793147

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GMTXXX10.1177/1048371318793147General Music TodayRobison

Column
General Music Today

Classroom Management Through 2018, Vol. 32(1) 33­–35

© National Association for
Music Education 2018
Lesson Design: Considering Some DOI: 10.1177/1048371318793147
https://doi.org/10.1177/1048371318793147
journals.sagepub.com/home/gmt

Often-Overlooked Variables to
Prevent Issues Before They Start

Tiger Robison1

Abstract
Classroom management skills and related issues are usually top concerns of preservice and new in-service music
educators. This column, the first in a series about classroom management issues, is about designing lessons to avoid
common behavior issues. There are many more variables to consider besides curriculum when designing a lesson,
such as the students’ experiences directly prior to music class, the culture set by the classroom teacher, and dozens
of others. This column contains a detailed examination with applicable strategies concerning two such variables: time
of day of the lesson and students’ physiological needs.

Keywords
classroom management, elementary music, general music, lesson design, lesson plans

Many music educators pay close attention to their class-
room management skills. Preservice music educators are
often eager to hear authentic stories about classroom man-
agement issues or other memorable teaching experiences
from their instructors or they desire classroom manage-
ment skills from their professors (Conway, Eros, Pellegrino,
& West, 2010; Robison, 2016). In-service music educators
know that classroom management skills can be the differ-
ence between reaching or not reaching learning goals, a
satisfying day at work or a discouraging one, and an envi-
ronment where artistry flourishes or where it is stifled. In
this column series, I wish to publish any information that is
helpful for music educators to create respectful environ-
ments in general music spaces and beyond, from philo-
sophical considerations to specific prompts for students. In
this particular column, the very first in the series, I would
like to present some considerations for building a more
ideal classroom environment before instruction begins.
“An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure,” Ben
Franklin’s famous axiom (originally about fire safety)
rings true to this context. Focusing on lesson design can
prevent several typical behavior issues before they start.
preservice or new in-service teachers begin with the cur-
riculum prescribed to them, which is a suitable place to
start a lesson design, but not a suitable place to end one.
It is wise to consider other variables besides content and
grade level, especially with students at the elementary
level, such as particular classes’ skills and tendencies,
time of day and year the class is held, the classroom
teacher’s style, the students’ physiological needs, and
dozens more (see Figure 1). Thinking about all of these
variables at once can be overwhelming (“Too much anal-
ysis can cause paralysis” as one of my mentors used to
say), but looking at examples of these variables can reveal
some refreshing entry points into designing a good lesson
that prevents classroom management issues before they
start. I would like to expand upon what I believe are two
related and most overlooked variables during lesson
design in this particular column, with the hope that it will
inspire you to record your own thoughts about some other
variables that affect behavior issues or your students in
general.

1
Overlooked Variables in Lesson University of Wyoming, Laramie, WY, USA

Design Corresponding Author:

Tiger Robison, University of Wyoming, 1000 University Avenue,
There are many, many variables involved in designing a Laramie, WY 82071, USA.
good lesson in general music. In my experience, most Email: tiger.robison@uwyo.edu
34 General Music Today 32(1)
Variable Potential Issue
Time of day Energy levels and the ability to
focus can vary greatly during
the day.
Physiological Standing or sitting for too long
needs can cause students to act out.
Classroom Students may have been overly
activities before active or inactive right before
coming to music coming to music.
Particular class Certain classes have aversions
tendencies towards some types of activities
(e.g., group work, whole class
instruction).
Student home Students have reasons to act out
life depending on difficult situations
in their homes
Special events in Students act out because they are
the community enthusiastic or anxious about a
special event happening soon
Figure 1.  Sample variables for designing lessons to prevent classroom management issues.
Time of Day of the Lesson
Researchers have discussed the effects of the time of day on
instruction for at least half a century (see Folkard, Monk,
Bradbury, & Rosenthall, 1977) with mixed results, and they
have sparked strong opinions from many educational stake-
holders. For example, if you are an in-service music educa-
tor, for clues as to what your administrators believe is the
most effective time for achievement, observe what time of
day they schedule standardized testing (it was always the
first activity in the morning in my experience). The effects
of the time of day on achievement in music education could
be an entire line of research in itself, but considering them
as they apply to your teaching situation can have a large
impact on the activities you choose for that particular class.
Fortunately, no one knows more about those effects on your
particular students than you do. To start, consider these
questions or adapt them to your teaching context:
Have my students been inside for recess due to weather
concerns? Have they been doing standardized testing all
morning? Are they coming to music directly from Physical
Education class? Does their classroom teacher typically
Possible Solutions
Have modifications to activities ready in order to alter the amount of energy needed
or difficulty level.
Create minimum and maximum times that students are able to stand or sit based
on video recordings of those classes. Write prompts “students sit” and “students
stand” in your lesson plans and keep track of minutes to stay within those ranges.
Familiarize yourself with the overall school schedule and each classroom teacher’s
particular routines immediately before coming to music class.
Be ready to change the size of groups among whole class, small groups, or individ-
ual work. Predetermine combinations of students that have worked well together
in the past.
Build a relationship with all classroom teachers and let them know that you are
interested in any information that will help you understand a child’s situation, par-
ticularly solutions that have worked recently. Check in with teachers of troubled
students the day(s) before music class.
Particularly if you do not live in the same community you teach in, subscribe to a
local newspaper or blog to raise your awareness of the community mood.
schedule a silent activity, such as an assessment or silent
reading, before music class?
To illustrate this point with an example from my experi-
ence teaching kindergarten, especially when we transi-
tioned to full-day kindergarten from half day, I noticed a
need to be ready with many activities to facilitate our cur-
ricular goal “steady beat” based on the time of day. In the
morning, I noticed students had an abundance of energy,
so I tended to use folk dances to assess steady beat. In the
afternoon, particularly at the beginning of the year, I
noticed students had tired legs and that they were grateful
for sitting activities right after recess, so I planned pass-
ing games in which students were sitting in a circle and
passing an object to the steady beat. Eventually, I differ-
entiated my kindergarten lesson plans into “a.m.” and
“p.m.” plans, which helped prevent behavior issues by
using student-preferred activities based on time of day.
Physiological Needs
Another variable to consider when designing lessons,
which usually plays a role in every other variable of design,
Robison 35
is students’ physiological needs. In a general music space,
the most impactful physiological need is students’ gross
motor activity level, which usually amounts to the differ-
ence between sitting and standing. As the same mentor I
mentioned before said to me when I first made the transi-
tion into elementary general music teaching from strings
teaching, “If they’re getting restless, stand them up. If
they’re getting tired, sit them down. Simple.” I think of that
advice every time I teach, regardless of lesson content or
my students’ age. I find many behavior issues stem from
students either sitting or standing too long, and generally
speaking, I find the younger student are, the more they
understand lesson content through their muscles. So, while
there are certain days where I crave what I sometimes think
is the “control” of students sitting and focusing on an activ-
ity for long periods of time, I have come to learn that this is
usually a recipe for the opposite outcome.
There are several ways to gauge whether you are finding
a good sitting and standing balance so that you can address
the issue in the design phase of your next lesson. The most
efficient way to identify these potential issues is to video
record a class session and to watch it while employing one
of two strategies. For the first strategy, perhaps in the pri-
vacy of your own home or office, consider standing and
sitting yourself, just as the students do in the recording.
Make a note if you are getting anxious while sitting down or
tired while standing up. Then, take those notes and adjust
activities accordingly for the next lesson. I still employ this
strategy to see if I am slipping into too much lecturing, and
sometimes I think, “If I’m getting anxious from sitting this
long, imagine how my students feel?” The amount of time
differs based on the age of the student, but the honest
attempt at student empathy should be the same. An alterna-
tive strategy to standing and sitting yourself is to watch the
recording while focusing on a “bellwether” student, who is
a student who you know is typical or representative of that
particular class based on your experience. If that student is
showing signs of fatigue while standing or anxiousness
while sitting, make notes and adjust accordingly in the
design phase of the next lesson. Making these specific
choices in your design is one effective strategy to neutralize
a student who always needs something to do and creates
issues for the class when restless.
Concluding Thoughts
I hope you find the idea of preventing classroom manage-
ment issues through working with hidden variables in les-
son design as fascinating as I do, and I hope that examining
the “time of day” and “physiological needs” variables in
particular were helpful. I encourage you to explore other
variables (some mentioned in this column and some you
find on your own), record your progress, and share your
strategies with colleagues. I will continue to publish
information about classroom management issues in this
column, but it is worth stating again that you are the one
who knows the most about your particular students’
needs, and a grateful profession will thank you for any
contributions you make public through conference ses-
sions, online posts, or publications. Still, if you want
more generalized information about students’ tendencies,
or you would like some more ideas about the particular
variables discussed here, there are some great resources
in general education about what students tend to need at
different ages. For example, in Yardsticks: Children in the
Classroom Ages 4–14, a Resource for Parents and
Teachers, Wood (1997) neatly categorizes developmental
issues, physical and social needs, and much more by age,
in what amounts to a user-friendly version of a typical
undergraduate course in child development. However,
the most valuable resources may be closer to your class-
room. Checking in with classroom teachers, parents, and
administrators you trust about students’ needs and ten-
dencies before designing a lesson can provide a wealth of
information with which to form your own judgments, all
while creating the side effect of a forming a community
dedicated to helping your students.
Declaration of Conflicting Interests
The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with
respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this
article.
Funding
The author(s) received no financial support for the research,
authorship, and/or publication of this article.
References
Conway, C., Eros, J., Pellegrino, K., & West, C. (2010).
Instrumental music education students’ perceptions of
tensions experienced during their undergraduate degree.
Journal of Research in Music Education, 58, 260–275.
doi:10.1177/0022429410377114
Folkard, S., Monk, T. H., Bradbury, R., & Rosenthall, J.
(1977). Time of day effects in school children’s immediate
and delayed recall of meaningful material. British Journal
of Psychology, 68, 45–50. doi:10.1111/j.2044-8295.1977.
tb01557.x
Robison, T. (2016). Personal and professional characteristics
of music education professors: Factors associated with
expectations and preferences of undergraduate students
(Doctoral dissertation). Available from ProQuest LLC.
(ERIC No. ED571173)
Wood, C. (1997). Yardsticks: Children in the classroom ages
4–14, a resource for parents and teachers. Greenfield,
MA: Northeast Foundation for Children.
Author Biography
Tiger Robison is an assistant professor of music education at
the University of Wyoming. His research interests include gen-
der, music teacher preparation and music teacher educators.