I’ve had a few requests lately from readers regarding more info about what kind of activities I do with my Homeschool Music Classes and Piano Readiness classes, so I thought it might first be a good idea to first give you a peek into how I lesson plan for group classes. Although I don’t lesson plan for teaching private lessons, I do always make a plan for group classes.
At each class, we begin and end with a “Hello Song” and “Goodbye Song.” Students like having this routine, and they are very good at reminding me about the songs if I forget about them! I have the students tap the beat on their knees (as we sit cross-legged on our carpet squares) while we sing. That way, I can tell if they are engaged even if they aren’t singing all the lyrics for one reason or another.
When I lesson plan the evening before the next day’s class, I try to include the following things:
- Some kind of worksheet or written activity that they can take home and show their parents or hang on the fridge.
- At least one kind of movement activity. I believe that the best way to develop a good sense of rhythm in students is through movement-related activities. Including movement activities in classes is strategic also because young children can’t sit still for very long. I find it’s best to do a movement activity right before the worksheet time so they can get their wiggles out!
- At least one activity using the piano. I use silent keyboards and other props/games to learn various pre-piano concepts away from the piano, but I also make it a priority to let them use the actual piano because 1) that’s the whole point: nurturing a desire to make beautiful sounds at the piano; and 2) they love it so much!
On my lesson plan, I organize each activity chronologically, with a note next to each activity of the approximate time that each activity will begin. I usually watch the clock pretty closely as I teach and try to stay on schedule. If an activity takes longer or shorter than I anticipated, I adjust the next activity accordingly. I also plan an “if time” activity in case it’s needed. It’s important to be flexible!
At the end of the lesson plan, I compile a list of needed materials, so that I can easily gather them the next day before class and put everything in a basket.
Since the Homeschool Music class is intended to be a more academic class (versus the focus on music-making and pre-piano skills of the Piano Readiness Class), we are studying a composer each week. I let them color a coloring page of the composer while I read a simple biography. Then we listen to a famous composition and complete a worksheet that I create about the composition.
Here’s a screenshot of a lesson plan from last October, complete with all the elements mentioned above (click the image to enlarge, and then hit esc. to exit from viewing the image):
That pretty much sums up my method of lesson planning. If you have questions or your own tips about lesson planning, share them in the comments!