Hey, y’all and welcome back to the blog! Today we are discussing a topic that I KNOW is in the forefront of everyone’s mind. How are we going to prepare music lessons and activities for our students that are safe and follow COVID-19 guidelines? The real answer is, there is no right answer.
Our New Normal
This “new normal” that we are about to face is an adjustment for all of us. We’re all going to be learning on a day by day basis and figuring out what works for our students. I’m going to quickly go over a few options that might be helpful in your classroom this year. These ideas are the tip of the iceberg. If you have more ideas or things that you plan to try in your classroom this year, make sure to comment below or send me a DM on Instagram. I’m collecting ALL THE IDEAS!
Our district released their plan yesterday. It’s a 30-something page document that covers many, many scenarios. Basically, our local health department is watching the rate of case increases in our county. We have ranges (Green, Yellow, and Red) that determine the status of schools. Green is basically normal with temperature checks, face masks and as much distancing as possible. Yellow moves into a more mandated way of using distancing and cleaning to prevent the spread. Red moves into consideration for school closures and remote learning.The district also is reserving the right to temporarily shut down individual schools if an outbreak were to happen. Even though it’s a lot to take in and think about, I truly appreciate the work my district has put into this document. I know that they have put the safety of their students and staff as their main priority.
Social Distancing Ideas
Having that plan in mind, my classroom (at least if we stay in the green zone) will look mostly normal. I normally have lots of flexible seating opinions, but we have been asked to put all soft surfaces away for the time being. I plan to keep my tables and have kids sit there or at sit spots around the room.Our Related Arts team is also going to work with classroom teachers to get the groupings from each of their classes. That way we can use the same groups throughout the building and minimize contact between students. We will also be using the same line up order coming to and leaving classes.
Side note…I HATE the fact that our kids are going to be separated and “stuck” with the same kids all day long. Classes are not even allowed to play together on the playground. They are expected to stay with their own class to minimize contact. Y’all…this is hard.
(Somewhat) Normal Activities
Anyway, let’s get into some ideas to use in the classroom. If your plan is similar to mine, you may be able to modify your normal activities and have minimal disruption to your instruction. I plan on using lots of body percussion this year. This eliminates the need to clean instruments between classes/groups and also allows for social distancing. If you DO plan to use instruments, make sure to leave time at the end of class for cleaning. We all know there will not be enough time between class changes to accomplish . Also, consider using as many plastic instruments as possible (boom whackers, egg shakers, maracas, etc.). These should hold up to more frequent cleaning than wood instruments such as xylophones.
If you have followed me for a while, you know that stations and small group work are a BIG part of my everyday instruction. When it comes to manipulatives, anything we use needs to be easy to clean. Make sure that everything is laminated so that it can be wiped down, or give out individual papers that students use once. If pencils or crayons are needed, you may consider asking classroom teachers to send kids to you with their individual supplies.
I hope to incorporate more composition and listening activities this year. Since singing and many instruments are out of the question (or not in the realm of practical usage), we’re going to have to be creative with quality music instruction. I have a composition project that my 4th and 5th grade students complete almost every year. Though I usually have them complete this with a partner, this year we can do it individually.
Taking Music Outside
The last social distance activity I’ve thought of is one I’m actually really excited about. If the weather cooperates this year, I’m going to have lots of classes outside. There is a space right outside my classroom where our car riders dismiss at the end of the day and it’s a perfect spot to have class! It’s distanced enough from each of the playgrounds and there is a sidewalk along with grass. I think my kids will really enjoy taking their activities outside and let’s be honest, we all need the fresh air after quarantine!
I think I will try to keep it simple when planning outdoor activities. Students could take worksheets or small group activities and complete them outside. I may also take some chalk and have students create compositions or rhythms on the sidewalk! Since there is a lot of room to spread out it might be fun to do a scavenger hunt type activity! My friend Tracy also just wrote an awesome post on some activities you could do outside! Check it out here!
Music on a Cart
I am not in this situation, but I’ve heard from A TON of you on Instagram about being moved to a cart. I think we can all agree that being on a cart is probably the last thing any music teacher would want. However, I understand the need for more spaces in the school building in order to keep the kids as spaced out as possible.
I think the biggest thing to keep in mind when planning out your cart is efficiency. When you are teaching in your own classroom, you know where everything is and you can access it without a thought. It needs to be the same with your cart. Here are some ideas for must haves for your cart in no particular order. Again, I will not be teaching from a cart this year and have never done so in the past, so these ideas are just that…ideas.
Ideas for Cart Supplies
- Music Playing Device (phone, bluetooth speaker, CD player, etc.)
- Teacher Device (laptop, iPad, etc.)
- Extension Cord
- Some way to Connect to a Smartboard or Projector
- Small Instruments (egg shakers, rhythm sticks, sand blocks, etc.)
- Class Rosters
- Emergency Procedures
- First Aid Items (band aids, gloves, mask, etc.)
- Visual Aids (think small posters-something you could project on a document camera and that can save space)
- Clipboards or Dry Erase Boards for Students
- Pencils/Crayons for students
- Folders for Student Work
- Worksheets for Students
- Manipulatives for Students
- Miscellaneous Office Supplies (stapler, paper clips, tape, etc.)
- Incentives for Students (stickers, bubble gum, etc.)
The list could go on and one. Whatever you have on your cart, make sure it is essential and easy to access. If you go a week or two and realize you aren’t using something that often, or it’s something that can be accessed in the classroom you’re traveling to, take it off the cart and replace it with something more useful. I also imagine you would change things out each week/rotation for different activities you may be doing. If you’re working from a cart this year, comment below on some of your must haves for your cart!
Digital Activities IN the Classroom
I don’t know about how your school works, but our 4th-5th graders have their own Chromebooks. They stay at school and do not travel home. I hope to take advantage of this with my older kiddos this year by doing some digital projects whether we are in the classroom or teaching remotely. I have been wanting to do more digital projects the past couple of years, but I just haven’t gotten around to it. The silver lining? Our “new normal” gives me the perfect opportunity to do so!
When we moved to remote learning in mid-March, I made a couple of resources for my kids to do through our Related Arts Google Site. Things like rhythm matching and composer research projects were a hit. However, there are TONS of activities online that students could do from their own devices or on a SmartBoard in your classroom. A favorite activity with my older kids is Staff Wars. This is a note naming game that my kids are obsessed with. We have competitions during the year to see if anyone can beat my score and they are ruthless! You could also consider using sites like Chrome Music Lab for assignments!
Programs & Concerts
This has (rightfully) been a hot topic in my district. I know many schools around the country have said that there should be no singing whatsoever in music classrooms. While I haven’t heard that from my district, I’ll probably be sticking to that idea anyway. Some of the elementary teachers in my district discussed planning for no programs until at least January. This would eliminate the stress of preparing for a program then being shut down the week before it happens (which was the situation for a lot of us in March). If this isn’t an option for you, consider other ways to present a “program.”
I have a private website that my students and parents are able to access. I keep handouts, dates, pictures, etc. on the site so students can stay up to date with what’s going on in the music room. I will probably be taking some pictures/videos of the kids doing some activities in class and post them to this site. My district also advised that we could do a remote viewing for a concert if we could follow distancing procedures. The issue I have with that is a lack of space to properly distance students. I usually do programs with two grade levels combined, which is about 130-150 students. There’s no way I could get them spaced out enough even just to record the program. For now I’ll stick with putting short videos on the site for parents to see.
Just Teach…
No matter what happens this school year, we know it won’t be normal. Whether you are teaching in person, online, or both, adaptations will have to be made. Just remember that the priority is teaching. Do the best you can with the situations you have. If you can distance your students in the classroom, do it. If you can’t get them 6 feet apart, move tables and chairs and space them out as much as you can. Think of new ways to teach previously hands-on concepts. Rather than thinking about all the restrictions being placed upon teachers, use this as an opportunity to think outside the box. Your students miss you and no matter what you can or can’t do in the classroom, they will be happy to be there.
I hope this post gave you some ideas for the upcoming school year. If you have any questions or comments, let me know below or find me on Instagram! I’m constantly checking in there and I’ll be sure to answer your questions! Be sure to check in next week for a fun DIY project!
