Music Teacher Tips - #6 - Pacing
Updated: Apr 10, 2020
Music Teacher Tip #6 - #Pacing:
Do you find yourself running out of time at the end of class or trying to give important end-of-class instructions as the bell rings? đĽ´
PACING... itâs so important and yet, we often conduct class without so much as glancing at a clock. Here are some tips to help you stay and track and make sure you teach what you need to teach.
â° At the very least, be sure a clock is visible to you, not the kids.
â° Write pacing times into your plans.
â° If your plans are all up here đđźââď¸, at least write a list of goals and put times that you want to accomplish them by. For example, âBe able to accurately sing pitches and rhythms of âIf You Heard My Voiceâ - mm. 15-23 by 10:25.â
â° If you know you have issues with pacing, enlist your students to help. Share the goals, then tell them youâd appreciate it if when itâs 5 minutes until that time, that they would hold up a 5 đđž. Theyâre not allowed to interrupt you - just show you the hand. When they do this, just thank them or give them a smile and a nod. Nothing keeps me honest more than telling someone else what Iâm going to do.
â° I donât know about you, but I always wanted more time and I love to teach, so I had a habit of running out of time. I eventually bought a magnetized cook timer that would beep 3 times when I had 5 minutes left. The fact that I started it at 45 minutes and then let it count DOWN meant I could always see how much time I really had left. That cured me! It was also fun to see the kids sit up a little straighter when the 5-minute warning timer went off. They knew I was about to summarize the lesson and make sure we learned what we said we would learn (Closure).
This final step of closure is important. Practice pacing and use these tips and youâll be a happier, calmer, better teacher. đ
Happy pacing! â°đ