A great music class is powerful. A school-wide musical culture is life-changing. Here are some ideas for music teachers attempting to create a strong music culture in your school!
1. Have students sing at the beginning every school event.
By having students sing a little bit at the beginning of every big event (assemblies, celebrations, “special” days), you re-enforcing the idea that music belongs everywhere in your school. Even if you just have one student singing the star spangled banner – the impact is significant!
2. Highlight music student “success stories” around your school community.
Whether it’s making the all-state band or a student singing their first music class solo, finding ways to celebrate these wins demonstrates their importance to your students. Call parents, speak on the announcements, or share with other classes. Do anything you can do to make musical successes feel like something to be proud of!
3. Plan cross-curricular music activities.
Show your students how music connects with all of their other subjects through cross-curricular music lessons. Write a “sports team” theme song for one of your schools teams. Sing a song in your students’ foreign language! Build instruments using STEM resources. There are so many ways to connect music with the other subjects that your students love!
4. Have other teachers to share their passion for music.
Are any of the teachers in your school musical? Or, do any of the teachers in your school enjoy music? Consider have the other teachers in your school share their love of music by answering a short questionnaire about their musical faves (songs, artists, genres, etc.) and turn it into a guessing game! Can your students guess which of their favorite teachers love Hip-Hop? Do they know who is Beyonce’s #1 fan? This silly activity can be extended with doing a cover song of one of their homeroom teacher’s faves!
Thanks for reading!
Do you have any additional tips for encouraging a school-wide musical culture? If so, let me know in the comments!
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