The lesson for the first day of music class is such an important lesson. It sets the tone for your whole year. Will your students leave your class excited for a year of music making? Will you set up the routines and procedures needed to keep your classroom orderly? So much rides on this one lesson!
In this post, I will share how I try to balance these important priorities as I create my lesson plans for the first day of school.
Lesson Plans for the First Day of Kindergarten
Kindergarten is sort of its own animal. These are students who have never been to school before. You’ve got to teach them how everything works while still easing them into this whole thing called school.
Make it a song or a game
What’s my solution to this? Make everything a game! How well can you remember your music spot? How quickly can you get quiet? Sing a silly song that ends with them sitting criss cross with their hands in their lap. These are easy ways to teach routines with an element of play.
Plan for short attention spans
Also, don’t forget the tiny attention spans of new kindergarteners. I wouldn’t make any activity longer than five minutes. And make sure to have lots of structured movement.
Try a First Day of School Themed Book
Looking for a way to keep them engaged? Try a first day of school book! There are tons out there. I am partial to Pete the Cat Rocking in my School Shoes. But some other very cute ones include School’s First Day of School and We Don’t Eat Our Classmates.
Want more details about kindergarten lesson plans? You can check out my blog post Music Lessons for Kindergarten: What to Teach the First Day of School.
First Day of School Lesson Plans for Younger Kids
Teach and PRACTICE rules and procedures
Teaching rules and procedures is probably one of the most important things that you will teach during the first day of school.
It’s so important not to just TALK about procedures. Have students get up and practice the procedure. And if they don’t get it right the first time, have them go back and practice again. Make sure to frame it in a positive manner, but don’t let it go!
Review concepts from last year
Another fun way to get your kids in the mood for learning is to give them a little challenge and see what things they remember from last year. I usually don’t put anything too challenging in there. Just basic knowledge that I am hoping they remember from last year.
And to make it a little lower pressure, I usually have them come up with the answer with a partner.
Movement and fun
Don’t forget to put lots of fun and movement into the lesson as well. This can be in the form of practicing routines, dancing, moving from partner to partner or even a parachute activity.
Students need to move. And you want to set up an environment of joy that will get kids excited to come back next week. So while you focus on setting routines, make sure to also find some fun stuff to really keep them coming back for more. Building community is an important foundation for a great year in music.
First Day of Music Class Upper Elementary
Have them teach YOU the rules
By about half way through your first day of school, restating the same rules and procedures can get pretty tiresome. It is probably pretty boring for the students too, going from class to class and having to listen to rules on repeat.
But for my older students, I like to flip the script. They’ve been around long enough to know what the rules are in music class. So instead of me reminding them, I have them remind me (and any new students that might be around).
Now you might be thinking, yeah, that works if you’ve been at the same school for years. What about if you are at a new school?
I think you can make this work in those situations too if you just present it in a slightly different format. I do mine as a trivia game (with right and wrong answers). But I think at a new school, you would use these as discussion points.
Students could tell you how things were done before. And you can take or leave it. Just explain WHY you are making the changes. Honestly, taking over from a previous music teacher should really be its own separate blog post!
Review music concepts from last year
Just like with the younger students, I have my older students review a couple key terms from the previous year. This is a great way to pull that knowledge back to the front that they will continue building on this year. Things like rhythms, vocabulary terms or maybe correct mallet grip, to name a few.
Allow a chance for some socializing with peers
I know that students will want to talk with each other if they haven’t seen each other all summer. And instead of fighting it, I embrace it and purposefully add it into my lesson. It is a great way for new students to get added into the fold as well.
I actually build my socialization activity in with my concept review. I have students circulate around the room as I play a piece of music. (Bonus points if it is a piece of music you will be using later in the year. I usually pick a piece we will be learning for our annual field trip to the orchestra).
When the music stops, they partner up with the person next to them. They have one community building question (ex: what’s your favorite color, what did you do this summer, who is your favorite singer, etc). Then they have to answer a review question. Then they split off and mix again.
It’s a great way to allow them to chat while still getting at my goals of community building and content review.
Send them off on the first day with something fun!
Again, community building is a big goal for me in the first weeks of school. You are really going to need to fall back on this foundation especially as your fifth graders get towards the end of the year and start to be too cool for everything. The community building you’ve done to help them feel comfortable and joyful in music will be critical in smoothing those awkward months.
I love to take a piece of pop music and add a fun parachute routine to it to end the first day of school music lesson with my upper grades. They go gaga for parachute activities, so I just keep making more! I’ve done Wake Me Up by Avicii, Try Everything from Zootopia, and many more.
Using pop songs that they are familiar with gives them a comfortable access point into music class that I can expand on. And let’s face it, it’s just plain fun. You want them to be leaving class smiling and saying how awesome music class was. I mean, that’s how I want to start my year off. What about you?
Need Some More Inspiration to Get Ready for The First Day of Music Class? Check Out These Blog Posts!
Music Classroom Decor: What You Need For a Great Classroom Environment
Music Lessons for Kindergarten: What to Teach the First Day of School
10 Easy Elementary Music Classroom Management Tips That Work
