A recent MENC Collegiate poll asked, “What’s the best advice somebody’s given you about teaching?” Here are a few helpful tips for new music educators in the areas of classroom management, lesson planning, and preparation:

Classroom Management

• Having a classroom management plan is the best way to counteract negative student behavior. Stay calm no matter what!
• By being consistent with classroom management, you show you are fair and serious.
• Plan for the unexpected and don’t get flustered.

Lesson planning

• Never leave the most challenging lesson for the end of class. Do it first and do the fun stuff last so your kids leave energized.
• Create an agenda for rehearsal.
• Teach what you know, but learn more so you can teach more.
• Talk less and demonstrate more.
• Over plan.

Preparation

• Observe as much as you can.
• Get as much experience as you can before and during college so you can find out if you really want to do this or not.
• No matter how prepared you think you are when you graduate, you’ll find that nothing you learn out of a textbook will equal the lessons you’ll teach yourself as you stand in front of the classroom.
   

Look forward to next week’s article, Advice for New Teachers: Part 2, with tips about attitude, passion for music, and general advice for teaching.

Resources:

Susan L. Haugland, Crowd Control: Classroom Management and Effective Teaching for Chorus, Band, and Orchestra

Charlene Ryan, Building Strong Music Programs: A Handbook for Preservice and Novice Music Teachers (MENC, 2009)

Colleen M. Conway (Ed.), Great Beginnings for Music Teachers (MENC, 2003)

Teacher Success Kit: How to Succeed in Music Education (Interactive CD, MENC)

Search the following titles in My Music Class:

• Managing Your Classroom, Parts 1-3
• Establishing Good Discipline
• The First Day
• Your First Day of Class
• Getting Started – Expect the Unexpected
• Beginning the Year
• Getting the Year Started

--Shauna Leavitt, June 4, 2009, © MENC: The National Association for Music Education