--- title: Classroom Rules description: What are your expectations for the students coming into your music class? image: https://blog.musicplay.ca/hubfs/Screen%20Shot%202023-06-07%20at%208.50.38%20AM.png --- [![musicplay-logo](https://blog.musicplay.ca/hs-fs/hubfs/musicplay-logo-2.png?width=2701&height=877&name=musicplay-logo-2.png "musicplay-logo")](http://musicplay.ca) Open main menu Close main menu [Blog Posts](https://blog.musicplay.ca/tag/blog-posts) # Classroom Rules [Denise Gagne](https://blog.musicplay.ca/author/denise-gagne) [Share this blog post on Twitter](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=I+found+this+interesting+blog+post&url=https://blog.musicplay.ca/classroom-rules) [Share this blog post on Facebook](http://www.facebook.com/share.php?u=https://blog.musicplay.ca/classroom-rules) ![](https://blog.musicplay.ca/hubfs/Screen%20Shot%202023-06-07%20at%208.50.38%20AM.png) What are your expectations for the students coming into your music class?   In this newsletter, I’ll share some different sets of classroom rules, and some of the ways that I’ve used to reinforce positive behavior. PDF files of the Music room rules can be found at https://store.musicplay.ca/  ![Screen Shot 2023-06-07 at 8.39.52 AM](https://blog.musicplay.ca/hs-fs/hubfs/Screen%20Shot%202023-06-07%20at%208.39.52%20AM.png?width=260&height=337&name=Screen%20Shot%202023-06-07%20at%208.39.52%20AM.png) [Music Rules Poster Pack](https://store.musicplay.ca/products/music-room-rules?_pos=1&_sid=ee8906bd5&_ss=r) ![Screen Shot 2023-06-07 at 8.40.46 AM](https://blog.musicplay.ca/hs-fs/hubfs/Screen%20Shot%202023-06-07%20at%208.40.46%20AM.png?width=294&height=257&name=Screen%20Shot%202023-06-07%20at%208.40.46%20AM.png)This set of expectations says it all!   After some discussion on the Musicplay Facebook Page.   [Musicplay Teachers](https://www.facebook.com/groups/52154066077) We made a second MUSIC poster, with Sing as beautifully as you can instead of Speak when it is your turn.   ![Screen Shot 2023-06-07 at 8.44.27 AM](https://blog.musicplay.ca/hs-fs/hubfs/Screen%20Shot%202023-06-07%20at%208.44.27%20AM.png?width=629&height=1115&name=Screen%20Shot%202023-06-07%20at%208.44.27%20AM.png) Cara Coffey has these rules in her classroom (shared with her permission): ![Screen Shot 2023-06-07 at 8.45.11 AM](https://blog.musicplay.ca/hs-fs/hubfs/Screen%20Shot%202023-06-07%20at%208.45.11%20AM.png?width=408&height=336&name=Screen%20Shot%202023-06-07%20at%208.45.11%20AM.png)You may want to involve the students in creating a list of music room rules.  What do the students think is important to remember when in music?  Read the RESPECT chant with the students, and have them create verses with the rules they think are important. R-E-S-P-E-C-T Chorus R-E-S-P-E-C-T Respect yourself and respect me! Just one rule is all you’ll need, With RE-S-P-E-C-T Verses: Play instruments appropriately, RE-S-P-E-C-T Participate responsibly, R-E-S-P-E-C-T Once the rules are in place, you need to reinforce them.  If students aren’t quiet when they come into class, you need to take them out to the hallway and practice entering quietly.  I would rather be teaching music than reinforcing rules, but it is so important to set your expectations and then maintain them! PLUS POINTS is a way to reinforce good behavior. In PLUS POINTS, you keep a score of when the students do something well.  If students do something poorly, erase a point. For example:  Students enter the room quietly and go to assigned seats. I’d say, “Well done 4B - you came in quietly and found your seats.  Point for you.” As the class continued, each time I’d observe them doing something well, they’d earn a point. However, if a child was talking when I was talking, erase a point.  You have to decide what the magic number is before they get a class PLUS POINT.  If you decide on 5 points, if a class gets to 5 points in one period, they get a PLUS point (+).  On my chart with all the classes listed, I’d mark a +. When my classes reached 10 PLUS POINT days, they’d earn a game day.  On the game day, (or at the end of the period in which the game day was earned), we’d brainstorm the list of games or activities that they’d like to play:  singing games they really liked, Beat Boards, Orchestra Bingo, Head and Shoulders Knees and Toes (In the Hall of the Mountain King), Rhythm Dice, or Music Centers.  The Game Day is a reward, but there is still great learning going on. Share your classroom management tips with us at [Musicplay Teachers](https://www.facebook.com/groups/52154066077) If you’re not a facebook user, email, and I’ll post them and share in the next newsletter.  (If you’ve avoided facebook for privacy reasons, consider signing up with your first and middle name - your students will never find you!) ### Musicplay Live Registration for Musicplay Live in Washington, DC; Austin, TX; and Virtual is open! ![MusicplayLive 2023 Sing! Say! Dance! Play! With Artie, Denise, and JJ Locations FB (2)](https://blog.musicplay.ca/hs-fs/hubfs/social-suggested-images/MusicplayLive%202023%20Sing!%20Say!%20Dance!%20Play!%20With%20Artie%2c%20Denise%2c%20and%20JJ%20Locations%20FB%20(2).png?width=483&height=405&name=MusicplayLive%202023%20Sing!%20Say!%20Dance!%20Play!%20With%20Artie%2c%20Denise%2c%20and%20JJ%20Locations%20FB%20(2).png) [Register for Musicplay Live!](https://workshops.musicplay.ca/courses/artie-almeida-denise-gagne-and-john-jacobson-2023/)   ### Musicplay Workshops ![Hop into April with Bunnies, the Musical and Easter Activities Cover](https://blog.musicplay.ca/hs-fs/hubfs/Hop%20into%20April%20with%20Bunnies%2c%20the%20Musical%20and%20Easter%20Activities%20Cover.png?width=612&height=306&name=Hop%20into%20April%20with%20Bunnies%2c%20the%20Musical%20and%20Easter%20Activities%20Cover.png) Check out our [latest webinar](https://workshops.musicplay.ca/courses/hop-into-april-with-bunnies-the-musical-and-spring-activities-webinar-with-denise-gagne-and-john-jacobson/)on activities for April, including Easter and Spring activities AND Bunnies: The Musical! ### Musicplay Minutes Podcast ![Green is the Theme St. Patricks Day and Earth Day Cover](https://blog.musicplay.ca/hs-fs/hubfs/Green%20is%20the%20Theme%20St.%20Patricks%20Day%20and%20Earth%20Day%20Cover.png?width=598&height=299&name=Green%20is%20the%20Theme%20St.%20Patricks%20Day%20and%20Earth%20Day%20Cover.png) Listen to our newest podcast on ideas for St. Patrick's Day and Earth Day! [Spotify](https://open.spotify.com/episode/2NWRi1Xk3reUMoLEXOnjQT?si=c1b94c6d75f34197) [Apple Podcasts](https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/musicplay-minutes/id1368103262?i=1000602285077) [Youtube](https://youtu.be/qbZS84DebKg) ### Leave a Comment ## Related Articles [![](https://blog.musicplay.ca/hubfs/Screenshot%202023-06-21%20at%208.32.44%20AM.png)](https://blog.musicplay.ca/music-classroom-management) [Blog Posts](https://blog.musicplay.ca/tag/blog-posts) ### [Music Classroom Management](https://blog.musicplay.ca/music-classroom-management) We want music class to be something the kids look forward to, and it's a very active learning environment. How do you maintain the "fun" yet have your students behave in... [Denise Gagne](https://blog.musicplay.ca/author/denise-gagne) [Read More](https://blog.musicplay.ca/music-classroom-management) [![](https://blog.musicplay.ca/hubfs/Screen%20Shot%202023-06-01%20at%204.48.46%20PM.png)](https://blog.musicplay.ca/ideas-for-earth-day) [Blog Posts](https://blog.musicplay.ca/tag/blog-posts) ### [Ideas for Earth Day](https://blog.musicplay.ca/ideas-for-earth-day) There are songs for Earth Day in all levels of Musicplay.Musicplay K - #137 We've Got the Whole World Musicplay 1 - #92 Let's Save Water Musicplay 2 - #74 Garbage, #77... [Denise Gagne](https://blog.musicplay.ca/author/denise-gagne) [Read More](https://blog.musicplay.ca/ideas-for-earth-day) #### Our Products - [MusicplayOnline](https://musicplayonline.com) - [Musicplay Store](https://store.musicplay.ca) - [Musicplay Downloads](https://downloads.musicplay.ca) - [Musicplay Workshops](https://workshops.musicplay.ca) - [Musicplay Help](https://help.musicplay.ca) Follow us on Facebook Follow us on LinkedIn Follow us on Twitter Follow us on Instagram ```json { "@context" : "https://schema.org", "@type" : "BlogPosting", "author" : { "@type" : "Person", "name" : "Denise Gagne", "url" : "https://blog.musicplay.ca/author/denise-gagne" }, "dateModified" : "2023-06-07T14:51:59.705Z", "datePublished" : "2012-09-10T15:51:00.000Z", "headline" : "Classroom Rules", "image" : [ "https://blog.musicplay.ca/hubfs/Screen%20Shot%202023-06-07%20at%208.50.38%20AM.png" ], "mainEntityOfPage" : { "@id" : "https://blog.musicplay.ca/classroom-rules", "@type" : "WebPage" }, "publisher" : { "@type" : "Organization", "logo" : { "@type" : "ImageObject", "url" : "https://blog.musicplay.ca/hubfs/musicplay-logo-2.png" }, "name" : "Themes & Variations Musicplay" } } ```