It’s hard to diversify instruction in the music classroom. The noise factor alone makes it challenging to have different activities going on at the same time. Here are some EASY tips for creating a music classroom in which the needs of ALL students are met.
1. Always have an “extras” station ready to go.
When students speed through my lesson due to prior knowledge or experience, I always send them to the “extras” section so that they can choose how they would like to proceed with their own learning.
Here are some QUIET choices they can make:
- Select a piano song sheet (these are songs with the letters written in the note heads), then go to a piano with headphones on to learn the song.
- Compose a song using Chrome Music Lab on their computers.
- Complete a music worksheet that they have not ALREADY done and submit it for extra credit. Topics for these worksheets include reading about families of the orchestra, labeling solfège pitches or notes on the treble/bass clef, and answering questions about a learned topic in music class.
- Write lyrics to a song on blank paper.
- For younger students, I have several music puzzles that can be completed quietly.
Here is a peak at my “Extras” Station:
Looking for easy worksheets? Check out this link to my TPT store!
2. “Level” your music assignments.
Whenever I teach a piano or ukulele lesson to my students, I diversify instruction by creating at least 3 “levels” that students can achieve.
Example: On the ukulele, I create the levels by chord and put the songs/chord charts on student’s Microsoft teams pages.
Level 1 Objective: Students can find and play C, Am, and F chords on the ukulele with at least 80% accuracy. On this page I add songs such as “Thunder” by Imagine Dragons and “Best Day of My Life” by American Authors.
Level 2 Objective: Students can find and play C, Am, F, and G chords on the ukulele with at least 80% accuracy On this page I add songs such as “The Lion Sleeps Tonight” by The Tokens and “Riptide” by Vance Joy
Level 3 Objective: Students can find and play C, Am, F, G, Em, and D on the ukulele with at least 80% accuracy. On this page I add songs such as “Somewhere Over The Rainbow” by IZ and “Hey There Delilah” by the Plain White Tees
As students to move through the levels, they are able to challenge themselves appropriately and do not feel the frustration of being held back or moving ahead too quickly.
Here is a peak into how I scaffold my files for ukulele instruction:
Here is a FREE list of ukulele songs listed by chords needed!
https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Easy-Ukulele-Songs-List-by-Chords-FREEBIE-7132906
3. Allow for successful students to become teachers.
Teaching instruments often means that I am walking around the room and checking that students are playing correctly and avoiding mistakes. Often, I will “tag in” my students who have achieved the objective to walk around the classroom and check the work of other students. This allows me to quickly “catch everyone up” and promotes a higher level of mastery for students who were already successful.
*Please note: I save this kind of differentiation for classes that are ready for real teamwork. If I am not careful with who is chosen, students who are “tagged in” can easily become overly critical of their peers and cause frustration. Make sure any student who is “tagged in” understands that they need to be a helpful role model, not a nagging critic.
Thanks for Reading!
Check out these other popular music education blog posts!
Leave a Reply