Quick Tips- Working with a Student Teacher

I currently have my first student teacher and it has been an awesome learning experience for us both so far. I only student taught Middle and High-School Choir so elementary student teaching was brand new for me AND Emily!  She is only here for 1 more weeks and Wilson will really miss her.

1. Before your student teacher arrives make a binder or shareable folder with songs, year-plans, lesson templates, resource lists, lesson ideas and more.  I copied many of my retrievals for Emily- especially songs I was currently using, and shared with her many of my google drive folders with Present Lessons, year plans, PPPs (prepare-present-practice sheets), powerpoints I use often and more.  Be sure you do NOT share any copyrighted materials though a file-sharing service like google drive or dropbox.  She has access to my computer to use some of my TPT files that I have purchased, but she will not be able to take them with her.  I did share with her some of the files that I have made for my own store.  I also gave her free access to use or borrow any of my favorite resources like American Methodology, Game Plan, and First We Sing.

2.  Week 1- have your student teacher observe and give him/ her SPECIFIC questions to answer or lists to make.  As my student teacher watched my lessons her first week I had her watch for something different each day and make a list of all the ways she noticed I did things.  She made lists for: How to teach a song, transitions, ways to practice rhythms, ways to practice solfege, ways to sight-read a song, feedback I gave and more.  Then, as she is making her lesson plans she can refer to these lists to keep things fun and interesting for students.

3.  Have a feedback worksheet so that you can give feedback quickly and effectively.  I made a worksheet with boxes for: feedback she gave to students (was it positive, negative, helpful, etc), pacing, classroom management, and overall lesson notes.   This way, I can jot stuff down while she is teaching each class and we can talk at lunch or after school and I won't forget what I saw.  If I don't write it down, I will forget to say some things with no time between classes to talk!  Get the worksheet I use for free HERE.  Especially as your student teacher gets more comfortable, try not to step in while they are teaching- just write everything down.  Give them the chance to succeed - but also to crash and burn and figure out how to fix it.

4. Get your student teacher involved and teaching as soon as possible!  By the end of her first week, My student teacher was reading the story books during class so students could get used to her.  The next week she took over teaching one activity in each class.  The next week she taught half of most of the lessons which we planned together.  The following week she took over 1st Grade, 4th grade and 6th grade and kept teaching half of each of the other grades (2, 3, an 5) and finally she started teaching ALL of each class.  For a while we planned together but now, in her 7th week, she plans everything and I just check it over to look for possible problem spots.

5. Give your student teacher freedom to decide "what's next."  I planned my year so that as soon as Emily arrived many grades would have just finished either a rhythm or solfege concept so that Emily could do a full Prepare-Present-Practice cycle with them.  I then let HER pick what would make sense to teach next based on literature she knows and what a logical sequence might be.  For 4th grade, she picked something different than I normally would have done next (she did ti-ta-ti [eight-quarter-eighth] while I would have done ti-tika [eighth-2 sixteenths]) but she found great song literature and the kids are doing great!  I will just do ti-tika next after she leaves and we will  be ahead of where we would have been this year.  I know it is hard to let go, especially when you have carefully crafted your year, but if you are always telling your student teacher what to teach and how,

6. Finally, let the classroom become theirs.  As Emily and my students got more comfortable with each other, I stopped paying such close attention to each lesson (especially the 3rd and 4th time it was taught).  I either sat at my desk to work OR even moved into the other side of my modular so I was still there, but not "hovering." This way, your student teacher can see what sit is really like when they have their own classroom without another teacher to rely on for help with classroom management, explaining directions, etc. I remember this being one of the most helpful things with my own student teaching experience because students act so different when their regular teacher is not in charge!  I know laws are a little different now, and a certified teacher must be present, but try to find a way to make it clear to students that the student teacher is in charge.

What are your favorite tips for working with a student teacher? Share in the comments!

Classroom Management Quick Tips - Giving Directions

I just thought I would share 5 quick tips on how I give directions in my room to make things run smoothly.

When giving directions, Language needs to be very specific so students always know exactly what is expected.  If directions aren't clear, the follow through will be messy.  The directions should include: what to do and HOW to do it-  move to a sitting circle, while singing [song of choice].  When the song is over sit silently.

1. I always say the words IN A MOMENT.  This way students are cued into the idea that they are to sit and listen to the directions, THEN move.

2. Another favorite phrase to start directions with (which works really well for the littles) is "When I say the magic word that starts with G and ends with O and has no other letters in between you will _____"  Kids always say "go?" and then I say "Yes, but when I say it you will _____"  Any time you can add a magic word into a lesson students eat it up!  After you give the directions, have a student repeat them back to you.  Ask "What will you do when I say the magic word?"

3. Transitions in my room are BIG. Students are always doing a specific task when moving from one area to another in the room.  Examples of active transitions from place to place include:  singing,  students singing while I am singing a partner song against them, students listening while I am clapping a pattern that they need to figure out, or pointing out a song written on the board that they need to SILENTLY figure out.  If students do not do what is asked, we go back and try again.  If they STILL do not move in the way that was asked, we might skip the next game.

4. If students are not following directions, they get the "choice" to either follow directions, or sit out of the game.  If they choose to sit out, they know that an email or phone call home will be happening.

5. Each class has their own quiet signal that they listen for.  For some reason they tend to listen better when they were allowed to come up with their quiet signal themselves.  It is sometimes tricky to remember the quiet signal for each class, but I have a special helper that reminds me of their class signal when they walk in. Examples include:

Teacher: Turtles on 3
Students: 1 2 3 Turtles

Teacher: Go Go
Students: Power Rangers

What are your best easy-to-implement tips for giving directions in the music room?

Mindful Music Moments

                         

My school has started doing an awesome program this year called Mindful Music Moments.  Each morning after the announcements we listen to a piece of music.  Students are supposed to listen silently, feet flat on the floor, hands in their laps, and eyes closed (or focused).  They hear a short mindfulness prompt then the same song is played for an entire week so students really get to learn the piece. 

For this program the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra and Cincinnati Opera teamed up with the creator of this program-Stacy Sims of City Silence- to provide quality recordings to give students and staff at schools a chance to "just be" during the  mornings before having to think about the stress of the school day. 

Students are asked to think about and focus on different things while listening calmly each day. While the piece is playing, we listen for tempo, mood, instruments, and more. Each piece is also connected to our school wide PBIS expectations- The Wilson Way.  I LOVE this program. The students are getting exposed to music we might not have listened to, learning about the music/ composers/ history, and most importantly they are getting valuable tools to help relieve the stress of school.

Some of the songs we have listened to so far are:
Fanfare for the Common Man - Aaron Copland
Flight of the Bumblebee- Rimsky-Korsokov
O Mio Babbino Caro- Puccini

Check out the website or watch the video below to learn more: City Silence-Mindful Music Moments

After students listen in the morning, I reinforce the weeks music during music class.  Sometimes I show a video, or I read a story to go along with the music. We often do movement- with and without props. Students LOVED being bees and flowers during Flight of the Bumblebee and watching the Luminocity Video for Fanfare for the Common Man (See below).  We also have talked about opera and watched opera scenes, as well as watched videos that show the music notation in a fun, iconic way.

In addition to the ideas above, I went to a workshop this past weekend (yay for TRIKE- Tri-city Kodaly Educators!) that gave me many more ideas for reinforcement of these great classical pieces in music class- aside from just listening and coloring or listening and journaling.  I now have built in listening lessons (in addition to what I was already doing) which is great! A friend from Undergrad, Jenna Swartz, gave a one hour workshop on great listening ideas she has come up with and I LOVED it!   One idea was to pair a wordless picture book with a piece of music.  Jenna really has a knack for finding the PERFECT song for books. She showed us 3 that fit perfectly and I plan on doing all 3 in my classroom this year. 

She also gave us ideas for the ever-popular "freeze dance"- or as I play it "musical bumps" (where students sit when the music stops instead of freeze because it is easier to see who is out!).   For this game, to make it more aligned with the curriculum, Jenna always uses THE BEST music (usually classical) and tells the students they MUST dance like the music sounds.  They also have fun describing the song during the pauses.  Jenna will call on a random student at each pause to say one adjective that describes the music and then at the end of the game, the class votes on which 3 words describe the song best. Perfect.

How do you incorporate listening lessons into your classroom?

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.