If your Elementary Music Methods experience was anything like mine, your professor was probably trying to cram an entire degree's worth of information into a single semester. (Possibly unpopular opinion: elementary music education should be its own degree. I am prepared to die on this hill. However, this is a discussion for another day.) I have somewhat hazy memories of a whirlwind semester of music education philosophies, sol-mi-la songs, rhythm activities, and the occasional boomwhacker piece. But if I'm being honest, I completed my Elementary Music Methods class without the faintest idea of how to actually structure an entire lesson around a single concept.
After years of experience, attending many professional development sessions, observing veteran teachers, and more than a few sleepless nights of research, I have come to find that there are 5 elements that are essential to every music class. These elements should all serve to teach and reinforce a main concept. And when done successfully, your students will be having so much fun that they will hardly realize they are learning!
Every elementary music class that you teach should have a welcome routine, a warm-up routine, singing, moving, and playing.
01: The Welcome Routine
Starting your music class with a welcome routine is essential, from Pre-K to 5th grade. The welcome routine should start at your classroom door, where you set the mood for your class by your demeanor. Students should enter the room quietly and immediately go to their assigned spots, either in chairs or on the floor. However, this doesn’t mean that entering the room should be boring! Leading students into the room and to their spots can be an excellent opportunity to practice walking or marching to a steady beat - primary students love it, and it reinforces a key musical concept. As the students advance into the intermediate grades, this part of the routine can be altered to be a bit more complex. You can have them walk in different rhythms, in different dynamics (stomping for forte, tiptoeing for piano, etc.), and even in specific dance step patterns.
Many teachers also use a “welcome” song or “hello” song as a way of beginning the class once students are in the room and settled into their spots. There are many different welcome/hello songs to choose from, and several different ways to utilize them. (Beth’s Notes has several, which can be found here.) A few of the most common ways to utilize welcome/hello songs include:
Using the same song for every grade, and from year to year.
Using the same song for every grade, but changing the song every year.
Using a different song for each class that travels with them from grade to grade.
Using a different song for each grade, in graduating levels of difficulty.
My preferred hello song was taught to me by a veteran music teacher in the school district where I taught, and is a wonderful way to check in with students while sneaking in a little social-emotional learning. After giving the students the pitch by singing “here’s where we’re starting our song” on sol, everyone sings the welcome song together:
Hello! Hello!
I’m so very glad to see you!
Hello! Hello!
How are you today?
[Choose a student to answer]
He/She is [answer] today.
After singing “how are you today,” a student is chosen to answer. (Most will say “good,” “fine,” etc. but some of my favorite answers that I’ve gotten include “strong,” “sassy,” and “ready!”) Once the student gives their answer, everyone sings “He/She is [answer] today” together. Repeat the song three to four times, asking a different student how they are each time. I always tried my best to cycle through every student before asking the same student twice.
Note: The Hello Song in the image above is a part of my “Welcome to Music Class! First Day Lesson for Music Rules, Routines, and Procedures” lesson, which can be found in the Kessinger Music Studios TPT store!
02: The Warm-Up Routine
Having a warm-up routine is essential for both warming up the students’ bodies and voices as well as getting them in the mindset to make music! As with welcome/hello songs, there are as many different ways to do a warm-up routine as there are music teachers. The following warm-up routine is what worked well for my students, but keep in mind that every school and every class is different. You may need to experiment with a few different options to find what works best for you.
Stretches
There’s really no need to reinvent the wheel when it comes to stretches. In fact, I actually borrowed my stretching routine from my school’s PE teacher. (Side note: your fellow related arts teachers are a wonderful resource for a wide variety of things. Collaborate with and learn from them whenever you can!) I didn’t always do these stretches in the same order, but I did always use the same movements.
Roll head from side to side
Roll shoulders forward, then backward
Stretch out right arm, then left arm.
Twist from side to side
Touch toes
Shake out all limbs
Note: The stretching routine in the image above is a part of my “Welcome to Music Class! First Day Lesson for Music Rules, Routines, and Procedures” lesson, which can be found in the Kessinger Music Studios TPT store!
Movement Warm-Up
Once the students are limbered up, I like to include a brief movement warm-up to a piece of music. The movement warm-up is an excellent way to get your students in the mindset for music class by connecting their natural tendency to want to move with the listening skills that we need to be continuously reinforcing with them. I usually endeavored to pick popular songs that the students were familiar with for this activity (tip: use the Kidz Bop version of these songs - they are far more likely to be completely school-appropriate), but sometimes I branched out and used lively instrumental pieces, Disney songs, etc.
I also used this activity as a sneaky way to teach and reinforce the concept of musical form. Since most of the pieces we used were in some variant of verse-chorus form, I led the students in a synchronized movement during the verses, then allowed them to move freely in their spots during the choruses. Some of the synchronized movements included:
Hands above heads, side to side.
Windshield wipers (hands side to side at chest level)
Swing arms
Step side to side
Twist
Jump
Please remember that every class is different, and some of these movements may have to be modified or removed altogether. Some particularly rambunctious classes may not be able to handle doing some of the motions safely, and may require very specific guidelines for the free movement. Use your own discretion to determine what is best for each individual class.
Vocal Warm-Up
Once their bodies are warmed up, it is equally important for the students to warm up their voices. The vocal warm-up is particularly important if students are preparing for a program that is heavily singing-based, or participating in a choral ensemble. Again, as with other routines: each teacher has their own preferred way of doing things, and the needs of each class will vary. These are a few of the vocal warm-ups that worked best for my students:
Sirens: Sing your lowest possible note, slide up to your highest possible note, then slide back down to your lowest possible note. Repeat 2-3 times.
Knees: Sing “knee-knee-knee-knee-knee” on a descending major scale, from sol to do. Repeat in several keys, moving up or down by half-step.
Zee-Ya-Zees: Sing “zee-ya-zee-ya-zee-ya-zee-ya-zee” on a descending major scale in thirds, from sol to do. Repeat in several keys, moving up or down by half-step.
Zinga Mamas: Sing “zinga mama, zinga mama, zinga mama, zinga mama, zing! zing! zing!” on a descending major scale, from sol to do. Repeat in several keys, moving up or down by half-step.
One-Two-Ones: Sing “One. One-two-one. One-two-three-two-one.” ect., counting all the way up to 8 and back, on an ascending and descending major scale. Each number sung corresponds to a scale degree.
03: Introduce the Concept: Singing
Once your students are warmed up and in the mindset to make music, it’s time to start focusing on the concept that you will be teaching. Several studies (such as these, conducted by noted neurologist Dr. Nina Kraus) have shown that children learn best when musical elements, and singing in particular, are involved in the learning process. Therefore, it makes sense that the most effective way for students to learn a musical concept is to sing it!
There are several different ways to approach singing a song that involves a new concept. Some teachers like to teach the song first, sing through it a time or two, and then identify and introduce the concept to the students once they have something to connect it with. Some teachers prefer to identify the concept first, isolate and practice it, and then work it into the context of the song. As we’ve mentioned before, each teacher has their own unique way of doing things, and each class's needs will be different.
Example
Let’s say that you are teaching a lesson on melodic direction by steps, skips, and repeated notes to a second grade class.
Introduce the topic by connecting it to something the students will be familiar with. For example, you could have them “step” by walking around the room, “skip” by skipping or hopping around the room, and “repeat” by walking or jumping in place.
Tell the students that in music, “steps” are notes that are right beside each other, “skips” are notes that are further apart from each other, and “repeats” are notes that stay the same. Showing them a visual aid during this step is also very helpful.
Sing or play a recording of the song “Sweet Betsy from Pike” for the students.
Ask the students if they can identify where the steps are, where the skips are, and where the repeats are, giving them guidance as needed.
Teach the song to them line by line, chunking larger sections together as you go.
Sing through the full song. If the students are able to learn the song quickly, you might also add movements that represent where the steps, skips, and repeats are.
Note: Need help with dividing up concepts by grade? My “What I’ll Learn in Music Class This Year: Music Curriculum Map/Guide Graphics” resource is the perfect tool to help you plan your lessons and keep your students and their parents informed about what they will be learning in music class! Available in the Kessinger Music Studios TPT store.
04: Develop the Concept: Playing
Once your students have been introduced to the concept through singing, developing the concept through playing an instrument is a highly effective way to deepen their understanding of the concept. Playing an instrument engages many different types of learning styles all at once: auditory, visual, and kinesthetic senses are all utilized. If instruments are not readily available at your school or if you teach virtually, don’t fret! You can always incorporate virtual instruments and body percussion into your lessons, engaging all of the same auditory, visual, and kinesthetic senses that playing a physical instrument engages.
Example
Since differentiating between steps, skips, and repeated notes is typically a second grade concept, using a pentatonic setup on your pitched instruments will probably be the most effective approach. If you are using boomwhackers or Orff instruments (physical or virtual), remove the fa and ti pitches so that you are left with only do, re, mi, sol, and la. From there, you could follow a sequence like this:
Allow students to experiment with the instruments and pentatonic scale for a brief amount of time, such as 30 seconds. They will be itching to make noise, and allowing them a brief outlet helps to cut down on unwanted noodling later on.
Model what steps, skips, and repeated notes look like for the students. As you model each one, have the students practice playing each one on their own instruments.
Once students understand what steps, skips, and repeated notes look and sound like on the instruments, allow them a few minutes to make up their own short song (4 measures is a good starting point) that incorporates all 3 of the elements.
Allow a few students to play their compositions for the class.
Note: Need help getting started with Orff instruments and arrangements? Check out my “Playing Orff Instruments: An Introduction” lesson for information about who Carl Orff was, what Orff instruments are, and how to create an Orff arrangement!
05: Check for Understanding: Movement
Now that students have had the opportunity to practice the skill, utilizing movement to assess their understanding is a great way to not only be able to tell at a glance whether or not they understand the concept, but to end the class on a “fun” note. Movement can take on many forms - it can be as simple as a brief quiz where students stand up when they recognize a specific rhythm, or as complex as a dance that incorporates the concept in some way. Several studies (such as this one, conducted by several leading researchers in education) have shown that movement is an “effective, low-cost, and enjoyable strategy for elementary schoolchildren.”
Example
To finish with our theme of steps, skips, and repeated notes, a simple quiz in the guise of a game is a great way to assess student knowledge of the topic. This “game” can be used to assess a wide variety of concepts, particularly when students need to be able to differentiate between two or more different things.
Using some form of pitched instrument, play a series of short examples of steps, skips, and repeated notes.
Instruct students to step/walk in place when they hear a step pattern, skip in place when they hear a skip pattern, and wave their hands when they hear a repeat pattern. (This also ties back to our introduction of the topic, bringing things full-circle.)
For groups that don’t handle competition well, you can leave it at Step 2. However, if your group does do well with competition, you can always divide the class into 2 or more groups and add a competitive element. Giving a point to the group who responds the fastest is the simplest way to do this, but you can be as creative as you like.
Wrapping Up
At the end of your lesson, it’s best to have a brief wrap-up to summarize what you covered during the lesson. Something as simple as asking students to state in their own words what they learned today or a brief exit ticket can be an effective way to make sure that students understand the concept. Many teachers also have a “goodbye” song that they sing at the end of class while students are lining up and getting ready to leave. Beth’s Notes has several “goodbye” songs listed here. However you choose to end your class, make sure that you have it set as a consistent procedure that students must follow as carefully as the procedure for entering the room.
~ ~ ~
I hope you found this post helpful! For more music education content and resources, please:
Subscribe to the Kessinger Music Studios Blog
Comments
Post a Comment