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Free music education resources for teachers

Sub Plans for Music Class

Posted on February 5, 2012 By admin

I’m heading to TMEA later this week and my substitute teachers are not music teachers. In fact, there are only a handful of “music substitutes” in the area and I think they were booked for TMEA before the first week of school!

What to do? Show videos to every class? I say, no. Videos have their place and a few classes will see video segments, but this isn’t a last minute absence due to illness, so I’m planning ahead. Most of my classes will do three things on Thursday.

First, they’ll play games they already know. I type out detailed instructions for the substitute, but other than facilitating, the students run the show. Naturally, I highlight names of trusted students on each seating chart, leave all props (doggie bones, chickens, etc.) on my desk, and most importantly, include a comfortable starting pitch for each song. Students take turns playing the starting pitch on a xylophone using “ta ta tadi ta” for “1, 2, ready sing.”

Second, every class will also learn a new song during the lesson. That’s right. Whichever song I taught the other students in that grade level that week is included in the lesson. Sometimes there’s a good example in the textbook. However, if the song is not in the textbook or the version is different, I simply record myself singing each song and burn a CD. Need more info? See the next paragraph.

My school computer has Audacity loaded on it. It’s a free, downloadable software and not too hard to figure out. I sing into the microphone 1. straight through the song, 2. singing one phrase at a time with enough beats for the class to echo me, 3. singing two phrases at a time, and 4. singing the whole song again. It’s not perfect, but at least the time is utilized wisely so the students are not quite so far behind the next time I see them. Then I convert the tracks into mp3’s and either load it onto my iPod or burn a CD. These tracks don’t have to performance quality! No one else will hear them except your students and the sub, so go for it!

Finally, every class will have a listening example. This week, a few classes will listen to and move with the DVD Move It! and others will listen to an example on CD.

What do you leave for your classes when you have a planned absence?

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Comments (5)

  1. Claude Weber says:
    May 25, 2012 at 2:09 am

    Ola! Alisha,
    Very interesting, I am browsing for some unexpected emergency lesson strategies to use for my music classroom. I’m new to this school so i am not absolutely sure what my students know and i am terrified to leave everything above their level. Any allow or reliable tips. i desired to depart some music games. But then once again i’m not absolutely sure the sub would want pupils to be loud? Enable please?
    Good Job!

    Reply
  2. rhythmandglues says:
    July 9, 2012 at 8:57 pm

    I agree! When I have a planned absence, some of my favorite lesson plans include song games. I just set up my laptop, sing into Garage Band, and bust out a CD. Usually, the sub gets a hang of the song and doesn’t need the CD after the first few times.

    I try to leave several different options for games. If I want the kids to sing a certain song, I might leave a low-movement version of the game. Then, if the kids are being really great, the sub can choose to use the high-movement version…like a chase game! The subs usually appreciate the variety.

    I like your blog! Thanks for sharing! 🙂

    Reply
    1. Alisha says:
      August 18, 2012 at 3:11 pm

      Great ideas, rhythmandglues. Thanks for sharing!

      Reply
  3. Janet says:
    January 25, 2016 at 2:50 am

    Hi, I hope you don’t mind. I linked to this post over on my blog for music sub ideas. http://musicsublessons.blogspot.com Jan

    Reply
  4. Janet says:
    January 25, 2016 at 2:52 am

    Oops. I meant to leave a link to exactly your post and not just the new blog. http://musicsublessons.blogspot.com/2016/01/sub-plans-for-music-class.html

    Reply

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