Let Them Play

Classroom Nanagement for the 6-8 Nusic Room

Balie Albrecht
Northern State University Honors Program
Introduction Nethod Results
Music  EducaLon  is  an  essenLal  part  of  the  K-­‐12  curriculum  in   ObservaLons  were  conducted  by  using  the  Stallings  Method.  
America.  Colleges  and  universiLes  a[empt  to  prepare  teaching   Developed  by  Jane  Stallings,  this  method  is  subject  neutral  and  can  be  
candidates  to  their  full  potenLal  before  sending  them  into  the  work   used  in  any  classroom.  There  are  four  variables  that  the  method  looks  
place.  Many  teacher  candidates  assume  that  their  classroom   at:  teachers’  use  of  instrucLonal  Lme,  teachers’  use  of  materials,  core  
management  skills  are  going  to  be  effecLve.  They  have  only   pedagogical  pracLces,  and  the  teachers’  ability  to  keep  students  
parLcipated  in  mock  classroom  situaLons  and  have  gone  into  schools   engaged  (User  Guide  3).  The  method  is  nicknamed  the  “classroom  
for  brief  observaLons.  These  teacher  candidstudentsates  have  not   snapshot”  because  it  records  the  classroom  as  if  the  students  and  
had  the  experience  of  having  their  own  classroom  and.  The  observer   teachers  were  being  photographed.  It  isn’t  based  on  the  learning  of  the  
has  not  found  a  fact-­‐based  study  specifically  for  classroom   students  or  what  the  teacher  is  teaching,  but  what  both  the  student  
management  in  music  classrooms,  but  only  anecdotal  ‘evidence’  from   and  the  teacher  are  doing.  Each  observaLon  lasts  for  fieeen  seconds,  
textbooks  and  teachers.  This  study  could  be  used  to  help  prepare   and  there  are  ten  observaLons  evenly  spaced  throughout  the  class  
future  music  educators.   period.    
ObservaLon:   PracLce  &  Drill  73.75%   Verbal  InstrucLon  22.5%   DemonstraLon  0.625%  
Abstract 1            One  Student  
Key   Reading  Aloud  0.6%   Assignment  (In  Class)  2.5%  
Classroom  management  strategies  that  should  be  included  in  your   S          Small  Group  (2-­‐6  Students)   Out  of  160  snapshot  observaLons,  118  or  73.75%  of  them  were  
L            Large  Group  (6  to  E-­‐1  Students)  
classroom  are  appearance,  presence,  rules  and  consequences,   E            EnLre  Class  (Including  Teacher   under  the  category  of  ‘pracLce  and  drill.’  When  the  students  are  
influence,  and  pacing  (Merrion  1991,  LaCombe  2003,  Newell  2012,   playing  and  engaged,  there  is  no  need  for  discipline  or  classroom  
T            Teacher  
Bauer  2001,  Snyder  1998).    Dr.  Anita  Archer  has  found  “effecLve   I              Student     management  strategies.  The  horn  is  in  their  mouth  or  the  bow  is  in  
instrucLon  and  classroom  management  pracLces  are  so  intertwined   a)  Learning  AcLviLes:    c)  Student  Off-­‐Task:   moLon,  so  they  don’t  have  the  ability  or  the  Lme  to  talk  out  of  turn.  
as  to  be  interdependent”  (TASN  2015).  This  holds  true  for  the  general   1.  Reading  Aloud   8.  Social  InteracLon  (with  other  students)  
Let  the  students  play  the  majority  of  the  Lme,  and  classroom  
2.  DemonstraLon/Lecture   9.  Student(s)  Uninvolved  
classroom,  but  when  you  move  specifically  to  music  classrooms  there   3.  Discussion   10.  Discipline   management  will  be  easy.  When  the  students  weren’t  playing,  the  
isn’t  much  research  done.  Usually,  this  classroom  is  set  up  for  a  group   4.  PracLce  &  Drill  
teacher  was  giving  ‘verbal  instrucLons’  and  the  students  were  
5.  Assignment/Class  Work   d)  Teacher  Off-­‐Task:  
effort  rather  than  an  individual  effort.  The  success  of  the  group  is   6.  Copying   8.  Social  InteracLon  (with  students)   listening.  This  accounted  for  36  or  22.5%  of  the  snapshots.  Only  one  
measured  by  concerts,  contests,  compeLLons,  and  other  public   13.  Teacher  Social  InteracLon  (with  someone  
of  the  snapshots  (0.625%)  was  for  demonstraLon.  At  this  specific  
b)  Classroom  Management:   other  than  students)  or  Teacher  Uninvolved  
venues  that  showcase  the  ensemble  (Gordon  2001).  The  researcher   7.  Verbal  InstrucLon   14.  Teacher  out  of  the  Room”  (User  Guide)   Lme,  the  teacher  was  showing  the  students  how  they  could  learn  by  
sought  to  move  beyond  the  anecdotal  “ This  worked  in  my  classroom,   10.  Discipline  
ear  (Music  Learning  Theory).  Also,  the  ‘Reading  Aloud’  category  
11.  Classroom  Management  
so  it  will  in  yours!”  to  observe  and  analyze  classroom  management  in   12.  Classroom  Management  Alone   accounted  for  one  snapshot  (0.625%).  This  snapshot  was  a  student  
two  music  classrooms  in  Aberdeen,  South  Dakota.  Employing   Learning
reading  out  of  their  method  book  and  explained  dynamics  (volume).  
Time/Activity Who? No Material Texbook Notebook Board Aides ICT Cooperative
classroom  observaLon  methods  established  by  Stallings,  the  author   1B7 T 1 S L E 1 S L E 1 S L E 1 S L E 1 S L E 1 S L E 1 S L E
‘In  class  assignments’  accounted  for  the  last  four  snapshots.  At  this  
Verbal
used  the  snapshot  diagram  and  looked  for  how  music  teachers   Instruction I 1 S L 1 S L 1 S L 1 S L 1 S L 1 S L 1 S L
Lme,  the  students  paired  off  within  their  secLon  and  pracLced  flash  
2 A4 T 1 S L E 1 S L E 1 S L E 1 S L E 1 S L E 1 S L E 1 S L E
handled  common  classroom  management  issues.  Four  issues   Practice & Drill I 1 S L 1 S L 1 S L 1 S L 1 S L 1 S L 1 S L
cards  for  note  names,  staff  locaLon,  and  fingering.  
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included  misbehavior  by  the  students,  discipline  by  the  teacher  or  by   Practice & Drill I 1 S L 1 S L 1 S L 1 S L 1 S L 1 S L 1 S L

the  office,  talking  or  playing  out  of  turn,  and  paying  a[enLon  to  the   4 B7
Verbal
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Future Research
teacher  (respect).     Instruction
5 B7
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1 S L E The  research  is  limited  because  it  uses  just  one  school  in  the  district.  
Literature Cited Verbal
Instruction I 1 S L 1 S L 1 S L 1 S L 1 S L 1 S L 1 S L This  method  of  research  could  be  used  on  a  larger  scale.    This  method  
Archer,  A.,  Dr.  (n.d.).  KSDE  TASN.  Retrieved  March  13,  2017,  from  h[ps://ksdetasn.org/resources/599    

Bauer,  William.  “Classroom  Management  for  Ensembles.”  Music  Educators  Journal,  May  2001,  Volume  87,  Issue  6.  
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1 S L of  observaLon  as  well  as  interview  quesLons  could  be  used  to  
Gordon,  Debra  G.  “Classroom  Management.”  Music  Educators  Journal,    September  2001,  Volume  88,  Issue  2.  
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compare  music  teacher’s  classroom  management  effecLveness  
throughout  the  naLon,  and  even  the  world.  With  observaLon-­‐based  
LaCombe,  Joseph  S.  “Managing  the  Music  Classroom.”  Music  Educators  Journal,    March  2003,  Volume  89,  Issue  4.  
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Merrion,  Margaret.  “Classroom  Management  for  Beginning  Music  Educators.”  Music  Educators  Journal,  October  1991,  Volume  78,  Issue  2.   Practice & Drill I 1 S L 1 S L 1 S L 1 S L 1 S L 1 S L 1 S L
Merrion,  Margaret  D.  Instruc2onal  and  Classroom  Management  for  Music  Educators.  Washington  D.C.:  University  Press  of  America,  Inc.  1982.   9 A4
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research,  it  can  eventually  turn  into  fact-­‐based  rather  than  anecdotal.  
Millican,  J.  Si.  “Part  IV:  Planning,  Management,  and  Assessment”  In  Star2ng  Out  Right:  Beginning-­‐Band  Pedagogy.  205-­‐263.  Lanham,  Maryland:  Scarecrow  Press,  Inc.:  2012  

Newell,  David.  Classroom  Management  in  the  Music  Room:  “Pin-­‐Drop  Quiet”  Classes  and  Rehearsals.  San  Diego,  CA:  Kjos  Music  Press.  2012.  
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Other  variables  that  could  be  added  are  age/school  level,  classroom  
Snyder,  David  W.  “Classroom  Management  for  Student  Teachers.”  Music  Educators  Journal,  January  1998,  Volume  84,  Issue  4.   size,  public  verses  private,  and  geographic  locaLon.  
User  Guide:  Conduc2ng  Classroom  Observa2ons.  World  Bank  Group.  2015.