How to Teach Turn-Taking in Elementary Music

Turn-taking can be a daunting concept to music teachers. It's not fun to disappoint kids, especially when we really do want kids to participate and get to take turns.

It's something we can't avoid. But we can prepare students and help them practice other skills as we do. And did you know that at the same time, we teachers can practice our own classroom management skills?

In this post, I'm going to help you do both. I'll share 9 strategies you can start using in your music classroom to manage big feelings while also managing your own skills and classroom routines.

Let's jump in!

9 Tips For Teaching Turn-Taking in Music Class

First off...

We want all of our students to be engaged as they learn and experience music. Games and activities that require turns may be used for special opportunities or assessments, but even if not everyone is selected for a turn, they should still have something to do that engages them.

Just keep that in mind as we talk about these strategies!

1. Acknowledge that the activity requires turn-taking.

Before or after explaining or demonstrating the activity, tell them that there will be turn-taking. Briefly discuss why taking turns is important. Mention that it means we all get chances, we want to share the fun, and as much as we want to enjoy ourselves, we want our friends to enjoy themselves, too. If students ask, "Will everyone get a turn?", be honest and say, "Not today, but if not today, then another time." No need for long explanations. Keep it short and simple.

But you can also acknowledge that turn-taking can be hard. It's disappointing when you don't get picked to do something cool. I found these great rhymes on a Facebook group that are fantastic for fostering a positive mindset. Thank you, Hailey M., for sharing!

"I hope it's me, but if it's not me, I'll be okay, because we'll play another day."

"I hope it's me, but if it's not me, I hope it's you, because I want you to play too."

2. Keep track of turns

This one is exactly what it says: write down who has taken a turn. I've been in too many situations where it becomes "he said, she said" about who did what- and I don't trust my memory. Writing down turns helps with fairness and gives you a neutral way to explain that yes, Riley did have a turn last week, and no, Sam did not.

You can use this PDF I made to keep track of turns for activities, classroom jobs, or special roles.

Alternatively, you can also put names on popsicle sticks or paper slips, then place them in a special container when students have taken turns.

TIP: When you print your rosters to cut into name slips, flip them over first and draw a line with a colored marker down the backs directly behind the students' names. Then cut them into slips. Use a different color for each class. That way, if classes ever get mixed together, you can sort them easily by the color on the back!

3. Students still have a job when it isn't their turn

Not having a turn doesn't mean sitting out or zoning out. No matter what the

activity, everyone should still have a role.

Here are some examples:

1. When a student has a role like conductor, beat tapper, or soloist, they are acting as a leader. In some way, either audible or not, the rest of the class can participate musically.

   1. In the picture above, my student is directing by pointing to glyphs that the students play on their drums. The student can decide when to switch or stop, and everyone else must follow.

   2. When a student taps the beat, the rest of the class can use spider fingers (fingertips on knees) to match it.

   3. When a student sings a solo, others can audiate (sing in their heads), keep a beat using spider fingers, or give positive feedback when it's over.

2. When playing an elimination-style game, send the eliminated kids to a place where they can keep doing something, like playing an instrument to the steady beat, or using a scarf to move to the music/song. Pass the Pumpkin is a great example of this. When a student is out, they move to an instrument line-up, and eventually make their way back into the circle.

3. Special role games like Doggie, Doggie ask that all kids sing the song until the soloist performs their short part. The kid being the doggie in a non-musical role is one of those "if not today, maybe next time" situations.

4. If you use a special instrument or prop in an opening routine that only needs a few turns, this is something I would keep track of to make sure all kids get a chance some time. Say you're playing Roll the Ball, a name game. If you do only a few names each time due to a large class size for example, determine who will go when ahead of time, and communicate that. Next time, continue down your list.

4. Using turns as a motivator

Another way to get students to take a turn is through modeling. For example, the greeting song Friend Oh Friend is also a partner dance. To teach it, I walk up to a student and sing while I lead her through the motions and everyone else watches. But I'm only going to choose students I can trust who have been good role models. And my kids know this, but it's good to remind them who you're looking for to try it with you. Using this strategy can help students correct their own behavior because they want to be chosen.

Now, can this backfire if you don't pick everyone? Eh, maybe. But with this particular song, everyone can play at the same time like in the video I linked above. So while the turns were limited to good role model students, everyone then got a chance to participate.

5. When to take turns away?

I'm going to jump off of point number 4 above. You can also use the strategy of "I'm looking for a good role model student to try this with me/show the class..." to correct behavior by extending that phrase to, "If you have been a good role model in music class, maybe I'll choose you. If you aren't sure I'll pick you, what is something you can change about your behavior that might get you picked next time?" So you're not really taking a turn away, but you're helping kids become more self-aware and reminding them that yes, you do notice behaviors even when you don't call them out every time.

Here's what I really mean with this point regarding taking away turns:

You want students to have equal opportunities in your classroom. Yes games and activities are fun, but we do them for more reasons than that. We use them to teach and assess skills and give students different ways to experience music. So it's essential to include everyone.

That being said, if I can't trust a student to be safe and respectful, that is a valid reason to withhold or modify a turn. This might mean reteaching the expectations either to the whole class or one-on-one so they can succeed. It might mean clapping or patting instead of drumming. It might mean catching them at the end of class and doing an abbreviated version of the activity with them as the rest of the class lines up.

Avoid taking turns away for non-related reasons. If a kid runs into your music room loudly, that doesn't automatically warrant a turn taken away later on in class. That's an unrelated consequence that doesn't connect the misbehavior to the outcome. To maintain an environment of trust and fairness, avoid using power plays or threats of "I'm going to take away your turn later if you don't XYZ."

6. Modify or abbreviate a turn

Say a student loses a turn due to not being safe with their body. As the class practices something, let that student try it one-on-one with you. This is great because it also helps you connect with the student, who might be needing just that to feel comfortable in your class. When the student rejoins the class, use nonverbal signals to encourage them. If appropriate, reteach the whole class and ask that student to model for their peers- another great motivator and prideful moment for that student, which just strengthens the connection you just made with them. Emphasize that you have trust in all your students and that you believe they can meet the expectations.

On a podcast with music educators Anne Mileski and Victoria Boler, I heard the phrase "take a watching turn." This is a great reframing of sitting out that eliminates the shame angle. Sometimes a kid needs to sit out for a good reason- safety being a major one. So instead of being banished to a corner, they sit down and watch and notice their peers. Ask them what they noticed and if they can try again. (I can speak to this one personally: this approach would have been SO much less embarrassing than being sent to the dreaded blue chair in first grade* for what I felt was a minor infraction on my part as a typically extremely well-behaved kid. *Regular class, not music class)

And if their behavior changes to your standards, let them participate until they show you again that they're not ready. Use that exact language! "I can tell by your choice to [ex. hit the bars really hard] that you aren't ready for this activity today. You can try again [ex. next week]."

7. If your game has multiple roles, a turn is a chance at one of those roles, not both.

We have limited time with kids. There's a difference between a fair situation and an unfortunate situation, in the words of music teacher Risha Allen (rishdishfish).

So when we do Doggie, Doggie (or my St. Patrick's Day version), not every kid will be the guesser AND the secret singer.

In Beat Detective (student stands in the middle and guesses who is the one changing the beat we're all keeping), not every kid will be the beat keeper AND the guesser.

And because you're keeping track of turns, you know who's done what!

8. If a student doesn't want a turn, don't force it.

Sometimes a kid is self-conscious, sometimes they're just in a bad headspace. Don't make a big deal out of it. Circle back if there's time, or say, "Okay, you can try next time."

If you're repeating the game next week, check in and ask them if they want to try. Still a no? Encourage gently. If it's just not going to happen, then I typically respect that choice if they've been participating in other ways. Next class if they bring it up, remind them that they decided not to and that the activity is over.

This is a totally different situation from "I'm not doing that." Defiance is not okay. I remind them that school is where we learn. You can't say "I'm not doing this math lesson today" and expect the teacher to say, "Okay, no problem!". Touch base with the teacher if it becomes a habit.

My other way to handle that attitude is no participating means no participating. If they choose to sit out (and pout), then they opt out of other opportunities that day as well. Along those same lines, a turn is a turn. If I pick a student to be the beat keeper in Beat Detective, but they say they'd rather be the detective, I tell them it's keeper or nothing today. Remember, you are the teacher, and you decide. I don't like gray areas like this. Generally, I pick the turn or it's no turn this time.

9. If a student complains or whines about not having a turn today...

Remember they are kids. They are learning how to navigate emotions, rules, and just plain life. "It's okay to be upset about not having a turn today. We know that sometimes we have to wait until next time for turns." Giving huffy behavior more attention can backfire. Keep your tone calm and move along.

Giving the non-turn-takers a job can help them feel included and round out an activity. Ask them to put away the instruments or scarves after the game. Ask them to give feedback on class that day. Ask them to choose the line-up or good-bye song, or the way the class will get from the rug to the door.

It's okay to...

1. Hold boundaries. State what's happening or what happened in a calm voice, acknowledge feelings, and explain what's going to happen next in class.

2. Say no to student's turn if you cannot trust them to be safe and respectful. But make they they understand the expectations so they can try another game next time.

3. Make a mistake. "I thought we'd have time for everyone to take a turn today. It turns out that we can't do that. Next time, we'll finish turns/start a new game with the rest of the student."

Try not to...

1. Take a turn away for a non-related reason, like I mentioned above. A kid came into the room loudly and stomping? "That's not how we enter the room. You lost your turn in our game for today," is not an appropriate response. Maybe this seems obvious, but I've heard adults respond to students this way.

2. Alternate boy/girl. (Keeping track of who's had turns really eliminates the need for this, anyway.) Why? It's arbitrary and only reinforces gender stereotypes. And you may not have only boys and girls in your classroom.

3. Stop an activity for everyone when it's really only a few kids causing an issue. Punishing the group for the behaviors of a few is just unfair in elementary music. Reteach expectations, ask for student to model them, and try again.

Activities and games should be fun for everyone. These strategies will help with that while also managing behavior and teaching related skills.

Any other turn-related debacles you need help with? DM me on Instagram or email me at sarah@adifferentmusician.com!

Happy music-making!