Five Favorite Music Pins of October

1.  I Knew You Were Treble
My students loved this video--nothing makes my heart happier than when my students understand music well enough to laugh at a music parody and start singing along with it.  And it helps them learn the names of the notes on the staff!

 

2.  Recorder Karate Loom Bands

This is a great idea that I got from this pin.  If you want to read more about some great Recorder Karate pins, go here.

 3.  Name that Solfege Tune

What a fun idea and a great way to reinforce the solfege they are learning in class!

 

4.  So Mi Fishbowl Notation

How cute is this?  Students will love this activity!  And it's very economical :)

 

5.  Note-Go-Find

How fun would this be to have a scavenger hunt around the classroom?  And it's easy to differentiate this activity!  Click on the picture to read more about it. 

 

Open House

     We just had the open house for our school this week.  It was fun to see all of those familiar faces again!  I swear some kids grow soooo much in just 3 months!!  Our open house is a time for parents to walk around the school with their children to see what class they will be in.  Normally, I just have my room set up and say "hi," but this year I wanted to be a bit more interactive.
     The first thing I did was set up my NEW (well, new to us) SMART board!!  Those things are AWESOME!!!  Can't wait to try it out this year with my students :)  I made it so they could draw on it, and also move notes around on a music staff.
     Then, I put out some owls so they could be part of my latest bulletin board.  Here are some pics from making it and then with their little owls on it.  It was a great way to start conversations and meet new students--definitely an idea to use again next year!

 

First, I made a tree out of paper and put some grass below it.

 Then, I added some clouds (batting) and some owls. 

   I added my saying--tried to keep it small so they will have lots of room for their owls.  I'm thinking I might make a banner to put above the bulletin board instead . . . a teacher's work is never done!

Finally, I put some leaves on the tree and the ground to add a little more texture to the overall picture. 

   

 When they started to put their own owls up at the open house, it began to look like this! (Pardon the beautiful florescent light right above the tree . . . )  Can't wait to see what it looks like when there are owls everywhere after the first week of school! 



Catch you next time I have something Noteworthy! 

The Storm Before the Calm

Recently, I've been seeing tons of photos of perfectly arranged and pretty music classrooms posted on Facebook and blogs.  So glad for those music teachers!  We all know how much work they have put into their rooms to make that happen.  School doesn't start until after Labor Day for me.  Soooooooo . . . . thought I'd post some pictures of my own.    



      Let's just say I have a LONG way to go before our open house on Wednesday :)  But hey, we've all been there, right??  And, I'm trying to add some more special touches to my classroom this year to try to make it more colorful and exciting!  


Oh, and yes, I do know I have a HUGE room and it's awesome!!  I have also been blessed to have a supportive administrator who really tries to make sure that music is viewed as a REAL and CORE subject--woohoo!!  Wish everyone could have that!  Notice that new (used, but new to me!) SMART board up front--she made sure I got one when everyone else did because she knew I would use it a ton!
   

On the bright side of the chaos--I did start putting up some displays out in the hallway to let parents know where the party's at!!  We have a great time in music AND we learn--not only about music, but how to be wonderful human beings in cooperation with one another!  

 I hope the preparation for your upcoming school year is going well.  Congrats to those of you who have already started!  Can't wait to post some fun ideas as the year goes on :)  Catch you next time I have something Noteworthy!  Jen