Transitions in Elementary General Music Lessons
When students move from their previous class into the music room, from their spots to a barred instrument, from their instruments to a game, or from the game to a partner…. We’re in a transition time.
An active music lesson is full of transitions! As we change musical activities and areas of the classroom, students need guidance on how to transition between learning tasks.
Transitions are an explicit part of Kodaly levels training. While they’re associated with the Kodaly framework, I believe they’re useful for any educator, regardless of the subject or teaching philosophy.
Transitions for Behavior, Pacing, and Curriculum
Transitions are the connectors of the lesson. They allow for one activity to flow into the next seamlessly.
There are many reasons we might choose to think intentionally about transitions - here are just a few:
Classroom Management
Most classroom management issues come up during transition time, as students move between activities.
Even when we think our directions are clear (“line up” or “walk to an instrument”), students actually need guidance on how we would like them to move from one activity to the next. When students don’t have a specific direction for how to transition, they’ll fill in the gap on their own. Normally this is with a behavior that doesn’t serve the overall learning process.
Thoughtful transitions give students something to do as they move from one activity to the next.
Our students are active! Instead of working against their natural desire for activity, how can we create more opportunities for engagement? How can we keep high expectations for their behavior, while being developmentally appropriate, and while moving the curriculum forward? How can we use their natural desire for activity as a way to further musical learning?
When we think intentionally about transitions, we’re in a better place to guide student behavior so our musicians stay on task.
Lesson Pacing
When we think through our transitions, we’re less likely to get bogged down in the logistics of the lesson.
Often, we can find ourselves taking longer than we expected to set up games, pass out instruments, and move between songs. These processes can slow down the lesson pacing if we don’t think through how we can guide the students’ experience between activities.
Thoughtful transitions help us prepare for where the lesson may get stuck, and how we’ll help keep the pacing upbeat.
As Much Musicing As Possible
My Kodaly level 1 teacher, Karen Shuford, commented that “Most of the lesson should be spent experiencing music, not talking about it.” Transitions are a beautiful way to use as much musicing as possible in an active music curriculum.
With thoughtful transitions, we don’t have to constantly stop and start the lesson to introduce a song or explain directions or to pass out instruments or with their shoulder partner - we just flow into the next activity. Students are making music or thinking musically the whole time.
Transitions also give us information about how students are processes the musical information. Since many transitions use the application of knowledge in a new setting - in a transition - these connecting pieces actually can serve a practical assessment purpose as well.
Transitions work overtime as a way to gamify the lesson, keep students engaged, keep the classroom running smoothly, keep the pacing of the lesson upbeat, and give more opportunities to music - instead of talking about music.
Types of Transitions in Elementary General Music
When we think about transitions in elementary general music, might be looking at a zoomed-out view that helps students move into the music classroom itself, and connect several different lessons together over a period of several weeks.
These transitions help students recall information over multiple classes.
We might also be looking at a zoomed-in transition that connects individual lesson segments together.
These transitions help the lesson move smoothly between learning experiences.
Today we’ll look at the zoomed-in view, connecting individual segments of a lesson together.
“Drag-and-Drop” Transitions
I refer to these as “drag-and-drop” transitions because they don’t require any additional planning!
These are used especially when students are moving from one location to the other (like lining up, moving to instruments, getting manipulatives, things like that). They’re by far the most used in my teaching because of how many procedural or logistic steps we have in a single lesson.
If you’re new to transitions and just looking for an easy way to start, here are a few ideas:
Musical Directions
One way to keep students engaged as we give directions is to continue the musical meter and tone set from the previous activity.
Speak directions in a meter while the class pats a steady beat. Consider prompting students to echo the directions back for more engagement.
Example: “When you get to the drums,” (When I get to the drums) “Your hands go on your head! (My hands go on my head!)
Change the words of the song to be directions to the next steps in the lesson
Example: After playing the game to Bluebird Bluebird, the teacher changes the words of the song and keeps the same melody: “Walk to your spots and have a seat, walk to your spots and have a seat, walk to your spots and have a seat, ooooooohhhhh sit down on your spo-ot”
Sing the focus song as you change locations in the classroom (line up, move back to your spots, move to an instrument, get manipulatives, etc.)
Example: Students singing and playing the game to Apple Tree, students sing the song one more time while walking to their spots.
Movement
Movement is another transition that takes little to no prep. Simply giving students something to do as they change locations is helpful. This is also a great way to include more student choice in our teaching!
Tiptoe, step, slide, wiggle as you change locations in the classroom (line up, move back to your spots, move to an instrument, get manipulatives, etc.)
Musical Skills Transitions:
These transitions can require a bit more preparation to plan. However, they’re invaluable when putting together a cohesive, musical lesson!
These transitions can be used to guide logistic changes (like changing locations in the room or handing out instruments). They can also be used to make musical connections between lesson segments and transfer content knowledge to a new setting.
Keep in mind that we can combine these transitions as necessary. For example, students might move to the melodic contour of a song as they move back to their spots. Once they’re there, they read a target phrase that the teacher changes to match the opening of the next song.
Let’s look at both functions of transitions in these ideas: logistics and musical content.
Sing & Speak:
Logistics Transition:
Sing the focus song as you change locations in the classroom (line up, move back to your spots, move to an instrument, get manipulatives, etc.)
Sing the focus song as you find a partner with eye contact. You may only be partners with someone singing!
Musical Content Knowledge Transition:
Using a phrase with the target melodic element, echo sing a portion of the song that matches the next song in the lesson. Students identify the matching phrase.
Example: After an activity with the song, Sea Shell, students echo sing the last four beats, “sing about the sea.” The teacher sings the song again on a neutral syllable and students echo. The teacher asks students to find the words that match the same melody in Rocky Mountain (“do remember me”). Students sing Rocky Mountain.
Sing the bass line to a focus song. Continue singing the same bass line to introduce the next song
Example: During the high concentration portion of the lesson, students sing the bass line to Rocky Mountain while walking around the room and moving to the melodic contour of the bass line. Students continue singing the bass line while walking back to their spots. As students continue singing the bass line, the teacher sings the melody to Tideo. Seated, half the class sings the bass line and half the class sings Tideo.
Play:
Logistics Transition:
Clap the rhythm of the words as you change locations in the classroom (line up, move back to your spots, move to an instrument, get manipulatives, etc.)
Clap the rhythm of the words, and choose if you’ll crescendo or decrescendo as you move to your spot.
Play the rhythm of the words on body percussion of your choice as you change locations in the classroom (line up, move back to your spots, move to an instrument, get manipulatives, etc.)
Play the rhythm of the words on rhythm sticks. When the teacher comes by to collect the rhythm sticks, continue clapping the rhythm of the words until all the sticks are gathered.
Musical Content Knowledge Transition:
Clap the rhythm of the song with an ostinato. Keep the ostinato going into the next song.
Example: After singing and playing the game to Alabama Gal, the teacher claps an ostinato (ta-di ta-di ta-di ta) as students clap the rhythm of the song. At the end of the song, the teacher motions for students to clap the ostinato. As students clap the ostinato, the teacher claps the rhythm to the next song in the lesson, Weevily Wheat. At the end of the song, students join in clapping the rhythm of Weevily Wheat in unison.
Play matching phrases by ear
Example: After playing the melody of Plainsies Clapsies at a barred instrument, students work with their shoulder partner to play Bounce High Bounce Low by ear. The teacher leads students in checking their work by having the whole class play and sing the melody together.
Play partner rhythms
Example: After singing and playing the game to Tideo, students pat the rhythm of Tideo while the teacher plays the rhythm of Rocky Mountain.
Move:
Logistics Transition:
Move to the melodic contour of a song as you change locations in the classroom (line up, move back to your spots, move to an instrument, get manipulatives, etc.)
Clap the rhythm of the words, and choose if you’ll crescendo or decrescendo as you move to your spot. If you crescendo, start in a small shape and get bigger. If you decrescendo, start in a big shape and get smaller.
Musical Content Knowledge Transition:
The teacher plays the rhythm of the next song in four-beat phrases on a hand drum. Students echo move to the four-beat rhythms in open space. Eventually echo move back to spots.
Example: After speaking and moving to Engine Engine Number Nine, the teacher plays four-beat rhythms on a hand drum and students echo move with “tiptoes” and “steps” around the room in open space. Eventually the teacher transitions the rhythm to four beats of Zapatitos Blancos. Students echo tiptoe and step their way back to their spots. Once they’re seated, they play the game to Zapatitos Blancos.
Read:
Logistics Transition:
Students choose their favorite rhythm from a list of short rhythmic phrases on the board and hold up fingers to show which rhythm they choose (like in this assessment activity for Old Brass Wagon). When the teacher claps students’ chosen rhythm, they echo clap it while changing locations (lining up, moving back to spots, moving to an instrument, getting manipulatives, etc.)
Musical Content Knowledge Transition:
One small change: Read notation to a known song. The teacher gradually transforms the notation to match the next song.
Example: After singing and playing the game to Apple Tree, students clap the rhythm of the first four beats on the board. The teacher changes the rhythm to show the first four beats of Bee Bee Bumblebee.
Write:
Musical Content Knowledge Transition:
The teacher sings a known melody on a neutral syllable and students dictate. The teacher sings the next song (with the same pitch set) on a neutral syllable. Students notate the new song and identify it.
Example: After singing and playing the game to Bounce High Bounce Low, the teacher sings the melody on a neutral syllable, four beats at a time. Students use bingo chips or other manipulatives to notate the melody on the staff. Eventually the teacher sings the opening melody of Luna Lunera on a neutral syllable. Students notate the melody and identify the song.
Improvise:
Logistics Transition:
Echo clap the teacher’s rhythm as you move to instruments. On the way back after the activity, improvise a response to the teacher’s rhythm instead of echoing.
Echo the teacher’s rhythms as you change locations in the classroom room (line up, move back to your spots, move to an instrument, get manipulatives, etc.), but improvise a new order of body percussion instead of clapping.
Musical Content Knowledge Transition:
Play a portion of a known song or rhyme and improvise another portion. Eventually the teacher plays the next song or rhyme instead of improvising.
After singing and playing the game to Ickle Ockle, students clap the first eight beats of the song and improvise the second half. After a few iterations, the teacher claps the opening rhythm to the next song, We Are Dancing in the Forest instead of improvising.
Inner Hearing and Listening:
Logistics Transition:
Inner hear the focus song while changing locations in the classroom (line up, move back to your spots, get manipulatives, etc.). Students step the steady beat of the song as they move.
Inner hear the focus song while changing locations in the classroom (line up, move back to your spots, get manipulatives, etc.). Choose one key word (like all the colors, or the last word) for students to clap on as they inner hear.
The teacher plays the melody of a new song on recorder as students change locations in the classroom (line up, move back to your spots, get manipulatives, etc.). As students move, ask them to listen for one thing they notice about the song.
Musical Content Knowledge Transition:
The teacher signs the melody to a known song, then uses a connecting phrase to start the hand signs to show the next song. Students guess the song.
Example: After singing and playing the game to Bow Wow Wow, the teacher signs the melody using body solfege. Students inner hear and copy the solfege signs with the teacher. The teacher uses the last phrase “mi re do” to start the next song, such as Fais Do Do, Frog in the Meadow, or Hot Cross Buns. Students raise their hands when they guess the song.
The teacher sings the melody to the next song on a neutral syllable or on solfege syllables. Students sing along when they recognize the song.
Example: After singing and playing the game to Here Comes a Bluebird, the teacher signs the solfege of the opening eight beats and students sign along. The teacher shares the next song is different, and students may sing along when they guess what it is. The teacher silently signs the melody of Plainsies Clapsies. Students sign along and sing when they know the song.
Thematic Transitions
Thematic transitions work especially well with younger students. They’re a simple and engaging way to tie lesson segments together.
Creating narratives that connect stories together is a common option for thematic transitions. Another option is seeking out songs with similar themes. Let’s look at both options.
Connecting Stories:
Consider how pieces of the lesson might fit together in a story. Here are a few options:
Characters meet each other
Example: After the Bee was done buzzing around the pig and the man, he flew over a hill and guess who he saw?!
Characters go places
After Johnny was done working with his hammer he was so hungry! So he decided to go to the baker’s shop. (Sing Down to the Baker’s Shop)
Characters fall asleep or wake up
While Engine Number Nine is moving over the hills and across the fields, we’re probably getting tired. We’ve been traveling a long time! Let’s get just a little bit of sleep and then see where we are when we wake up. (Sing Goodnight Sleep Tight or another lullaby)
Characters have a party or an event
We have so many tortillas ready for the party after speaking Tortillitas Para Mama! Now our guests are here and we’re ready for the pinata! (Sing Dale Dale Dale)
Similar Themes:
Lesson segments can also tie together when they use similar themes, such as:
Bell Horses leading to My Little Pony Needs New Shoes, leading to Cobbler Cobbler
John the Rabbit, leading to Oats Peas Beans
Los Pollitos Dicen, leading to Come Back Home My Little Chicks
Visual Transitions:
Students are asked to listen and process an enormous amount of verbal information on a daily basis! We know from our look at Universal Design for Learning that one way to meet the needs of all learners is to use more than one mode of communication. Transitions can be a beautiful way to use visual communication in addition to the auditory communication students may be asked to use more often.
Sign Language
Use sign language for sit and stand, make a circle, turn to a partner.
Pictures
Use pictures of game formations such as concentric circles or a longways set.
Written Directions
Simply writing directions on the board instead of speaking them without a visual aide can be a helpful transition!
When students need to turn to a partner and discuss a prompt (such as what they notice about the new melodic element)
Today we’ve looked at how transitions can transform a general music lesson by keeping students engaged, helping classroom management, and maximizing the amount of time students spend musicing.
We’ve also looked at several types of transitions, like non-musical transitions, musical transitions, thematic transitions, and visual transitions.
A lesson template is a great way to ensure details like transitions are thought through. You can find the one I use in this Guide to Daily Lesson Planning as part of The Elementary Music Planning Kit.
