Teacher Tuesday: music lessons for testing season

Testing season is just around the corner at my school, and I know many others are in the thick of it as we speak! Testing season is hard. It's hard on the kids, first and foremost, but it's hard on the teachers too. Often times music teachers deal with modified schedules, weeks of missed classes, mandates to have quieter classes, and other constraints...

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Mommy Monday: chalkboard labels

So I have these cute chalkboard labels that I use in my kitchen: They are not the most practical thing I have in my home (note smudging on the coffee canister), but darn it they are cute and trendy, and I do actually like that I can change the words on the label so easily. I've even used some tiny ones on some spice bottles for the spice blends...

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Teacher Tuesday: color coding keys

In all my teaching jobs, I have found myself responsible for an inordinate number of keys. One for my room, one for the music storage room or closet, one for the auditorium, and sometimes even more for practice rooms, other music rehearsal rooms, or the fine arts wing. Music teachers are almost always responsible for more than one space, and those...

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Mommy Monday: chalkboard inspiration inside doors

Chalkboards seem to be pretty trendy for DIY home projects. Apparently you can paint almost anything with chalkboard paint, and in almost any color too, and transform it into an area for creativity. I love the idea of having surfaces that can be written on and erased easily for organization and creativity, and I love the chalkboard look, but I do not...

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Teacher Tuesday: morning routines for the teacher

Yesterday, I told you about my morning routine at home, when I first wake up. By giving myself time to relax, take care of logistics, and solidify my plans for the day, I am able to start each day with a better attitude and be more productive the rest of the day. You can read more about that here. Today I want to talk about the morning routine I have...

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Mommy Monday: morning routines for a more productive day

How we start our day can make a huge difference in how productive we are. The best way to have a great start to the day is to establish a predictable morning routine, so we always know that we aren't forgetting something before we head out the door! Today I want to share the morning routine that I have found works great for me. I'm sure everyone has...

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Teacher Tuesday: centers in general music

Centers are becoming a hot topic in the elementary general music teaching world, it seems. Does anyone else feel that way? In the past I had done quite a bit of small group activities, including composition and small ensemble tasks where students where working independently in small groups, but no center activities that involved students doing different...

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Mommy Monday: remembering first words

Those first 18 months or so are full of new milestones- first tooth, learning to crawl, eating solids, first step, first words, and on and on. I wanted to remember them all but as a single mother with twin infants, I definitely did not have baby books to record that stuff, and even if I did, I certainly wouldn't have had the energy to remember to pull...

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Teacher Tuesday: routines for the end of class

So, you've been moving, playing, singing, discussing, writing, and everything else an awesome music class does, and now it's time for the party to end. How do you get your students ready for the hallway? It's not as simple as telling them to line up and be quiet. I went to an intensive training on improving school climate recently, and one of the major...

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Mommy Monday: a day in the life of a single working mom

Today's post is a little bit different. People tell me all the time, "I don't know how you do it!", and shake their heads. As a single mom with twin 3-year-olds, a full-time job as an elementary music teacher, and the side project that is this blog (and all the other online pieces that connect to it), yes, I am busy. The short answer to how I do it...

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