Finishing Your School Year Strong

It’s impossible to avoid. As the calendar hits late May, and the end of the year is right…there…it is easy for us as teachers to take our foot off the gas and coast our way to the finish line.

Then I look at the calendar, and guess what? The week-and-a-half of school I have left is packed with end-of-the-year performances, and it is really important to send kids and their parents out on a high note!

I want to give us all a chance to take a deep breath and reflect on where we have been this year and where we want to go. I call it “Looking Back to Grow Forward.”

I would love to tell you that I had some mishaps to share this year, but I can’t. Everything went perfectly for me in every class I taught!

Never mind. I just wanted to see if I could type that with a straight face.

Here are some of the many examples of times things went off the rails for me, and some of the tools I used to make sure we all learned from them.

Reflecting to Grow: Teaching Lessons from Classroom Challenges

The Microphone Melee: A Lesson in Performance Etiquette

What is it about kids and microphones? You know exactly what I am talking about. You are about to do a group performance and the kids in the front row inch ever closer to the mic as if pulled by a mysterious force, until they lean in and say something…anything, just to hear their voices amplified.

Well, earlier this year, this exact thing happened, but it was what came next that I wasn’t quite prepared for. This time, a student who had been steadfastly following the rules could not help themselves from physically pulling the first child away. This, of course, resulted in a center stage push-and-pull-athon that lasted throughout the entire song and had the attention of the entire audience.

Let’s just say that class, and the whole school, now fully understands the term “performance etiquette.”

Whispers Travel: Teaching the Impact of Rumors

Have you ever had those classes where something feels off from the minute they walk in the room? The more you teach and the better you know your students, the more attuned you get to the vibe of the group. Well, this one day, one of my preschool music classes started class in a collective funk. It didn’t take long to get to the bottom of it. It turns out that there was a rumor being spread about something someone had said or done, and it was causing serious division and bad feelings.

The situation immediately set off a “Teaching Tool” alarm in my head. We talked through the situation a little bit and quickly pivoted to discussing the toxic role rumors can play in our lives. That night I went home and told my husband, who happens to be a writer and songwriter, about the story. By the next day we had added another preschool music curriculum feature – a brand new CMR Rhythmic Tale called The Rumor Mill that addresses the situation in a way that is easy to grasp, fun, and full of musical lessons too!

I could go on about my own “off the rails tales,” but I think it might be better to spend a little time looking forward.

End-of-Year Music Activities That Keep Students Engaged

I love to spend a little time at the end of the year with activities that allow kids to recognize how far they have come musically in one school year. Here are a few options that work for me:

“We Did it!” Music Year Review

Go through the year month by month and have the students talk as a class about what they learned. One thing that really works for me is to go back and have students lead some favorite games, exercises, lessons, or songs. My students really love to revisit our CMR “Meter Detective Game.” You can also create a Music Trivia game that incorporates some of the top lessons of the year. It’s a fun way to look back and celebrate what you’ve accomplished!

My Year in Music: Student Reflection Projects

Have your students do a “My Year in Music” timeline. It might start with rhythm reading. It can include milestones like a first solo, learning body percussion, or any other lessons or activities you covered during the year. I find that this is a great way to highlight the things that had meaning for the students and to keep them in mind for future years. Another option here is to do this as a partner project where students share what they learned month by month (you can help guide this with your planner).

What Worked for Me? Teacher Reflections & Classroom Systems

We never stop learning as teachers, no matter how long we have been at it! For me, I continue to learn the value of having a system I can rely on to get me through days, weeks, and entire school years. I find it provides both structure and flexibility, and I highly recommend seeking out or creating your own replicable systems, whether they be templates, guides, or checklists.

Keeping Things in Frame(work)

Teaching music is fun. Exhausting. I know, but fun! But it is always important to be mindful of guidelines and standards as we do our work. The end of the year is a great time for our summer selves to look back and see how we did with things like “Welcome-Play-Learn-Connect Each Class and Find Purpose.”

“How Did I Do?” End-of-Year Teacher Reflection

And while we are talking about our summer selves…the end of the year is a great time to put yourself in a position to succeed next year!

While it is still fresh in your mind, look at how you handled things like class schedules, seating charts and behavior strategies. What were your top attention-getting strategies and activities? Think about what materials you currently have and what you might need next year.

And finally, take a moment as the chaos dies down to do some personal reflecting about the year. What were some of your favorite moments and how did they happen? What would you like to do better? Do you have some new strategies you’d like to try next year?

Don’t Forget: Rest, Recharge, and Return Re-energized

The final bell is closer than you think. So yes-celebrate, reflect, teach, and grow these final weeks. But also, take time to REST! And HAVE FUN! The next school year always sneaks up quickly.

The best gift we can give our students (and ourselves) is coming back recharged and inspired to teach music with joy!

~Angela