Unlocking Creativity with Choice Boards

As music teachers, one of our biggest challenges is engaging students with diverse interests, learning needs, and abilities. In music class, where creativity and personal expression are at the heart of the learning process, choice boards can be a game-changer.

A choice board is a visual tool that gives students multiple options for how they engage with content, demonstrate understanding, and apply their learning. By empowering students to take ownership of their learning, choice boards foster creativity, autonomy, and deeper engagement—all while helping teachers meet a variety of learning objectives.

If you are a devout follower of Universal Design for Learning (I am!) choice boards check off so many boxes when it comes to learner variability.

Let’s dig into how choice boards can revolutionize your music classroom and how to create and implement them effectively.

A choice board is a grid or menu of activities that allow students to choose how they complete a learning task. Think of it as a “choose-your-own-adventure” for the music classroom. These boards can be used for practice, assessment, or enrichment, and can be as simple or as detailed as your classroom needs.

For example, a 3×3 grid might include nine different tasks. You can ask students to complete a specific number of tasks (e.g., choose three) or ensure that they complete tasks from different categories (e.g., one from each row).

In music education, choice boards can be tailored to incorporate performance, composition, listening, and reflection tasks. They allow students to work at their own pace, choose activities that match their strengths, and explore new areas of interest.

Your commitment to inclusion, equity, and diversity should shine through every part of your proposal—from your goals to your methodologies and expected outcomes. Describe how these values are woven into the fabric of your music program and how the funding will help support you this mission. For example, if your music program is designed to reach diverse student populations, explain how you’ll ensure all students feel represented and engaged in a meaningful way. This is where I find a lot of music teachers get stuck, especially if this is their first attempt towards being committed to DEI compared to past efforts. Writing a grant that doesn’t necessarily represent what your goals have been in the past might feel false and misleading.! If you are struggling to connect your proposed project with DEI, this would be an excellent time to reconsider whether the project should be re-designed to meet those criteria, or whether there is a different funding agency that might be more likely to support your project as it is in its current state. 

The word of the day when it comes to choice boards is flexibility. There really is no “one-way” for students to learn and engage with content or skills in our music classrooms or ensembles. Choice boards have many benefits for students, but here are my favorites:

1. Student Autonomy and Engagement
   Choice boards give students agency in their learning. When students have a say in how they learn and demonstrate their knowledge, they’re more motivated and invested.
2. Differentiation Made Easy
   Every music student brings unique skills and experiences to the classroom. A choice board allows you to offer differentiated tasks that meet the needs of all learners—whether they’re beginners, advanced musicians, or somewhere in between.
3. Encourages Creativity
   Music is inherently creative, and choice boards encourage students to explore their artistic side. Whether composing a short melody or interpreting a piece of music, students have the freedom to make their own creative choices.
4. Promotes Critical Thinking
   Many choice board tasks require students to analyze, reflect, or synthesize information. For example, they might compare two versions of a song or write about the emotional impact of a piece.
5. Flexible and Adaptable
   Choice boards can be adapted for any age, skill level, or musical topic. They work equally well for elementary general music, middle school band, or high school music theory classes.

Here’s an example of a choice board I created for fourth grade students working on rhythm decoding, writing, and interpreting:

• Define Your Objective
  Start by deciding the learning goals for your choice board. Are you focusing on rhythm practice? Instrumental technique? Music history? Knowing your objective will help you design relevant activities.
• Choose Categories or Themes
  • Performance
  • Composition
  • Listening
  • Reflection
• Create Engaging Tasks
  Design tasks that align with your categories and objectives. Try to include a mix of activities that cater to different learning styles (visual, auditory, kinesthetic, etc.).

Example Tasks:

• Performance: Record yourself playing your favorite song on your instrument or singing a melody.
• Composition: Create a short 8-measure melody using your choice of rhythm and pitches. Write it on staff paper or use a music app like Noteflight or MuseScore.
• Listening: Listen to two versions of the same song (e.g., a classical and jazz rendition). Write a paragraph about the differences in style and emotion.
• Reflection: Write a journal entry about how music makes you feel and why.
• Research: Create a mini-presentation on the history of a famous composer or genre.

Make sure your students understand the expectations for completing the tasks. For example:

• Choose three tasks from the board, making sure at least one is from the performance category
• Submit your work by recording a video, writing your responses, or sharing a digital file.

Digital tools can bring your choice board to life. Platforms like Google Slides, Canva, or Seesaw can help you create interactive, visually appealing boards. Students can also use apps like Flipgrid, GarageBand, or Audacity to complete their tasks.

• Start Small: If you’re new to choice boards, begin with a simple 3×3 grid and focus on one topic.
• Balance Structure and Freedom: Provide enough guidance to keep students on track, but give them room to explore and be creative.
• Celebrate Student Work: Showcase completed projects to highlight student creativity and effort.

Choice boards are a powerful tool for making music education more engaging, inclusive, and personalized. They invite students to explore their creativity, discover new skills, and connect with music on a deeper level. Whether you’re working with a room full of ukuleles, a technology lab, or just student voices, there’s a way to make choice boards work for you! Imagine the world of possibilities for students when we give them a choice! It can be pretty amazing.

Cheers to you and all the wonderful things you do!

---

Blog Post Contributor: Erin Zaffini