There are a lot of times a performance seems too heavy. Lots of snow days, young students who are a nervous bunch, limited contact time, and a variety of other reasons. One other large reason is that performances take up a TON of time. Conceptual learning CAN happen during this time, but it’s not easy, and it can require a ton of prep to put on a musical performance. Unless you have ample time to rehearse, it can be very taxing on our limited time with students. Not everyone is willing to sacrifice learning time and not everyone HAS the time to teach something like this. There are alternatives to elementary music performances that feel more natural, take less prep time, and align with what is going on in the classroom. While some options do take less time and look more like what happens in class, the alternatives to elementary music performances are easy to implement and give your students a chance to show off what they do every day.
Family Night
Host in the gym or cafeteria, not a stage. Families come and students from different classes each sing a few songs, do a dance, or play instruments. It CAN be vaguely concert-y except it will be much more casual, and shorter “performances”. Just a little taste of what they are learning. Think more like entertainment at a party vs. a sit down and watch all the things we learned. You can do this with a few grade levels or just one depending on the size of the grade.
Have teachers on hand for crowd control issues, but it should feel more natural vs formal. Have the Art Teacher display art, and let students show off their classrooms now that they are occupied. This can be a team effort with other teachers in the school.
Folk Dance Night
This is a multi-class event. Students learn some dances in their classes leading up to it, and then bring in the adults for one evening activity so students can teach their parents what they are learning and socialize with other families. I love the social aspect of this one and it is a great opportunity for parents to see what kids are doing but also learn it themselves!
Folk dances were socials and a family folk dance night is a great opportunity for families to do just that! It’s a party and make sure it feels like it. You can even serve snacks (maybe ask the PTO for help), and get your admin or classroom teachers to learn to call a dance or two for some extra fun.
Informance
Speaking of learning what the kids do, this is the last option. This is essentially a chance for parents to come to music class and see what kids do in your room. Run class as normal. “Inform” This is really important because it shows the PROCESS, the LEARNING, and the
A few tips:
- Practice ahead of time with your students so they know what activities are being done. This isn’t the time to introduce a new game and explain rules to students.
- Chose things your students will be successful at!
- Incorporate some activities that parents can join in like a game or dance.
- Use instruments. Show the process of building an Orff arrangement if that is something you do normally.
- Do activities that you usually do and are a large part of your class structure. Dictation, part work, whatever they may be.
- Have parents try an exit ticket 😉
Benefits
SO MUCH LESS STRESS!
For you and students.
- It’s less cost involved. No costumes, scripts, etc. Less cost for families too. No pressure to get fancy clothes, or shoes they will wear once.
- It shows off what students do in their normal life. Not a finished product. Showing the nitty gritty of what our students can do in the classroom is much more impactful than the glitz because parents will realize their kids can read/write music, and create with it.
- Perhaps people will be more appreciative of what goes into the day to day in the music classroom because they see actual learning, not just performance (even though so much goes into that too).
- Support: This is a great opportunity for you to put out “volunteer in the music room” sheets 🙂 Check out this post for ideas for what parents can do.
Looking for more concert planning things? Check out The Elementary Music Concert Guide.
I hope this has given you some ideas!
