reinforce expectations taught at our school, I created a few school-wide songs. Every morning we sing our “Have you Filled a Bucket Song” (see Figure 2) over the public address system. Students begin their day on a positive note with expectations clearly defined. “The Fuerstenau Bee Song” (see Figure 3) is another school song of ours that defines the same expectations in a different way. Both of these songs have been helpful and fun for students to further understand our positive behavior expectations at school.


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