Teacher Tuesday: classroom tour 2015

OK everyone, get ready: this post is going to be super picture-heavy and LONG. Today I'm giving you a tour of my classroom setup for the 2015-2016 school year! With 7 days of classes done, you would think I would be done setting up my room. I'm not. But I've given up on waiting until everything is done- if I do, I'm not sure it will happen before Christmas! Ugh. So here we go! :)

Let's start at my front door, shall we? There is a small alcove, with doors to the art, music, and band lesson rooms, off of the hallway. This picture is from inside the alcove, looking into my room:

I love the "Welcome to our village" poster (I got mine here) and the wall showing the benefits of music (movement, beauty, soul, intelligence, and connections- you can get the printables for that one here). I feel like my basic philosophy of music education- the importance of music for its own sake, and the importance of building community in the classroom- is summed up in these displays, welcoming everyone to my room. 

Just inside the door, I have a line of minion duct tape, where I have the students line up at the end of class (I call out, "Minions assemble!" and they all stand up straight and quiet), with my wall of shelves on the right and my boomwhackers hung on the closet doors with velcro. Next to the boomwhackers I have a small "rest area", with my large speaker system next to that (in front of the blue chalkboard). On the floor next to the minion tape, I have two sets of music lines, which I use for centers to practice letter names of notes. This is looking back at that side of the room from the inside:

On the blue chalkboard is one of my newest projects: my word wall! I worked with some other elementary music teachers this summer to re-write our district curriculum based on the new National Core Arts Standards, and part of the curriculum we developed was a vocabulary list for each grade. I printed all of the vocabulary words, put them on construction paper that matches the color paper I use for that grade's lesson objectives visual (I'll get to that), and lined them up by grade. 

Above the vocabulary words I have some posters describing the various elements of music: rhythm, pitch, timbre, articulation, form, beat, dynamics, tempo, and harmony. I considered separating the vocabulary words by musical element, and putting the appropriate words under each poster, but since not every grade has a word for each element, and some have many more words than others, I realized it would look really wonky and would probably be more confusing than helpful. I may change my mind later, but for now I'm happy with my rainbow of words :)

In the previous picture you can see the rolling whiteboard, which I keep next to the word wall. Behind that board is my recorder karate board, which you can see in my other post here. I have it hidden right now because I start recorders in January with my 3rd graders. That means I have a few more months to figure out what to do with my whiteboard when I need to have my recorder stuff visible...

Facing the word wall, on the other side of my front door, I have my behavior management board, computer table (which also serves as a secondary "rest area"), lesson objectives for each grade, and piano. Can I just say how excited I am about my new Chromebooks??? I got them from a DonorsChoose project this summer to replace my ancient iMacs (you know, the originals from 1998 that came in a bunch of flavors...) and can't wait to start using them with my students!!

My behavior management board is almost the same as last year- you can read about my system with the classes moving up the "piano keys" in this post. I am making a few changes, though, mostly to the "color houses" that I started in my room and rolled out now to the whole school in a PBIS / Harry Potter-style system, which you can read more about here. We are continuing the color house system school-wide this year, but are moving away from the PBIS system of giving tickets for positive behavior and more towards building relationships and community through the houses. Along those lines, I created "classroom jobs" for each house, which will rotate every half-trimester throughout the school year:

The attendance group is in charge of telling me where any missing students are, the supplies group passes out pencils, papers etc to each group and the clean up group collects everything, the line leader group leads the class to the door at the end of class (I have a hand signal system that you can read about here), and the teacher helper group does anything else that needs doing ;) The compliment group is a new thing I am trying this year- at the end of class, someone from that house gives a compliment to someone in a different house. I am continuing to give happy notes this year, but I like the idea of having them practice giving compliments as well, instead of just receiving them.

The piano now sits where my old desk was, and I am so happy with how much more open the room feels. The lesson objectives are posted in some dollar store frames with scrapbook paper inside, and I write the objectives on the glass with a dry erase marker. I use the colors in those frames to color code my word wall and the lesson plans in my planbook, so it's easy for my eyes to find the grade I'm looking for.

I had the pillows last year but moved them here in the new space next to the piano. On the other side of the door (which leads to the band lesson room), I have a crate with some music-related books in it (everything from stories, to biographies, some magazines, and even an encyclopedia- just whatever I already had on hand). My plan is to have this as a center activity, where students can relax with the pillows and read.

Now we're on the other side of the room. Here's what that whole side looks like (taken from near the front door entrance):

I have my DIY smartboard set up at the front of the room, my new small teacher desk in the corner, and the student chairs lined up by color house groups:

Now, I use duct tape all over my carpeted floor. For most teachers this is probably not the best option- it does leave residue when you pull it up. For me, though, it's the best solution. It's cheap, comes in tons of colors and patterns, and my carpet was already in pretty bad shape so I'm not making it any worse with the tape :) Just a word of caution for anyone thinking about doing something similar!

Next to my "smartboard" is my music stand, where I keep all of the essentials I need while I'm teaching:

I have a magnetic kitchen clock/timer and laminated copy of my teaching schedule on top, my seating charts on my clipboard, and my projector remote and other supplies in the pockets underneath, You can read more about how I set up my music stand here. My seating charts got a major upgrade this year- I'll write a more detailed post about what I did later, but you can get this and tons of other seating arrangements in my seating chart set here. 

Behind the chairs I have some instrument posters, and extra chairs and stands for the band, which meets in my room once a week. On the floor next to the chairs I have some velcro strips that pull double-duty as a giant staff for practicing letter names and as lines for my kindergarten students when I need them in rows (like if I'm reading a book etc), and next to that I have circle spots, again with the same house colors.

I loved having the circle spots color-coded last year. My kindergarten students usually sit on the floor in those spots, but I also have the older students use them for movement, cup games, and other activities on the floor. When they go to make a circle, I can simply tell the green house to find a green spot, and so on. It gives them some choice but not too much choice. 

We'll finish up back over by my front door with the wall of shelves:

I've written before about small percussion storage in general, as well as how I organize my hand drums and triangles. I'm also continuing to color-code all of the writing supplies like I did last year:

My main project that I cannot seem to get done, though, is lining my shelves. As much as I love my shelves, the reality is they are pretty gross. There is graffiti, dust, chips, and other general grossness all over them, and no amount of cleaning is making much of a difference. Eventually I would love to paint them, but I wanted something to add some color and make them cleaner for the time being:

I'm using tablecloths from Party City (the kind with some cotton backing on it- not just the thin plastic ones) and attaching them to the shelves with double-sided tape. I'm telling you, it sounds ridiculous, but that was the cheapest option I could come up with! I was shocked to realize how much it would cost to line all of the shelves with contact paper.... sadness. But I'm happy with how the tablecloths are working out so far. I've only managed to get those 4 shelves done so far, but once I've done the others I'll post another picture :)

OK, whew! I think we've made it through the whole room! Thanks for sticking with me through this incredibly-long post. Best wishes to everyone on another awesome school year!!

I'm linking up with Tracy King- if you want to see TONS of amazing drool-worthy music classrooms, head over there to check them out!

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Mommy Monday: packing for air travel with young kids

This summer I got to take my 3.5-year-old girls on our first airplane trip in 3 years. If you know anything about my upbringing, then you know how insane it is that it's been that long since we traveled! Crazy. It was a relatively short trip-3 nights, 4 days- but everything is a little bit harder when you are packing for two preschoolers! Today I thought I would share my favorite packing tips with you.

Before I pack, I always make a list of what we'll need. I usually start my list a few weeks in advance, because I always think of things between the time I write the list and when I actually pack. This time I kept my list on a sticky note on the back of my DIY dashboard in my planner- I LOVED it and will definitely be doing it again the next time we travel :)

Let's start with what I packed everything into: one carry-on size suitcase (don't pay for check-through unless you really need to!), a backpack for each child, one shoulder bag, a quart-size bag, a water-proof bag (plastic grocery bag or similar size), and wallet or card holder.

When you're traveling with kids (or, really, even without kids), the last thing you want to be doing is fishing through your bag trying to find something. It's so helpful to have everything organized where you can get to it quickly while you're traveling!

In the backpacks, I had the girls pack their own entertainment for the trip: a few books, a coloring book, some colored pencils, stickers, etc. I also stuck a new coloring book in each of their bags for them to find as a surprise on the trip. I didn't want their bags to be so heavy that I ended up carrying them myself, but I also wanted them to be responsible for some of their own things.

The shoulder bag is for the stuff we need while we're on the airplane  (I used the brown and blue one in the top right corner of the last picture- anything that you can sling over your shoulder will work). Now that you have to pay for check-through baggage, everyone is bringing the biggest suitcases they can get onto the airplane. There's a good chance you will have your carry-on bag in an overhead bin or even under the plane. Neither one of those are easily accessible during the flight. By packing the stuff you need during the flight in a shoulder bag, you can quickly pull it out of the suitcase before stowing the larger bag and still have the essentials at your fingertips. Here's everything that went into that bag:

I have a change of clothes for each of the girls (in case they get really wet, have an accident etc), a sweater and pair of socks for each of us (in case we get cold), some wipes, tissues, gum (for the grownups to chew during takeoff and landing to help with ears popping), and snacks. With younger (baby to toddler) children, I brought some bottles and pacifiers to use for takeoff and landing. For older kids you could just give them gum or hard candy, but I was stuck for a while on what to do for preschoolers. My girls aren't using bottles or pacifiers, but they weren't ready for chewing gum or hard candy yet either. I stumbled on my solution at the drugstore one day:

I feel like such a genius telling you about this idea right now! Hahaha, no seriously. These things were perfect. The girls had never seen a ring pop before (I hadn't even seen one since I was in elementary school I don't think) so it was a novelty, and it was easy for them to suck on without making a mess like a regular lollipop. After each takeoff or landing, I stuck it back in the wrapper and they were able to use one ring pop for two flights!

I always pack one empty waterproof bag for dirty clothes. My carry-on suitcase came with the purple drawstring bag you see in the top picture, but I've also used a regular plastic grocery bag before. Just make sure it's waterproof and not plain fabric, in case you have... you know... clothes that are wet. As the result of an accident. Or other such things.

I packed each person's clothes into one gallon-size ziplock bag. I love this system because it makes it so much easier to find each person's clothes when you arrive! I always take them out of the bags as soon as I arrive at my destination, so nothing gets very wrinkled, and I pack any dressy clothes separately. Any clothes that are for special situations (like in our case, swimming suits) get their own bag.

I pack each of the ziplock bags of clothes in the bottom of the suitcase, then pack miscellaneous items- electronics, cables, toys, etc- in the nooks and crannies around the bags. Everyone's pajamas go on top of those, on the bottom side (when the suitcase is standing up), and the shoulder bag goes on top on the top side:

I pack the pajamas separately so that if we get there late, I don't have to unpack all of our clothes to get to what we need before falling into bed. I also put the white noise machine, and the girls' lovey's, at the top with the pajamas. Anything that we need to go to bed needs to be quickly accessible!

The wallet holds all of our travel documents: ID, plane tickets, car rental confirmation, addresses and phone numbers, passports, etc. I put that in the front zippered pocket along with my quart-size bag of toiletries (as most of you know, TSA will only let you through with travel size containers of liquids that all fit into a quart-size bag). I keep those in the outside pocket because you need both to get through security, and I need to be able to get them in and out quickly when we're going though the airport.

That's it! What are your favorite packing tips and other travel tips with little ones?

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Fermata Fridays: September 4, 2015

Welcome to this week's installment of my weekly linky party, Fermata Fridays! This is a chance for music education bloggers to share blog posts with readers and bloggers alike, so we can all mingle and learn from each other. Readers, you are going to love all of the awesome blog posts that are out there- I hope you discover some new blogs to follow and get some new inspiration for your teaching! Bloggers, make sure you read the directions carefully before linking up to make sure we keep the party fun for everyone. Thanks! :)

Here are the rules for the linky party:

1. Add the linky image to your blog post, blog sidebar, linky party roundup, or other similar location on your blog and link it back to the party. Copy and paste the code for this button, or use the image above and link to the label "Fermata Fridays".

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://caldwellorganizedchaos.blogspot.com/search/label/Fermata%20Fridays"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD5AShYQiAk-NC2PM5EMpGrK31c3bfaUO7qbi6cCVXVIW-ySfO3xfYbJOj0WAbRcl11hVrCCWLIiqFjqs2cV8Yu8Zw-HEdtId-jZRpwv-W6p9VwBWQZvreaxjOfVBwlw-YdvMr_BbR3M0/s1600/fermata+friday+button.jpg" /></a></div><br />

2. Add up to two blog post links to the linky. The posts can be old or new (but no posts that have already been linked up to Fermata Fridays in the past), on any topic related to music teaching, but must not be primarily featuring a product. It's fine to have a link to a relevant product within a post, but that should not be the primary focus of the post. I reserve the right to delete a link that is too product-focused. If you're not sure, just ask! :)

3. Leave a thoughtful comment on at least two other links, including the one right before yours. Add #fermatafridays to your comment so bloggers know where you found them!

4. Pin at least one other link to one of your Pinterest boards.

5. Make sure you are following me on Pinterest. I will be pinning every link to the Fermata Fridays board each week.

6. Make sure you are following me on Facebook and check back next Friday- I will be featuring one of the links from the previous week's linky on my Facebook page each Friday!

The linky will be open every Friday starting at 4:00am EST and will be open for links all day.

An InLinkz Link-up

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Teacher Tuesday: using Mortimer to teach high/low and xylophone technique

I have been sharing a lot of my favorite books to use in the elementary music classroom, particularly with the younger grades recently- you can read this post for ideas for Bear Snores On, and this post for We're Going On a Bear Hunt- but today's book is my all-time favorite lesson using a book in music class, period.

*this post contains affiliate links*

If you don't know this book, run, don't walk, to your nearest library (or buy it here) and get it NOW. It is a hilarious book about a boy who doesn't want to go to sleep. Instead of being quiet and going to sleep (as several people try to tell him to do), he keeps singing quite rambunctiously! Here is a read aloud if you're not familiar with the story:

I actually use a different melody that I picked up from my cooperating teacher during my student teaching for Mortimer's song. Mine is pentatonic so the students can play a bordun in tonic without having to change keys:

You could make up whatever melody you like to reinforce whatever solfege pitches you are practicing. Here is how I use the book in my class (this process is spread out over several lessons):

1. Learn the song and read the story

I actually teach the students the song before reading the story, and as I read, I have the students sing along with the song while keeping a steady beat on their legs. When I read, I intentionally read things a certain way to reinforce high and low later on: 1) every time someone goes up or down the stairs, I make the pitch of my voice go gradually higher or lower (on the words, "thump, thump...") and 2) I vary the pitch of each character's speaking voice (the lowest is the police, dad is next, then mom, and the siblings are the highest). 

2. Assign characters and act out the story

Once they have heard the story and know the song, I assign the students to a character. It doesn't matter how many you have of each at this point- I usually split them up equally between police, dad, mom, and siblings. On their character's portion, those students say the "thump, thump" going up and down the stairs, with their voices going higher and lower, and they also say "Mortimer, be quiet!" in their best impression of that character (I don't worry if they are using the same pitches as I do for that). I also still have them all sing the song each time.

3. Transfer to instruments

Once the students are able to perform their character's part, including making their voices go up and down correctly (and I usually have them switch parts a few times), we move to xylophones! The first thing we practice is singing while playing a bordun on the tonic and dominant notes (which they have already been practicing by patting the beat on their legs). Then we all practice going up and down the stairs together- we start at the lowest note and "walk" up by alternating hands and then go back down the other direction. We also practice running up the stairs (which I have the siblings do) by doing a gliss (sliding the mallet across the bars) in each direction. We practice going the correct direction by hearing my call out "up the stairs" or "down the stairs", in random order, and practicing starting on the low or high note. 

4. Tell the story with instruments

The final step is to perform the whole story with instruments! There are 2 more things that students need to practice to do the final version: adding a few unpitched percussion parts, and splitting up the characters again. I assign the characters by the barred instrument type (hence the variation in pitch in the initial reading): bass instruments are the police, altos are the dad, sopranos are the mom, and glockenspiels are the siblings. If you don't have all of the different types, you can still assign different parts to different students- it is just an added layer of learning to distinguish between instrument types if you do have them. Keep 3 students aside with no barred instruments (I tend to pick the ones who need the least amount of further practice on high/low on the xylophones) while you make sure each student knows when to play their parts for going up and down the stairs and say their line ("be quiet!"). 

I use 3 unpitched percussion instruments to add another layer of interest and fun to the story. These are totally not necessary for teaching high/low or xylophone technique, but a) it makes the story more fun, b) it gives a chance to give some students a "special part", and c) I take the opportunity to introduce all of the students to these "color instruments" to get them started on knowing the names and how to play them. I have one student who is the opening door, performed on the ratchet, one student who is the closing door, performed on the slap stick, and another who is Mortimer's nodding head, performed on the vibraslap. Obviously you could use other instruments you have in your classroom as well. At the end of the story, I have all 3 of those students lie down on the floor and pretend to go to sleep (it gives them something to do at the end of the story when their parts stop, and I don't want the students on xylophones falling on the floor and knocking the bars off of their instruments). 

My students and I love this lesson! I always videotape their final performance and show it to their homeroom teachers. I've also used it to do an "informance" in class and invite parents, teachers, and staff to come and watch informally in the classroom, and that was a big hit as well. And after doing it one year, I come back to it again and again for the next few years to review high and low on the Orff instruments (they don't mind). What are your favorite books to use in the music classroom? Share your ideas in the comments below- I'd love to hear them!

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