An established classroom routine is the secret of a productive elementary music classroom. It provides structure, predictability, and efficiency, allowing for more time dedicated to music-making. When students know what to expect, they feel more secure and confident, leading to a magical music class experience.

Why Classroom Routines Matter

Establishing routines for your music classroom helps maximize your instructional time and minimize any disruption from the students. When you make an effort to establish routines for tasks like entering and exiting the classroom, distributing and collecting instruments, and seamless transitions, you can reduce time wasted on managing behavior and other logistical issues. With music class routines, you’ll have more focused instructional time. Moreover, consistent routines provide students with a sense of security and control, fostering the calm and respectful class environment you want! When students know what to expect from your class, they are better equipped to engage in the learning activities, resulting in fewer distractions and behavioral challenges. Ultimately, well-implemented routines contribute to a more productive and enjoyable classroom experience for both teachers and students.

How To Create Effective Routines in Elementary Music

If you read my post on Setting the Tone on Day One in Elementary Music then you’ll know that I firmly believe that day one is the time to set the correct tone to set the standard for future music classes. It’s really important to start early and begin establishing routines on the first day of school from the moment the students walk through the door.

• Envision Your Desired Routines BEFORE The First Day Of School – It’s essential that you envision what you want to see before the year begins.
• Meet and Greet Your Students By The Door – The importance of this cannot be stated enough. This gives the students a positive impression of your class before it even starts.
• Absolutely Greet Your Students When You’re On A Cart! – Even if you’re feeling rushed to set-up for your lesson, take a moment to acknowledge your students and make sure they know you’re glad to see them. It sets a positive tone for your music class.
• Introduce and Practice Your Classroom Routines – Take the time  to explain and demonstrate how the classroom routine will work and what you’d like to see and hear from students in the process. Then, practice! If they don’t do it correctly the first time, practice again. In some situations, I’ve practiced routines with certain groups upwards of five or six times. Sometimes it takes a while for students to perform the routines correctly, but don’t give up! Even if your kids are stubborn, they’ll eventually get sick of practicing and will give in and do the routine correctly.
• Acknowledge and consider rewarding classes and/or students who perform routines correctly.

Examples of Essential Routines for Elementary Music Class

Here are just a few examples of classroom routines you might want to consider for your elementary music class:

• Entering the Classroom
• Finding Seats
• Making A Circle
• Lining Up
• Distributing Musical Instruments or Other Supplies
• Collecting Musical Instruments or Cleaning Up Other Supplies
• Finding Space for Movement Activities
• Setting Up For Ensembles (i.e. chorus, band, strings)
• Any Kind of Safety Drill
• Lining Up for Dismissal
• Performance Procedures (i.e. concerts, assemblies, and other events)

If part of your classroom routine involves transitioning, I have some tips for you in my post Classroom Transitions in Elementary Music.

Involving The Students with Classroom Routines

Believe it or not, you can involve and incorporate students into your class routines quite seamlessly. Just make sure that you choose your students carefully and rotate responsibilities often so that no one is left out. When I taught elementary chorus, I had students assigned to do everything from passing out folders to helping return supplies to the music room once rehearsal was finished. Generally, if I have a task that can be safely assigned to a student, I’ll delegate it, even if it takes a little more time in the beginning. It creates a sense of classroom ownership and helps keep behaviors in check when students are keen on having a job (even if it’s just turning the lights off!)

This is also my secret for managing my class troublemakers. It doesn’t work in all situations, but I’ve managed to win over many tough cookies just by giving them a job of some kind. Trust me, a lot of those students will fall into line quickly when the risk of losing a classroom job is presented to them.

Maintain Flexibility

You might recognize that some routines don’t suit every group. If you realize that a routine needs to be tweaked or switched out for a particular class, that’s okay. It’s important to stay flexible and be prepared to adjust routines to accommodate different student groups and activities.

There’s nothing quite like having a music classroom with routines that run seamlessly. While it might take some flexibility, eventually you’ll find the routines that help you and your students thrive. I hope these tips help you, and don’t forget to leave a comment with your best tips for music class routines!