After a tough year, let’s look at six different ways to help restore your music program to its former glory (or even better than before!). These strategies work for K-12 music, including performing and non-performing programs.
by Zach Vandergraaff
I don’t think you’ll find a music teacher out there who said this was a great year for our music students. From elementary and choir students not being allowed to sing to instrumental programs being sent outside or forced to limit their time spent playing, everyone has struggled. It’s not just our profession either; it’s the whole world.
In the world of education, though, one of the hardest-hit programs is music. By the nature of our art, we need to be together to make music. The Associated Press1 reports the music industry lost around $30 billion in 2020 alone. I know we’ve all heard countless stories of districts cutting programs or forcing teachers into other roles, at least partially. In my situation, my administration added math tutoring and recess duties to my caseload.
We need a way to navigate these muddied waters back into some sense of normalcy after the mess of last year and the hit to music schools. We need some strategies to restore or improve our meaningful music-making after COVID. Spending a lot of time speaking with other music teachers, here are some ideas.
It is a rare student who gets into music purely for the challenge and enjoyment of it. At my school district, the middle school band director made a recruitment video for my fifth graders about why they love the band. Of the many students on the video, only one student said they did it for the challenge of learning the challenging instruments. The rest joined because they enjoyed making music with their friends and being a part of a community.
We must lean into this truth. Though it may be tempting to press forward and “catch students up,” this is a mistake. Start your year with the most engaging lessons and community-building music activities you have. Get your students hooked. Remind them why they love making music, and then move forward with content.
On the elementary side of things, I’m planning on pulling out some favorites off my list of 13 music activities for kids3. Never forget: Students will buy into what you do more if you show you care for them as people. Let them be kids and give them a chance to rebuild their relationships with you, each other, and music. Then, they’ll do the hard work needed to move on with content.
During this pandemic, much of the world realized how much they missed music. However, we’ve coped with its partial or total absence in our schools for over a year. Those who didn’t value our art before may be less likely to now.
To help restore your program, do as much community outreach as safely possible given your specific area’s restrictions. Be seen in your town or city making music with your students. Look for places to perform and remind the world why we are valuable.
Several possible opportunities include:
For more ideas, you may want to check out Teacher Vision’s2 article on the subject. They go into a lot more detail and share some brilliant opportunities.
The most robust music programs are ones where all the music teachers, K-12 in all types of music, are on the same page. Vertical alignment helps with recruitment into secondary ensembles and appreciation for music in the entire school. Get together with your co-workers and work together.
Have the upper levels perform for the younger kids. Collaborate on small concerts or outreach ideas. If one of the best parts of music is the community, build the community across your entire district K-12 and connect.
After a year and a half of less music than they’d typically experience, students are missing it. On the other hand, they may also be getting used to not having it. We can’t let this happen.
Go out of your way to expand music beyond your classroom into the school. Whether you take over the P.A. and play some songs or have your groups go on walking performance occasionally, make music part of your school’s every day.
Every music teacher’s favorite part of being an educator is sitting in staff meetings and professional development (read: sarcasm). Over the past year, we’ve sat in too many meetings where we heard the phrase “catching students up” or how they’re “behind where they should be.” This fact is simply untrue.
If our students are “behind” on content, then they’re all behind together. Does this make them behind? Instead of wishing on something that can’t be, let’s find students where they’re at and make the most of the time we have.
After all, making quality and meaningful music works with both easy and difficult music alike. Instead of forcing or rushing our students into the content, they’re not ready for, be happy with the chance to make music with what they’re able to do. In the fall, take an inventory of what students can do right now. Start in this place and move forward. This slight shift in attitude will help them, and you return to positive musical experiences faster.
Music teachers of all specialties love what many call “money songs.” These pieces give you the most bang for your buck as they teach multiple important ideas with one piece. Apply the same view to these strategies.
Are you taking your elementary students to sing at a nursing home and connect with the community? Invite the jazz band to play simple arrangements of your song as accompaniment and develop better K-12 connections.
Do you want to add more music to your school overall? Add some engagement by having your choir sing a song on Friday mornings in solfege, and the other students guess the tune.
Get creative and collaborative in your efforts to bring meaningful music back to your school’s program and watch it blossom into something greater.
“Normal” is a thing of the past. Let’s cast off the idea of going back to “what was” and move on to something better. Use these ideas to give your students a reboot and make our music better than it ever was before.
1Fekadu, Mesfin. (2020, December 11). Pollstar: Live events industry lost $30B due to pandemic. AP NEWS. https://apnews.com/article/elton-john-celine-dion-coronavirus- Pandemic-b63179e05d0768dcd907da5beeccad52
2Staff, Teacher Vision. (2019, November 15). Community Outreach Ideas for Music in Our Schools Month. TeacherVision. https://www.teachervision.com/music-our-schools-month/ community-outreach-ideas-music-our-schools-month
3VanderGraaff, Zach. (2021, March 28). 13 Awesome Music Activities For Kids. Dynamic Music Room. https://dynamicmusicroom.com/music-activities-for-kids/
Contributor
Zach VanderGraaff works as the K-5 Music Specialist with Bay City Public Schools. He completed his Master’s and Undergraduate Degrees in Music Education from Central Michigan University. It’s also at CMU where Zach took Kodaly Level I and II. He then…
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