Winter Break Reset: Strategies to Start the New Semester
There’s been a lot of talk recently about what to do the week after winter break. While the tendency might be to hit the ground running, this is also a great time to slow down and lay a solid foundation for what’s coming. What are habits or routines you started but maybe didn’t continue throughout the first semester? What things have you noticed are lacking in your program or curriculum? Being intentional after a long break can help lay the groundwork for a more productive, musical, and fun second half of the year.
Based on what you’re looking for when you return to school, here are a couple of suggestions that might work for you and your students.
Reflect and Set Goals
Reflection and goal setting is good for both you and your students. After winter break, take a few minutes to think about the first half of the school year. What went well? What would you like to improve upon? What are your hopes for the upcoming semester? Provide students with time to think about these questions, then work together to come up with a plan. How will you move forward? It’s important that reflection comes first, followed by goal setting, followed by an action plan. It’s even better if the goals can be SMART: specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound. Once you’ve taken the time to reflect and set goals, be sure to refer back to them periodically over the next several months.
Student Conductors
A great way to review and help everyone get back in the swing of things is to give students a chance to conduct their favorite pieces from the first half of the year. This could be ensemble repertoire, or lines from the method book. Students enjoy leading their peers, and it’s a great way to get kids playing again, especially if instruments have been sitting in their cases for the last two weeks. While students are conducting, you can join in and play with the ensemble, circulate the room to provide assistance as needed, or use the time to repair any instruments that have inevitably broken since the last time you rehearsed.
Sight-Reading and Composition
We all know how important sight-reading is as a skill for instrumentalists. One fun way to find new sight-reading examples is to have students compose them! Provide some parameters, maybe specific keys, ranges, or rhythmic values, and encourage students to compose a short melody for their instrument. If students are writing using paper and pencil, after they compose their melody, they can trade with a friend who plays the same instrument to practice sight reading. Or, if you have access to a notation program, students could compose their melody digitally and use the transpose features to create parts for other instruments.
Sight-Reading and Score Study
Once your students are ready to look at new repertoire, consider how they can be even more involved in the early stages of music preparation. After students have sight-read a piece once or twice, provide them with an opportunity to engage in basic score study. This is a great way for students to take ownership over learning their parts, and dig into the music more than they would otherwise. Direct students to look for things like time signature and key signature, accidentals, expressive markings, and more. Check out this Student-Led Score Study template for more ideas.
Something Just for Fun
If your students are anything like mine and you just need something fun to get them playing again, consider the game “play until your fingers fall off.” Trust me, it’s more fun than it sounds 😁 For this game, we start at the beginning of the method book and play every single line, in order, with nothing but a couple seconds to pause in between. It’s a great way to review old concepts, starting with things from the beginning of the year, working through to newer and more complex ideas. And the students love it! They jokingly complain as they get tired, and then beg to do this activity later in the school year as well. The key is to not stop and make corrections, just keep playing and have a good time with it.
Conclusion
The start of a new semester presents a fresh opportunity to cultivate a positive and productive learning environment. By prioritizing reflection, incorporating student leadership, and engaging in creative learning activities, you can foster a renewed sense of enthusiasm and musical growth within your classroom. Remember to prioritize fun and celebrate your students’ accomplishments throughout the journey. Happy New Year!
