Music Classroom Tour

I am FINALLY linking up to Tracy King's Music Classroom Tours post with my room pictures! It is week 5 of school so we have been going for a while, but I am finally able to breathe after assemblies, popsicles, rehearsals, walk-a-thons and more.  I think this is the first week where none of my classes will be interrupted. YAY!  Don't forget to hop back over to Mrs. Kings Music Room blog to get more great ideas from teachers all over the country.  It is never to late to add something or change your room up- your students will LOVE it!

My school is under construction this year (well, they are building a BRAND NEW SCHOOL behind our old school) so what better theme for my room than CONSTRUCTION!

I got this great set from The Bulletin Board Lady- Tracy King Construction Themed Music Room Bundle.  I used the Music Builds a Strong Foundation board, the solfege and dynamics posters, and more to bring my room together with a super cute theme.  I also have a safety vest and construction hat hanging in the room as well.

I had to rearrange a lot this year, as I used to have an entire modular classroom to myself (one side for chorus, and one for general music) but this year I am sharing with OT/PT.   My desk and many other things have moved into the GM side to make room for their balance beams, mats, and more! I still have a piano and a few cabinets in the chorus side, as well as the risers, because, well, we couldn't squish it all on one side- or there would be no room for students!  It seems busy and squished but we are making it work!

This view is from the back of my room- I call it the boomwhacker wall.  I have my boomwhackers attached with velcro to the wall (I used sticky velcro AND stapled it to make it extra secure) and then my Instrument Family Flags above (From David Row over at Make Moments Matter).  There are currently also dulcimers and drums along this wall, but the dulcimers will be going to a new home soon.

One of my favorite new things this year is the "Story Throne".  I have had this throne for a while because I needed it for a musical we did a few years ago.  This is the first year that I am using it in class though.  I sit in it every time I read a story to the kids.  I have also used it during a few games (like Queen Queen Caroline) and as a "photo booth" at the beginning of the year as students shared wishes for class this year.

Along the next wall is my orff instruments (and a desk students can choose to sit at if they don't want the floor during work time).  I try to keep the instruments organized on these shelves (the center shelf is empty because of a ceiling leak).  Above the instruments is my word wall.  It is so fun for students to find their vocabulary on the wall during the year.  You can also see my FAVORITE painting. It was a donation from a former student- it is the last page of the book Giraffes Can't Dance and says "We all can dance when we find music that we love..."  (There are empty shelves because my ceiling sprung a leak. Things got scrunched so they don't get wet!)

In the "front" of the room are my tempo posters, Small Instruments, Hand drums, SMARTboard and dry erase board.  Students face this direction most often.   I also have a xylophone visual (from the Game Plan Resources), music anchor charts from Music with Sara Bibee, a note values chart, and a large treble clef staff visual along this wall.

In front of the staff is my new bookshelf- I love it! it is so great to be able to see all the titles of the books.  All of my song-books and other commonly used books are on the top shelf.  Less used books are on the lower shelves.  Also on this wall I post a Joke of the Week.  Older students LOVE musical puns so I thought I would do this for them.  The little ones often don't get the joke, but that's ok.

Finally I have my desk and other classroom storage.  I have solfege, dynamics, standards and more posted on this wall as well as "musical art" above my desk. My picture says "Some people dream of meeting their favorite musicians, I TEACH mine" and has a musical clock above it.  My desk stays messy usually- I just can't keep it clean.  In between my desk and filing cabinet is my "information station."  This is where I keep pencils, a pencil sharpener, crayons, dry erase markers, marker boards, and paper- anything a student may need during class. We are still working on putting things back exactly the way they started- but we are getting better! This station keeps it semi-organized and students always know where to go when they need something.   Next to the door i have jump ropes and umbrellas hanging so they are easily accessible any time they are needed.

In the center of the floor is my music rug.  We use the rug for so many games and it really helps the little ones keep their circle nice and big.  It is one of my favorite parts of my room.

In the next picture you can see my future music room... well the foundation of it at least.  It is so fun to be able to watch the progress of the new building every day! I can't wait for the new school, new room and a little more space to spread out so the room looks less cramped and crazy!                                                                

What is your favorite part of your room? Share in the comments below!

Tuneful and Trendy

I am so excited to join this linky party with Christine over at Elementary Etudes.  It was a great first day with students (more on what I did today later) and choosing an outfit for the first day is still just as fun as it was when I was a student in Elementary School.

In first grade I always read "Music Teacher From the Black Lagoon" where it mentions the music teacher has music notes on her shoes, on her shirt, and on her ears.  So, for the first week of school I like to have at least one of these covered each day.  It is so fun to see the kids faces when they notice that I have music notes on my shoes, or my shirt, or my ears :)  I also love to show my personality so I wear a lot of bright colors, and skirts/ dresses. I plan on wearing my music shoes and earrings all week. I wore shorts today because it is HOT and most of the school is un-airconditioned AND I have bus duty before and after school.  Check out my fun outfit!

Yellow Shirt- Stitch Fix
Shorts- ModCloth
Shoes- Toms
Earrings- Birthday Gift a few years ago from Claire's.  I wore the Beamed 16th Notes today :)
Necklace- Mothers Day gift from baby Henry (it's his birthstone and his initial)



Many of my pieces are from Modcloth OR Stitch Fix.  I LOVE Stitch Fix- 5 pieces come to your door, you try them on and if you like them you keep them (and pay) and if not you send them back (they give you a shipping envelope so it is super easy).  There is a $20 styling fee, but it goes towards your purchase if you choose to keep something (and I ALWAYS do).  You can also get a discount if you purchase all 5 items, like I did with my last fix. Check it out!



*I am NOT being compensated for mentioning stitchfix- I just LOVE it so I thought I would share!

Terrific Teacher Tips to Motivate and Energize your New School Year

Have you started your new school year yet?  I still have a whole week before students come (though PD started already).  Our district is doing a lot of construction so this year and next year have a delayed start date for students.

In my planning for the new year, I have thought of a few things that I think will really help to keep students engaged and joyful during music.  I decided to link up with Sandra Hendrickson at Singplaycreatively.com to share!  Enjoy- and be sure to go back to her blog to read all the great tips from music teachers all over!

Here are 3 of my tips for the new school to keep you motivated and energized all year.

1. Celebrate! I have decided this year that instead of a regular "reward system" we are just going to celebrate when the time is right.  Students get all the answers in a game correct- 2 minute dance party. Behavior is awesome?  The following week we might start with a game I know is a favorite of that class. Students perform outside of school in a recital or other special event? Let them play during class to share and celebrate their successes.

2. Get the wiggles out. This year I am starting each class with a listening/ movement activity.  Students will enter and receive their prop (if need) such as scarves, ribbons, plates, or cups and we will go right into our movement.  After we will talk about the song for a second and if it was the same as the one they hear on the announcements that morning for our Mindful Musical Moments (see more HERE).  I am hoping that giving students the opportunity to MOVE right when we enter the room will help them focus when it is time.  Does this mean we won't move at all for the rest of the class- no way! We will still be learning other folk dances, playing singing games, playing instruments and more.  This will just be a way to focus students bodies and minds to get them into a musical mindset.


3.  Keep YOUR joy by reflecting, being kind, and having FUN! Students feed off of the energy of the teacher, so be sure you are teaching in a way that brings YOU joy.  Choose songs or projects that you love, and keep asking yourself if you would like to be a student in your class. Reflect on your lessons with questions-What worked in your lessons and what didn't this week?  Why did you become a teacher in the first place? Did students teach you anything this week?  Bring joy to others by random acts of kindness or silliness through-out the day/ week.  Have a joke written on the board. Do the WAVE after students sing a song really well, bring a fellow teacher coffee.  Need more ideas? Check out my 30 Days of Happy Teaching- Specials Edition- It's Free!  I plan to do it over and over and over this year.

Summer Reading List

I LOVE summer.  I love hanging with Henry, hiking outside, and I love that I have time to READ.  I read for professional development and pleasure- striking a nice balance.

Here are 3 books I am reading this summer- 1 professional development book (well 2), 1 new song book, and 1 for pleasure book. What are you reading this summer? If you blog- link up and share! Directions are at the end of the post.

1. Kid President's Guide to Being Awesome

I am totally counting this awesome book as professional development this year.  There are so many great ideas to lead a more Awesome life.  Even just skimming through, I have already found joy through what is written on the pages.  The page that hit home most so far was "Put Down Your Phone"! I am always trying to take pictures of Henry (or my classroom during the school year) so I am not fully present in the moment. I have been consciously trying to leave my phone in another room and it is so fun to just experience every moment and take "brain pictures" rather than trying to capture it with my camera.

Chapters in the book include:
Life Is What Happens When You Put Down Your Phone
Focus on the Awesome
Wanna Be a World Change? Be a Day Maker!
Be a Party!
It's Okay to Get Discouraged. It's Not Okay to Stop
Change the Future
and MORE!

This book will help me be a better teacher by helping me to laugh, find my light (and share it) and most importantly, focus on the Awesome (all of which are SO IMPORTANT when connecting with kids).

Another professional development book I will be reading is:
Passionate Learners: How to Engage and Empower Your Students by Pernille Ripp

This book is geared towards Gen-Ed teachers but I still think it will have a lot of great ideas/ practices to make my classroom a better place.  It was tweeted by my principal and because our district slogan is "Engage. Empower. Excel." this book could not be more perfect.  From the Amazon Description, this book will help you to:

• Build a working relationship with your students based on mutual trust, respect, and appreciation.
• Be attentive to your students’ needs and share ownership of the classroom with them.
• Break out of the vicious cycle of punishment and reward to control student behaviour.
• Use innovative and creative lesson plans to get your students to become more engaged and intellectually-invested learners, while still meeting your state standards.
• Limit homework and abandon traditional grading so that your students can make the most of their learning experiences without unnecessary stress.
• And much more!

I am so excited to get started on these books. 

2. Roots and Branches

I got this book this summer and I can't wait to read/ sing through it to find new multi-cultural music for my classroom. Not only does the book have the musical notation, but also cultural context including maps, photos, and narratives.  There is a CD included as well so you and your students can hear an authentic recording of the song! There are songs from so many countries/ cultures- Korea, France, Ireland, England, India, Puerto Rico, Brazil, China, Russia, Japan, Cambodia, Mozambique, Israel, Navajo and many more.

3. My Lucky Life In and Out of Show Business by Dick Van Dyke

Yay for reading for pleasure! I read so many YA dystopian future books in the summer, but this year I am also getting in some non-fiction.  Dick Van Dyke is one of my favorite performers and it seems he led such an interesting life. I am hoping this book is "Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious" :)

Other books on my summer reading list:
Wild Things: The Art of Nurturing Boys by Stephen James and David Thomas
The Paper Magician by Charlie N. Holmberg
Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie
First We Sing- Songbooks 1 and 2 by Susan Brumfield

Don't forget to link up and share your summer reading list. Happy Reading!

To link up here are the directions:

• Save the "Summer Reading List" graphic to your computer, and include it in your blog with a link to this blog entry.
• Blog about your summer reading list- including professional development and for pleasure books. Include pictures with links when possible.
• Submit your information by clicking on the button below.

5 Favorite Pins of June

Today I am linking up with Mrs. Miracle's Music Room to share my 5 favorite pins of June! Be sure to hop on over to her blog as well to get so many more ideas!

You may notice a theme with my pins- they all have to do with room set-up/ organization.  Can you tell what I am thinking about for next year already???

1. Fabric Bookshelves

The first is a great idea for shelves in my room.  The one in the pin is attached to the wall, but I acquired a freestanding frame at the end of last year that will work great for my music room.  I LOVE that you can SEE the front of the books.  Right now by books are stashed in a filing cabinet and this will make it so much easier for myself and my students to find the book we want! I did shelves like this in my sons nursery and I love it!

Fabric Bookshelves

2. White Board Station

I also love this Mobile white board station from Mrs. King's Music Room.  Right now my white boards are stashed under a piano bench in my classroom.  This will make passing them out, putting them back, and keeping them neat so much easier!

White Board Station

3. Plan, Copy, Prep, Grade Post-it Organizer

This is such a great idea! I am definitely a list person and this organizer helps keep everything, well, organized so that it is easier to break down and prioritize tasks.  I am horrible at using my plan time wisely because sometimes it can get overwhelming with ALL THE THINGS that need to be accomplished.  I think keeping tasks broken down into groups will really help!

Post-it Organizer

4. Construction Music Room Décor Bundle

Ok, I won't lie.  I pinned this just so I could include it in this post.  I am SO excited about this bundle! My school is under construction right now (well a new building is being build behind the old building), and teaching in a modular unit (AKA trailer outside) I will be hearing and seeing the construction daily.  I thought this was the PERFECT theme for my room this year!  It is so cute and has EVERYTHING I could ever want to decorate my room.

Construction Décor Bundle

5. Small Instrument Storage Tips

Finally, I loved this blog post on Small Instrument Storage tips.  It helps this year, in my small room, and will help when I am setting up my brand new classroom for '17-'18.  Organized Chaos even has links to some other posts she has written specifically about Hand Drums and Triangles (which I need a solution for). 

Small Instrument Storage

In preparing for next year and getting my room organized, I am also organizing my digital files- and I have so many more to organize because of the awesome 4th of July event going on over at TPT right now! A bunch of music sellers got together to share freebies, discount products, and put whole stores on sale!

For July 1-4 there are a ton of freebies available!  Search #LetFreedomRingMusic and you will find everything available.  I have a new freebie up that is great for summer AND the school-year.  The 30 Day Happy Teacher Challenge- Specials Edition will give you ideas for activities to de-stress your life and make your teaching joyful.  Check it out!

For July 2nd only- there are a ton of products marked down to only $2! I put my "Hello My Name Is... Music Symbols" game on sale.  It is a great review/ ice-breaker game for the beginning of the school year.  Students each get a card taped to their back, and then have to find their musical partner by figuring out their symbol with Yes  or No questions only.  So Fun! Search #RedWhiteand2 to find all of the great products on sale.

Finally, on July 3 and 4 my entire store will be on sale for 20% off! Many other stores will be on sale too. 

Happy Shopping and have a great long weekend!

Three Summer Goals

Today I am linking up with Aileen Miracle over at Mrs. Miracle's Music Room to share 3 of my summer goals. Summer is such a great time to rejuvenate, spend time with family, and get ready for another great year.

Goal #1

Experience Music

Teaching music is so awesome and is my dream job, but sometimes I am so busy TEACHING music that I forget to experience music through performing, listening, and dancing.  This summer I plan on doing all 3 with my 6 1/2 month old.  I am performing in Wizard of Oz in August with a local community theater group and it is a lot of fun to get back to singing and dancing.  I am also going to a Mommy and Me music class each week with Henry.  We went for the first time today and he LOVED it!  We got to sing familiar songs, play with instruments and dance, dance, dance.  So fun! Along with the scheduled classes/ performances, I hope to also have MANY impromptu dance parties in the house with my little man.


Goal #2

Make and Revise TPT Products

It has been so hard to keep up with TPT since having Henry but I have a lot of ideas in the works and hope to get a lot of new products done this summer.  I am having a former student come over to be a "Mothers Helper," which basically means that she will watch Henry while I get stuff done.  I hope to make new products and revise some old ones- at least getting new covers on many of them so they are less cluttered.

Goal #3

Organize My Classroom

I have one more year in my current classroom before we get a new building (YAY!). I really want to spend some time this summer cleaning, purging, and organizing so that moving will be nice and easy when the time comes. I have so many manipulatives and worksheets that need to be organized more efficiently.  I also have a lot of unused, broken, or out-dated instruments/ materials that I need to go through and reflect on if they are worth it to keep, or if they should  be donated/ thrown away. 

What are your plans for the summer???

Summer Tips for Making Your Next School Year Easier

During my first official week of summer, I thought I would link up with Linda over at Floating Down the River to give some tips on making your next school year easier.  These are just some quick tips so next year can start as stress-free as possible. Here are my top 3!

1. Organize your thoughts and reflections from this year.

I have an email folder labeled 2016-2017 school year and I have been sending myself emails about what I need to purchase next year, what concepts I got to, which concepts I didn't get to, ideas for next year and any other important info.  Then in the fall, this will be the folder where I save all my lesson plans (I like to email them to myself so I always have access- even if I am kicked out of my room for bad weather).  I have tried computer folders and other ways of organizing these thoughts, but I have found that an email folder works best for me because then I am not searching next school year for what I called the folder and everything is right there and accessible from anywhere.

2. Get your craft and reading on!

I love to spend time in the summer making manipulatives, going though recently purchased/ acquired song books and reading professional development materials- especially if I can't take any classes or do many workshops.  Making manipulatives is fun for me, so it doesn't feel like work and then at the beginning of the year I am already set and organized.   On the list for this year are Symbols Football materials, Popsicle stick games (matching solfa/ rhythms and other games), and more.  I am on the lookout for great books to read so send me your favorites- especially on classroom management!

3.  Take time off!

I try give myself much needed time to relax and spend time with family before thinking too much about next year. The first week of summer I spend doing easy things that will make the beginning of the year easier- like noting where we left off, making 5th and 6th grade schedule groups (they are grouped by Band/ Orch/ or no instrument), and noting what will need to buy right away in the fall. After that week,  I don't like to do much school work at all unless it's fun (see #2).  Then in August I am back adjusting my year plans and songs lists, making retrievals for new songs, etc. This summer I am especially excited to spend time with HENRY- he is now 6 months and starting to crawl.  We are going to hike, play in the water (maybe- he HATES it right now), go the park and classes at local play gyms and more! Yay for family time!

Me and the Family at the Butterfly Exhibit