Sub Plan Organization for Elementary Music Teachers

OK, so we all know that putting together effective sub plans is a never-ending problem for music teachers. Besides the difficulties that all teachers face of trying to explain things clearly enough for substitute teachers who aren't familiar with your classroom, schedule, students, etc, music teachers have the added bonus of knowing that most substitutes...

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Easy, Healthy, Kid-Friendly Lunchbox Meal Ideas

Now that school is in full swing, I thought this would be a good time to share a few of the lunches I have been packing for my preschool-age daughters over the past few weeks. Anyone who has experience packing lunches for young children knows that it can be really hard sometimes to come up with good lunch ideas, so hopefully you will find some inspiration...

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September favorites 2016

Time for another monthly favorites post! This month has flown by for sure, and I have had plenty of moments of feeling completely overwhelmed, but it has been good to start settling back into the groove of things. My first favorite of the month is the new sticker books that came out recently at Michaels: I can't even, you guys. They came out...

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Elementary Music Center Activities

I started incorporating centers into my elementary general music classes about 3 years ago and have loved using them. My favorite way to use them is as an incentive for classes to earn for their behavior- you can read more about how I use centers to give students something to look forward to, while also continuing their learning and incorporating a...

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Preparing for the Winter Holidays

OK, I know some of you are going to hate me, but today I'm talking about getting organized for the holiday season. Yes, it is September. Yes, I also cringe when I go to the stores and see Halloween and Christmas stuff already out. But friends, we all know the holiday season gets crazy FAST. By getting some of that initial prep work out of the way early,...

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My Favorite Steady Beat and Rhythm Lesson Activity

Today I am introducing you to one of my most dearly beloved lesson activities for practicing steady beat, differentiating between beat and rhythm, discovering new rhythms, and practicing rhythms. I use it with every grade K-6, all year long- in fact I used it in 13 different lessons last week (yes, I did count). This is the perfect activity to incorporate...

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Monthly Tasks: a sanity-saving routine

One of my first answers to the question, "How do you do it all?" is ROUTINES. I find it so much easier to get things done when it is incorporated into my routine. So today I wanted to share my monthly routines- things that I do at the end of each month to prepare for the upcoming month- that help keep things running smoothly. Because my daughters...

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Seating Chart Hacks

Besides my planner, I'd say my most important teacher tool is my clipboard with my seating charts. I use my seating charts to record a lot more than where each student sits in the room! Today I'm sharing my favorite "seating chart hacks" to get your seating charts working harder for you. Before we talk about the seating charts themselves, let's...

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The Family Calendar: a fun family project

Last November I shared the new family calendar that I was planning on using with my daughters, and how I wanted to use it. Although I still love the ideas that I had at the time, in reality I wasn't able to keep up with it like I wanted (I had planned to print photos from the month and use it as a scrapbook- I just haven't been able to keep up with...

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Small Goals: September 2016

I'm linking up with Jennifer from The Yellow Brick Road today to share my small goals for the month. I love taking the time to reflect and get refocused each month, and this month is no different. Make sure you click on the picture below to go check out the link-up and see what other people are up to this month! And if you want to join in and set some...

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