Saturday, November 7, 2015

November Small Goals 2015

Happy November!

 I have linked up with The Yellow Brick Road in hopes to hold myself accountable to meeting my goals!

I have been a bit behind on my blog, I was out busy planning a wedding and getting married!  I will soon write a post about the beautiful music nerd wedding we had :)

I am so happy but I am still settling into this role of "wife."  Our household roles are a bit reverse.  I am very, very spoiled and Jeff is a fabulous cook even with our mainly vegan appetites.  This left our housework a bit uneven.  I have been providing the bathroom cleaning and laundry and I was still not really pulling my weight around the house.  To even things out, I will now be in charge of our finances and budget.

Small Goal #1


Sort out our "normal" budget now that the wedding expenses are done.  I have been searching the internet for a great plan that fits our lives and I haven't found exactly what I want yet.  We are using mint.com and some excel documents I have created

Small Goal # 2


Write the rest of the wedding Thank Yous!  We were very lucky to have so much DIY help!

Small Goal # 3




Continue work on my Woodland Animals Decor Bundle on TPT.  So far I have Hand Sign Posters  and Ensemble Groups Posters completed!



 

Small Goal #4


Streamline my before school/after school routine.  I would love to be more consistent with gradebook entries and positive calls home.  I am going to make an after school checklist to help me organize my end of the day routine.




What are your goals?  What are your after school routines?




Please comment below!


Thanks for reading,

Monday, March 16, 2015

Music In Our Schools Month!

I am just returning from Spring Break and I am a little behind on celebrating Music in Our Schools Month!

Over break, I created a pennant/banner to display in the hallway in honor of the month!  Tomorrow the students will start to decorate their banner!  I am so excited!

Also, I have reached 50 Likes on Facebook so until I get home, the product is free!
 It includes color options as well as black and white ink saving options!





TPT:   Music In Our Schools Banner!


Also in honor of the month, I just have to thank all of you!  When I started this year my walls were empty and my "Wall of Answers" is so helpful to the students and it looks incredible!  I got a LOT of compliments during conferences.

Here is an updated Classroom Tour:



As you might remember, my wall is wavy to help improve the acoustics.  That means I can't really use it for shelving or tables so it has become "The Wall of Answers."  Students are used to referencing the wall and the are so proud to more pieces every day!

Yes, it's a bird!  This is my entrance door!

Teaching in a school that offers Spanish Immersion and I was thrilled when Cori Bloom of Rhythm and Bloom posted this set!



With the big open floor plan in this room Jena Hudson of Sew Much Music's 




With the New Standards, this set from Lindsay Jervis has been very helpful.  Plus administration loves that it is posted!  National Standards
  

In the hallway before I even met my students this fall,  they learned of my small obsession with The Wizard of Oz.  This music advocacy set from Lindsay Jervis was too good to pass up!  



I am so grateful every day to have such a strong online community.  As a music teacher collaboration is sometimes hard to find and I just wanted to say thank you for your resources, advice and your hard work!


HAPPY MUSIC IN OUR SCHOOLS MONTH!



Tuesday, January 20, 2015

Quarter 2 Accomplishments!

     I can't believe that the school is halfway over!  Along with grades I send home a list of our accomplishments to each family.  This year is my first year in this building and I am really working on providing a well rounded experience.  I have been very spoiled and the wonderful teacher before me has every resource your heart could desire!  It has actually been difficult figuring out what to teach!
    I was thrilled when I found this clip art!  It was perfect for my quarter 2 summaries.  I color coded them by grade level (it matches the Share the Music grade books).
Paper:  http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Clip-Art-Let-it-Snow-Paper-Collection-978501
Snowman:  http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Clip-Art-Let-it-Snowmen-980894
Border:  http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Kelly-Benefield
Font: http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Fonts-Fonts-Fonts-155-Personal-and-Commercial-Use-Fonts-ALL-KB-Fonts-by-Khrys-505757


Here is a sample of what I send home to Kindergarten Families!

Here are the sources from Kindergarten:

Grinding Corn: http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Grinding-Corn-A-song-for-ta-and-titi-1558017

Ho Ho Watanay: http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Ho-Ho-Watanay-A-Native-American-Lullaby-for-practicing-loudsoft-and-tatiti-955769

Twelve Days of Christmas: Actions as listed in Kindergarten Gameplan https://www.kid-sounds.com/index.php/kindergarten

Dance of the Reed Flutes: Actions as listed in Kindergarten Gameplan

Instruments to add sounds to a story:  I read the story of The Nutcracker (I love the pictures in this version https://www.maryengelbreit.com/store/mary-engelbreits-nutcracker.html) and then we list the main characters.  We talk about the sound of each character (the Mouse King could be loud and low) and then we find an instrument in the room to represent that character (a tubano).  I divide the students into groups to "play" each character.  I read the story again and each group plays when I say their character's name.  The students love it!  It is a great beginning composing lesson.

Ha Ha This Away:  I use the version found in http://shop.musicplaytext.ihoststores.com/productinfo.aspx?productid=731 and I teach a dance that I learned while student teaching that fits with the A section.

Mr. Troll: I use the version found here http://shop.musicplaytext.ihoststores.com/images/misc/Newsletters/11-03-25_MrTrollGame.pdf and for my spanish students we sing in English but the color must be sung in Spanish.


What have you accomplished this quarter?

What do you think I should do more of with Kindergarten?

How do you communicate with parents?  Do you have a newsletter?



Thanks for reading!

Sunday, January 4, 2015

2015 Resolutions!

Happy New Year!

This break did not go exactly as planned.  I spent break sleeping, blowing my nose and resting.  After going to the doctor I learned that I have pneumonia.  I guess my body was telling me to rest and take it easy.  The good news is I didn't have to miss school to be sick!  The bad news is I didn't have a very productive break.  Maybe I needed to take a break.

In my lazy state I have been reading a lot of new music blogs and taking time to catch up on my favorites.  Mrs. Miracle's Music Room hosted a linky party and I was happy to link up!  

 Mrs. Miracle's Resolution Linky Party

Personal: 

   Find a balance.  Over the summer I started to blog, got engaged and we bought a house.  I am coaching volleyball, leading a CmPS (Community Problem Solving Team),  singing in my church choir and trying to establish myself in my new teaching position.  It has been a lot.  I am told it only get busier when you have kids :)  

   Before this year, everything was work and coaching with some time for friends and family plugged in.  When I reflected in an earlier blog, I didn't have much to report on the personal accomplishments.  This year while planning a wedding and becoming a homeowner,  I have entered a different world trying to figure out how to get rid of mice, learning about roof rakes and ripping up carpet.  I have fully enjoyed it but I still need to learn to balance my time with these new adventures in my life!

Professional:

    Last year I taught in a Spanish/Chinese Immersion IB School and collaboration was mandatory to be successful! In my new school, I can be more independent and I realized I have not collaborated with what students are learning in their classrooms.  Although I collaborate with behavior concerns, my PLC time and socially I feel I have slipped with my content collaboration.
    It seems like people are very split on the issue of collaborating with what students are learning with their classroom teacher and focusing on the music pedagogy. I personally find collaborating inspiring for me and very helpful for my students.   I don't make the classroom content the center of my curriculum, but I would like to add a few songs a month that connect the two.

Classroom:

   Organize and establish myself.  I am very fortunate to replace a fantastic veteran teacher who had a plethora of resources and the school loves music.  This year I am working on creating my system and routines.  As a fifth year music teacher in a new position this year, I have been trying to find what is going to work best for these students this year.  As a result I have modified my lesson plans, expectations, communication, etc.  I love keeping traditions, but I also want to make my own.  With so many wonderful things available it is sometimes hard to navigate what I should do first!  I want to focus on curriculum mapping and staying organized for the rest of the school year.

Blog/TPT

   As I mentioned in the personal goals I struggle with balance and one of the first things that tends to get lost is my blog.  I realize that right now blogging once a week might not be reasonable but I want to try and blog twice a month and post at least once TPT resource a month.  I find both things to be extremely valuable and although I am busy I want to make time for this outlet!

Just for me!

   Like many people thinking about New Years Resolutions, I would like to be more healthy.  Making myself a priority for 30 minutes a day to work out should be reasonable.  Planning ahead for the week to ensure I can eat healthy is completely possible.  The most helpful thing for my accountability has been joining my friends in a Facebook fitness challenge group!  To see others complete there workout for the day is sometimes all my competitive body needs to get moving.  It is also so encouraging to see everyone transform.  I am very spoiled and I am not the cook at home.  If we get the groceries, Jeff will make us fantastic healthy food, I just have to eat it.  No excuses then!  



I wish you all the best in your goals of the year!
2015 is going to be a big year!