One of the best things about being a music teacher is recycling your lesson plans! It doesn’t matter what kind of rotation or schedule cycle your division runs. When you are a homeroom teacher, each subject requires its own lesson plan every slot evey day. As a music teacher, you can use the same lesson plan with multiple groups, whether it’s the same grade, section or school or if it’s a different group entirely. This is also the very reason why routines are so important. When your systems become automated, that frees up a lot of time for other things! Here is my favorite way to make a lesson plan for early years music.
Before the Lesson Plan, Brain Dump Your Curriculum
Especially if you are still a new teacher. Highlight and write out which grade needs to know which concepts. For example, kindergarten needs to know steady beat but grade one is beginning to identify and notate basic rhythms. Next, grab a calendar and figure out the school year. Consider events, holidays, and other things that can enrich your teaching. Plan for cultural holidays and community happenings. Now it’s time to design your lessons.
Divide Your Lessons
It is important to account for EVERYTHING! The first five minutes of class are often for bathroom/water breaks, transitions, finding seating, attendance and THEN the start of class. Have a routine signal such as a welcome song, to begin the class. Then transition into an activity that is easy, familiar and engaging.
Get up and Move!
Next, your activity should be activating. Favorites include freeze dance, galloping songs, chants, etc. This should be a familiar and exciting activity that the students are ready for. It is best to have them moving, thinking and reacting. This helps everyone to get reacclimated to the environment and involved in the music process. The best concepts to reinforce are basic dynamics, tempos, and articulations. Feel free to use scarves, balls, ribbons, parachute, whatever you have access to. Make sure you have a routine for handing out and putting away equipment. This doesn’t have to be a lengthy process but it will get quicker has time goes on. 3-5 minutes for younger students should suffice.
Instruction Time
Keep it short and sweet. The students still need to be engaged for this to be effect. Younger students do not have a long attention span so be confident in what you are teaching and how you are teaching it. Have your visuals already to go, equipment laid out, examples prepared. If you need some ideas for resources, check this out!
The old addage “failing to prepare is preparing to fail” is ACCURATE! You only have a few precious moments so you need to use them to your advantage. Scaffolding is also important. This allows you to reinforce the last piece of information while incorporating a new piece of information. For example, one class sing a song with the interval So-Mi. Add hand signs if your students can handle it. Next class, sing two songs with So-Mi. Following that, add note name identification and then physical notation. Practice in groups, centers, large class, multiple times.
Another Song/Game
Pick a song/game that contains your concept. It should be another active time. This could mean instruments, partner practice, or more moving around.
Get Ready for The End
The last five minutes are often like the first five minutes. Cleanup, transitions, line up, and farewell songs take a bit of time as well.
Other Considerations
This isn’t the magic formula, but it is a decent skeleton of an effective music lesson plan. Other things to consider are early dismissals, bell schedules, educational aids, the weather, pretty much everything. This outline adds up to about 25 minutes of class which leaves five minutes for you to slide and adjust as you need. Whatever you do, remember to write it down. This could be in your day planner or your iPad. But reflection will help you to be even more efficent next time. Remember, it’s always better to OVER plan than it is to be UNDER prepared.