When Kids Own the Music Room: Autonomy Leads to Buy-In

Last summer, I read two particularly interesting books: Culturally Responsive Teaching & The Brain by Zaretta Hammond and Compassionate Music Teaching by Karin S. Hendricks. They got me thinking about how I might shift the balance of power in my classroom, and were front of mind when it came time to set two Student Growth Goals and one Professional Growth Goal. (I’m required to do this every year. You probably have similar expectations.) I decided that my professional growth goal would be to give my students more say in what happens in the music classroom, particularly with my older students. I have an especially great group of fourth and fifth graders this year, so I figured they could be my guinea pigs and we would all still come out of the experience intact.

The first step I tried was to assign class jobs. I thought this would help smooth out our routines while giving the kids a vested interest in how things run in my classroom. I looked on Teachers Pay Teachers for ideas, but didn’t find anything that I felt would engage all the kids without also being a ton of work for me. So, I asked the kids to brainstorm all the things they thought kids could do that I either have been doing or should have been doing. It was a remarkable process.

Between my nine intermediate classes, the kids came up with eighteen jobs in three categories: Maintenance, Management, and Teaching. Each student then selected at least three jobs they wanted to do as well as at least three they did not want to do. Since my classes typically have around thirty kids, that meant most jobs had two students to do them. Amazingly, every kid in every class got a job they selected. Right there, we had a lesson in valuing each person: different strengths and preferences are needed for a community to function smoothly. The kids kept their jobs for about six weeks, then chose their top preferences again. Some jobs that were very sought after on the initial round became less popular as the year went on and vice versa. 

Next, we talked about consequences. How do we treat others when they make a mistake versus when they choose to disrupt? What should the consequence be for disruptions or disrespect? I tend to let the little things slide, but the kids were not so wishy-washy. Their initial reactions were pretty severe, with punitive measures as the go-to. With some conversation, each class agreed that if someone asks you to stop, you should simply stop. If you don’t, you should take a time out until you are ready to let the class learn. An apology will always be welcome, but not required. The kids wanted to assign a student to the job of managing behavior, but I did not feel comfortable giving one student power over another. We left it that if a student asked another to stop and they didn’t, I would assign the time out, but that the offender would decide when they were ready to rejoin the class. (Surprisingly, there have been no time outs as of this writing.)

Finally, I gave the kids some input as to what they wanted to learn. Third graders chose to learn recorders and fourth graders wanted to learn ukuleles. Since these are both core parts of my curriculum, I didn’t have to change a single thing I was doing, but the kids felt like they had driven the decision and buy-in was 100%. Fifth graders were very enthusiastic about learning to play guitar. This was only possible because my district has a traveling set of guitars. It’s gone largely unused since I started teaching ukulele a decade ago, but I wanted to prove to the kids that their preferences mattered, and that even old dogs can learn new tricks, so I checked out the guitars and off we went.

Once the kids had some basic skills with ukulele and guitar, I let them drive the song choices within set parameters. The songs they chose had to:

• be school appropriate;
• use root-position chords with no barred chords;
• have no more than six chords, with enough time to shift between them;
• have a predicatable form.

Once they created a list of songs they wanted to learn, I did a little research and found a few that they liked and that fit my criteria. I printed out lead sheets with chords and tabs and let them choose which song to work on. Then I let them teach themselves and each other. They came up with some creative solutions for kids who were struggling, such as having two kids take turns playing chords so they had more time to switch. In the case of a kid who has very low cognition, the group decided to have him conduct their song when guitar proved too challenging.

At the end of the year, I have the fifth graders design their own culminating performance. I have been doing this for the last few years and it is delightful. I require them to do a mixed ensemble with their class and to sing a couple songs as a grade, one of which has to have harmony. After that, it’s up to them. They choose what to share with their families individually, by class, and as a grade level. Last year, the kids chose to include a talent show and share their Chrome Music compositions. I look forward to seeing what they choose this year!

It can be scary to give the kids so much control over their learning. I admit I have done it little by little, only giving away control when I am ready. (I am also quite willing to take control back if needed.) Giving kids ownership over their learning is often messy and noisy. It is definitely less refined! Sometimes, they don’t hit as high a skill level as they would have under a more “I teach. You learn.” model, but often they achieve more. I think this is because they are working for themselves rather than for me. And this is the best lesson of all.

In case you are curious about the jobs the kids designed, here they are.

Maintenance Team

Chair Support – keep chairs stacked neatly
Lighting Design – choose lighting for the day or as needed
Office Manager – make sure supply bins are organized at the end of each class
Instrument Manager – put instruments away as needed, organize drums/ukes/guitars
Computer Technician – run slides for songs, ask computer assistant for help if needed
Location Consultant – find spots for new students, help people find their spot on risers
Recorder Technician – take recorders to cafeteria, pick up as needed (3rd grade only)

Management Team

Choral Conductor – choose singing warm-ups
Musicianship Manager – prepare rhythm warm-ups
BARK Card Manager – write BARK cards (our school-specific good-job tokens)
Daily Point Coordinator – control daily points throughout class
Line Up Coordinator – call groups or people to line up, make sure line is ready
Substitute – do jobs for anyone who is absent

Teaching Assistants

Vocal Coach – demonstrate songs and warm-ups (must be confident singer)
Student Behavior Specialist – model correct behavior at all times
Teaching Assistant – assist guest teachers
Schay’s Shadow – do whatever Schay needs
Sound Designer – listen when we sing or play to figure out what needs improvement