3 Ways to Inspire Your Students
In just a few short weeks, you will be standing in front of 20 or so bright, shiny faces, and they will be gazing up at you, ready to be inspired. Don’t roll your eyes at me . . . I’m serious.
EVERY.SINGLE.ONE of your students is waiting to be inspired. They just don’t know it. They are waiting for you to do something or say something that will excited them, motivate them, or affect positive change in their lives.
Music is one of the most powerful motivators for change. So that means you have the power to change their lives, simply by teaching them what you’re so passionate about.
Your voice, your ideas, your passion, can change the world, simply by changing the ideas of those students who are your responsibility for 30 minutes, once a week. I know you don’t think it’s possible, but I’m telling you that it is. Let me tell you one reason why I think this is true.
Some years ago, I taught at a teeny tiny school (I kid you not, there were about 150 students) in a very rural area of my county. I was teaching the storybook and the song, Follow the Drinking Gourd. Before we began, I told my 4th graders a little bit about slavery and why this song was important to slaves at the time. One of my students, who was an extremely intelligent, highly musical person, raised his hand and proceeded to tell me how his step father believed that the slaves had it "good", because they were supplied with food, clothing, and shelter. I told him that he was entitled to his opinion but that I'd like him to listen carefully so that he could form his own opinion, once he had all the facts. When we were finished with our lesson that day, that student came up and told me that I had changed his mind. He would now start forming his own opinions instead of just listening to what he was told by others. I believe that my lesson impacted his life and a profound and positive way.
If you’ve been teaching for awhile, you probably have some of those teacher moments too . . . the ones you’re really proud of; the ones where you feel like you made a difference in someone’s life that day.
You teach music, and music has a power all its own. It can inspire, anger, bring out passion, make you sad . . . I mean the list goes on and on. You teach because you are passionate about music. You know its power, and you know what a strong influence it’s been in your own life. THIS is how you inspire your students. Simply by sharing your passion.
- Teach what excites you – Do you geek out over funny stories about Bach or Haydn? Are you always excited to learn a new folk dance? Are you excited about sharing your favorite storybooks with your students? Then THAT’S what you should teach. Of course you’re going to need to teach all the basics . . . rhythm, melody, harmony, instrument play, etc. But why not teach these concepts by using what you’re passionate about? Your excitement will shine through, and your students will be excited too.
- Pull out ALL the Manipulatives – I’m constantly on the lookout for new funsies for my students yep, we use scarves, bean bags, center activities, those fun attachable math blocks (stole those from the giveaway table one year), but I also grab SO.MANY.TOYS from the Target dollar section (now the $3 section) and The Dollar Store. If it flies or wiggles, you can use it for melody and vocal exploration. If it stretches (think monkey noodles), you can use it to teach note duration. If you can mold it, you can also use it to help your students figure out how to draw or mold basic notes and music symbols. If your students can play with it, if they LOVE to use it, they are going to GO CRAZY when you pull it out to teach music
- Use the tools at your disposal – Do you know what your students love? What songs make them happy? What video games do they play till their vision is blurry? What dances get them up and moving? What apps do they go crazy for? This is what you need to design your lesson plans and activities around. Use a funny Fortnite dance to teach steady beat Design a lesson plan or instrument play around the music from their favorite video game. Practice reading rhythms to their favorite pop song or something silly like The Duck Song.
Here’s what to do next:
- Take a few minutes to close your eyes and think back to when you were a student. What did you love about music class? What inspired you? Why did you decide to become a music teacher in the first place?
- Write down 3-5 ideas that you’re excited about.
- Use these ideas to plan your year-at-a-glance. Wait . . . too much? Maybe you’re not a year long planner? That’s o.k. You can design a fun graphic around your ideas using Canva (my absolute FAVORITE tool these days), print it out, and put it up where you work. That way you’ll always remember what excites you about music. These ideas can be your guide as you plan lessons and activities.
- Need more help? You can join my Facebook group for ideas, tips, and tricks about all things music teachers.
- Want even more? Reach out to me at jeanette@storiesthatsing.net, and we can chat.
So this year, as your summer draws to a close and you start thinking about what you’re going to teach your students in the coming school year, decide how you’re going to share your passion with them. remember that you are POWERFUL. Your students are waiting . . . for you to motivate and inspire them . . . to show them the positive transformation that music can affect in their lives.