Managing Middle School on a Cart

• Rebecca Brink
• Posted 8/23/24
• 0 comments

1. Greet students by name as they enter the classroom or at their desks. 
2. Learn about the students through Bell work. I begin each class with Bell Work which allows the students to get settled and for me to take attendance. I typically include three types of questions in daily Bell Work assignments. 
   • Something that reviews the last lesson.  
   • Something to get them questioning, pondering, or pique interest in the current lesson. 
   • Something personal related to music and the current unit or lesson. These could range from simple (Who is your favorite musician and why?) to more complex (In your opinion, who is more important to the development of modern music? Beyoncé or Taylor Swift. Provide three supports for your answer). Including these questions in written form allows me to learn more about my students and their thinking. Additionally, it allows my students a safe space to share their opinions in writing which can often be less intimidating than a class discussion.  
3. Ask students to share their music via a suggestion box or Google Form. This allows students to share anonymously and for you to incorporate them into class while having the chance to preview them. 
4. See and be seen. Make extra effort to be where your students are and have non-academic conversations with them. This can seem daunting but doesn’t need to be. Take a few moments twice a week to walk through the cafeteria during lunchtime and greet a few students. Stop by the gym to watch the basketball game for a few minutes. Be in the bus loop once a week to say good morning. Even small moments can make a big difference and show your students how much you care.    

 There are also many fantastic digital tools out there for classroom management. I used a digital “marble jar” for my classes working towards a whole class reward. It is important to have tools that you can access anywhere without worrying that they will be moved or changed when you are out of the room.  

If you cannot give assigned seats, or seating groupings change because of sharing the space, there are still ways you can provide structured seating. For example, write musical words (or notation) on index cards. Make two of each card (two cards that say adagio, two cards that have quarter notes written on them, and so on). One card is placed on the desk or table, and one is given to each student as they enter the room. The cards determine student seating arrangements. I love this idea because it can be completely random, or as the teacher, you can exercise some control when handing out the cards. Additionally, it allows you to greet students as they enter the room and reinforce musical concepts or vocabulary.  

Reach out to the teachers with whom you share the room and find a space in the room that you can devote to music. If you have enough room, make a word wall with learning goals where you can share any written student work: poster projects, written scores, listening sheets, etc. Not only does this remind them of what they’ve learned, but it also helps validate the space as a musical learning space and show the students that you care. 

Even if it’s small, it’s worthwhile to create a music space in a shared classroom. Ideally, this space should be a “perch” where you can see all students and be seen by all students to deliver whole group instructions or model musical activities. This way students can see you in your space rather than as a push-in. You can also use this space for storing items and creating systems for getting resources (pencils, instruments, etc.) and returning work. You may need to be creative and put music posters up on a storage cabinet, bookshelf or a cart to create that music “space.”   You might even consider engaging the students in thinking about how they want to make the room more musical. It may not be the ideal situation, but the visual presence of music in the space is important to get the student buy-in that is so crucial in middle school.    

Teaching on a cart or in a shared space can be challenging, but with creativity, caring and consistency, small changes can make a big difference and lead to a successful and supportive classroom.  

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