I'm BAAAACK!!!

UPDATE:  I have joined up with other music bloggers at Mrs. Miracle's Music Room to share our classroom setups.  Click the image below to check out some other awesome rooms!

I've said it before, and I'll say it again. It is a special calling to work with middle school/junior high kids.  And I don't have it.  After two (long, stressful, anxiety-inducing) years teaching grades 5-8 music and choir, I am finally back in my element--Elementary, baby!  These are my people.  We love the babies.  Hugs, notes, pictures, cute bulletin boards, and even shoe-tying and nose-wiping.  Okay, maybe not that last one.  But I am SO HAPPY to be back with the littles!  I am giddy with excitement, and I've spent the last two weeks organizing and decorating my new classroom.  It is an old building--my husband had elementary music in the SAME ROOM many moons ago--but I've taken the blue doors and electric yellow trim and turned it into my happy home away from home.  Here it is!

All my storage is in wooden cabinets.  The doors are not very attractive, but I'm gradually adding to them. 

Pocket chart ready for rhythm/melody cards, a spot for objectives (a.k.a. "What are we doing today?"), white board/projector screen, Who's Next Board.  

I think I'm going to like the cabinets and shelf here.  I keep all of my manipulatives, books, and toys/props readily available here.  And the clouds.  They are my new favorite thing.  I found them on Pinterest and downloaded them from this music teacher blog,  Rhythm and Glues. 

My teacher's corner.  Love. Complete with my very own teacher toolbox. 

It's hard to see, but I used colored velcro to mark sit spots on the floor.  I found colored velcro in 36'' pieces at Hobby Lobby this year for just $1.49! 

This is a shortcut version of my guided listening word wall, first introduced HERE. Hopefully one day I can upgrade to the original version, but this works for now. 

Just a closeup of the cuteness inspired by Rhythm and Glues. 

All ready to post objectives for the first week! 

That's it!  My new happy music home.  I am looking forward to a great year of singing, playing, dancing, and loving on my kiddos.  I hope your year is off to a great start as well.  Remember to take care of yourself, eat well, drink lots of water, and take your vitamins.  When I feel good, I am a better teacher/wife/mom/friend/person.  So go to bed early, and get ready to change the world, one song at a time. 

Those who do the work, do the learning

That's a truth I totally believe, but I'm not always good at living it.  I mean, it's just so much easier to do things myself, rather than try to explain to someone one else how to do them.  I am really working on giving my students more responsibility for their learning, starting with the little(ish) things. 

I am kinda funny about organization.  Everything has a place, and a correct way to fit into that place.  Trusting 8-year-olds to get out and put away instruments safely and neatly is REALLY hard for me.  Enter the colored dots:



Sticker Dots sold in office supply stores.



These marvelous little dots have made my life so much easier!  Here's how it works:  each mallet instrument has a colored dot on the side. (Soprano=blue, Alto=yellow, Bass=red, Glocks and specialty mallets=green) There is a dot of the same color on the mallets for those instruments.  There is another dot on the shelf where that instrument is stored.  The mallet cans are also color coded in the same way.  Students know which mallets go with their instrument, which can to put them in, and where to put away the instrument at the end of class.  I can see at a glance what is missing or misplaced and make adjustments as needed.  I'm still tweaking the system for weaknesses, but so far I'm excited!  No more setting up and taking down by myself!  And yes, this is a great lesson for kids.  They feel more responsible, and it shows in their class participation as well.

UPDATE:  Love it!  Everything has ended up back in the right place, and I didn't have to put everything away myself.  This is HUGE, especially since my schedule this year does not allow time in between classes to rearrange everything.  The older kids have to set up/take down during class time, and now I can relax and let them do it. Why didn't I do this sooner?



Whew!

Last week I got a message from a high school friend who is also an elementary music teacher.  He and his colleagues were looking for a classroom to visit during their inservice day, and asked if they could come see me.  My immediate answer to that question is always, "sure! come on!"  Until that day.  Then I am as nervous as a first year teacher.  I question my lesson plan.  I question my classroom management.  I question my sanity. 

In my defense, today was our first early release day, before a long weekend, and the weather changed. Oh, and it's Friday.  See what I mean?  Any veteran teacher will tell you, that is a recipe for craziness.  Brace yourself, and have a backup plan. 

So I'm teaching my lesson (Hispanic Heritage, music and dance) when my new friends come in. They sit down on the risers (away from the class) and immediately start whispering and pointing.  Great for the old self-esteem, ya'll.  And the kids..........were GREAT.  They loved the lesson, and after we finished dancing I heard several "that was fun!" comments during the transition back to their seats.  They sang well, they learned a new song and game, and we all had a fantastic time.  Whew!  I hope my visitors enjoyed it, but I am pleased no matter what.

Once again I am reminded of how much I enjoy my job.  Happy Friday!

Pick Me! Pick Me!

Don't you just hate it when you have to choose a child to do something, and they're ALL sitting quietly, doing exactly what you asked? (Don't laugh...it happens!)  It's SO hard to choose, and I for one do not have the memory capacity to know who got to have a turn last week, or even last hour!   When I first started teaching elementary music, a veteran teacher told me how she does it, and I have been making her system mine for 15 years now.  It totally works!

I call it the "Who's Next?" board.  I have an envelope for every class that comes to music each week. This year, I labeled them with grade/day of the week, hoping it will be helpful for subs and reusable next year.  I have also put teacher's names on the envelopes in the past.

The first or second week of school, I have each class make their cards.  I give them an index card and ask them to write their name VERY neatly, and their class code (helps in case a card gets separated from the stack).  The older kids also have to write a sentence.  This year I used, "I am good at..."  It's a great way for them to tell me what they love and are good at, plus forces them to focus on a positive trait.  AND, we are putting a huge emphasis on writing on our campus, so this is a way I can help toward that goal.

The cards go in the class envelope.  When I need to choose a child to do something, I always take the front card, then put it in the back.  The kids know that their card will not be chosen again until ALL of the other cards have been pulled.  Sometimes I will go through the whole stack in one class, other times I only need one or two.  Either way, we all know no one will be forgotten.  It is awesome!  They don't beg or argue, and when someone starts to, the other kids will say, "she's going to pick a card!" and everyone is cool.

The next obstacle was to remember to put cards in for new students that move in throughout the year.  Ahem, yeah, I'm not exactly known for my excellent memory....in my defense, I've had two babies and I'm over 40, so brain cells are leaking out everywhere.  Anyway, I think I've found a solution:

I mounted a box to hold extra cards and a couple of pencils on the board.  Next to it are directions for making your card.  I told my kids that they can help new students when they come to music for the first time.  There are always little helpers that will remember that way better than I will!

I love that all my students know that everyone is important, and I am doing my best to make sure no one is left out in music class.  After all, everyone is expected to participate!

Bulletin Boredzzzzzz.......

Tired of the same old ideas?  Looking for some inspiration?  Try this website:  http://www.musicbulletinboards.net/ .   Maybe you'll find something to excite you for the new year!

I'm thinking about using a cooking theme, with something like this:

We could be "Cooking up some fun in music",  with different utensils labeled as things we do in class.  Hmmm...I think this has much potential!  I'll let you know how it turns out!