Creating Expectations and Rules

I will share the mission statements of the school and the music program with the
students. The mission statements will also be posted in the classroom and/or music
hallway. It is important that the students know and understand the purpose of their
overall education as well as their music education. The mission statements will serve as
the basis for our goals and expectations for the class.
I want my students to be actively involved in creating the expectations and rules
for their class. At the beginning of the school year, we will take five to ten minutes of
several class periods to create the plan for the class. First, I would like to establish the
goals and vision for the band. The vision is generally related to music mission statement,
but it can be specifically created for each band. There is a teambuilding activity based on
the motto “E pluribus unum” that I will use in my classroom. There is a large sheet of
paper/poster with the words “E pluribus unum” written in the center, which translates to
“Out of many, one.” I will explain what this phrase means, and ask each student to write
what he or she can contribute to the full ensemble. This activity will provide ideas for
goal setting. I will review each of the post-it notes and mold them together to form a
handful of goals. I will then share the goals with the class, and we can adjust them as
needed.
The students and I will create expectations and rules by using the STAR method.
The classroom students establish the STAR expectations, and I, the teacher, serve as the
facilitator. STAR stands for “Sit tall and attentively, Track the speaker, Ask and answer
appropriate questions, Respect people and property.” For each section of STAR, the
students will be asked what it looks like, feels like, and sounds like. Each section of
STAR will have a large paper/poster with a Y chart, which allows for a breakdown of the
categories. As an example, the students will be asked to demonstrate what it looks like to
sit tall. They will have time to write down cue words or phrases on sticky notes and
place their sticky notes on the corresponding Y chart space. Once everyone has
contributed, I will read the notes and discuss the ideas with the students. I have the final
say on the created expectations. Once the expectations have been finalized, we will agree
that the chart is the class contract among the students and myself as the teacher.
Throughout the first two weeks of school, this activity will be used for each section of the
STAR method.
Although the students will cover most expectations and rules in the activities with
my guidance, I will provide and teach additional expectations and rules as needed. The
STAR method will add more specific rules and expectations for the students to follow
and will mainly pertain to in-class behavior and participation. The specific expectations
and rules I am looking for include: staying on task, respecting others and their space,
treating the instruments and music appropriately, raising your hand to speak, use active
listening, complete your work and contributions, arrive on time, and be prepared to
actively learn.