I’m beginning my career as an elementary music teacher. I would appreciate some feedback?

I had started studying piano at the age of four, and was really quite talented as a kid (I ended up studying through college, and have a minor in music ed). Anyways, in my elementary general music classes, none of the teachers ever got to know me enough. I really wanted to be contributing more, but I was just part of the group that would get shuffled in and out every 30 minutes. I was bored. Find out who your students are, and see if any of them have an musical aptitude, and cultivate it! I could have used the encouragement.

Remember: Kindergarteners DON’T know how to make a cirlce. As a beginning music teacher, I wanted to play Ring Around the Rosie with the kids the first day. 5 year olds don’t usually come from situations where they are part of a big group. When I asked them to make a circle, they were all over the place. I found that I had to have them join hands and then “follow the leader” into a circle.

First graders do not know much more than kindergarteners.

Second graders can do a lot more than kindergarteners.

Third graders can be fun….they are a good group to have a concert with.

Fourth graders are my favorite age….they are old enough to give some freedom…..yet they don’t have attitudes.

Fifth graders (IF your school is K-6) are the next best class to have a concert with.

Sixth graders think they know it all…..and they DON’T like to sing. Look for some rap-type songs…they love them.

My favorite supplimental materials:

1. School House Raps by Sally Albrecht.

2. Alligator Purse (Pub: Hal Leonard Pub. Corp)

3. K-8 magazine (musick8.com) It’s well worth the subcription each year!

Best of luck!!

being singled out. having a good voice and the teacher noticing it and asking me to stand and sing aloud. sure, how embarrassing!!! i wish she would have just let me volunteer or something. maybe say we’ll draw numbers out of a hat and have it rigged to where i was the number. you know.

i dunno. i would say my favorite part was when we got to dance around and be silly and make our own music. i do that for my kids. we have a (toys) drum, real maracas, bongos, keyboard, that real loud thing that you shake with the tiny symbols…what’s it called…ah! a tambourine…i thought i was going to have to blame it on tired-ness. we all sit down and make noise and i record it and when i play it back to them we listen to our music. it’s cool. they like it…but they are all little. hope i’ve helped.

rock the world.music teaching is taken by very few commited ppl.so i hope u do well.rock it

Don’t join the union.