New Memories for a New Year!

Wow... I realize it has been over a YEAR since I've posted. I have no good excuse, other than life happened. But in the spirit of the new school year (that is already almost HALF over, let me fill you in on the good stuff!

Early Summer 2015: I was incredibly honored to have been named Teacher of the Year for my district. As the year was wrapping up, I was busy filling out and putting together my portfolio as an applicant for the Oklahoma Teacher of the Year. In the midst of that whole process (and it was a process), all teachers in my building were asked to pack up their entire classroom to make the move to our BRAND NEW BUILDING!!!! So exciting!!! I as also able to attend World Music Drumming Level 1 at my Alma Mater in Stillwater, meeting some AWESOME new friends and drumming to our heart's content!! 

WMD Level 1 @ Stillwater

Mid-Summer 2015: As I completed my Kodaly National Certification in 2014, our class (of 21!) was not about to let the next summer pass without a reunion... Hence, Kamp Kodaly 2015! We gathered together in Norman, OK, to watch our wonderful classmate, Scott Sexton, present "From Africa to Oklahoma" to the current levels students. It was a great kick-off to our weekend! Once he finished, we had a few snacks at Chelsea's, met for dinner at our favorite Mexican restaurant, and spent the evening folk dancing!!! The following morning, we gathered for a "round table" of topics, and discussed how we could open it up to all Level 3's for this next year! It was AMAZING, and I cannot say enough wonderful things about our class and instructors, Sandy Knudson, Bev Anyan, Casey Gerber, and Joy Nelson.

Kamp Kodaly Reunion!

Late Summer 2015: We are told the new building will not be ready in time, so all teachers then UNpacked their boxes back into their old rooms. (They are now aiming for a move over Fall Break.) In the mean time, I was named a Rising Star for the OkTOY Program!!! There were quite a few music friends chosen as their district's T.O.Y. and we represented well! 

My wonderful parents

The most supportive husband in the world!

Some of my favorite musicians and teachers!

My OSU Homecoming buddy and fellow T.O.Y. in his district!!!!!

August-October: New year begins (with a post of my favorite activities coming soon)! However, being that our school has (and is) growing, I am seeing most classes as doubles. Not ideal, but I do feel like I have the hang of it. To help remedy this, the PE teacher (the wonderful friend she is) and myself have been given a (mostly) FULL-TIME AIDE!!! Heidi is just about PERFECT! She is my ideal sidekick in that she is so artistic! She's been instrumental in making my lessons come to life this year, and I hate that I'll be losing her soon, as she'll be on a new adventure with her hubby out of state. 

Halloween: Super Teachers!

October-Present: Still in the old building, with a possibility of moving over our Christmas Break. Yes, there have been a few (....) construction mistakes along the way, but there is an end in sight!! We are all so ready to be in our new space - even my music room is connected to the auditorium and stage!! I was able to design the entire room myself (which was fabulous, as well as intimidating), but, despite any windows to the sun, I am so excited to get my students over there!! 

Here's a sneak peek of  post coming to you soon!!! Thank you for reading!! :)

OkCDA Convention Reflections

Earlier this week, I was given the opportunity to present a session on how to create programs from children's literature.  This was the first time our Oklahoma Choral Directors Association has set a day in their annual convention, specifically for elementary music educators!!  (Way to go, Beth Berkenbile!!)  I really thought we had a pretty great turnout.  I think next year, it will just get better and better, continuing to grow each year!

Our day began with Oklahoma's own fabulous composer and teacher, Cristi Cary Miller!  She presented us with many new Hal Leonard products, as well as published programs in her two morning sessions.  She is really a force to be reckoned with - this woman is on FIRE for music education.  She is truly amazing.  (Being that I spent seven weeks in her classroom while student teaching, I may be a little biased, too.)  She brought an assortment of interactive board materials to show in her first session, and we were able to hear a few new programs that were published this year, AS WELL AS hearing some favorites from years past!  What a great way to start the day!!

Once everyone returned from lunch, I was up.  I based my session on how to create your own program - from books, songs,  poems, curriculum units...  (I plan to do a full post on this later this week, so come on back!!).  Overall, I was so excited of how it turned out.  I always get nervous presenting in front of peers and colleagues, but I wanted a certain amount of feedback and sharing to happen in the session - and it absolutely happened!!!  I think many of us that are interested in creating our own programs took at least ONE thing from my session - either from me or each other.  We have such a supportive group of elementary music teachers in our great state.  I love that.

Before the day ended, my good friend Katie Robertson took a HUGE crowd through a whirlwind of technology ideas that could be used in ANY music classroom!  She offered all of her created materials to the teachers that were there for FREE!!!  Now, don't get too sad if you weren't able to be there, she and I have just stared creating a joint Teachers Pay Teachers account that all products will be available!!  (Be looking for Cowgirl Compositions soon!!)  For me, I love being able to bounce ideas off of another set of eyes, and by doing it together, we can keep each other motivated!  We've each added a little man to our families within the past year, so another reason for joining forces will be to lighten the load and keep our family time.  :)

And finally, we were able to sing through this year's Circle the State with Song music.  What a JOY we are bringing to our students and the state this year with these pieces!!!  I love each one and keep thinking "Oh, THIS one is my favorite," but as soon as we sng through the next, I think the same thing!!  I am so blessed to have been a state co-chair for this in the past couple of years, and given the opportunity to collaborate with other past chairs to read through and choose the eight pieces that will be performed in nineteen areas throughout the state of Oklahoma!!  What a great experience!!

And as I hold up my half-full glass of red wine, I say, "May the music made together one day heal mankind!"  (Thank you, Harmonia Mundi lyrics.)  :)

  

Let There Be Light!

Today was my final Monday as a Kodaly student...  Both exciting, yet sad for it to be over already!  The light is shining so brightly at the end of our journey together!

I performed my final conducting project this morning by conducting my colleagues in Andrea Ramsey's "Sing to Me."  It is such a moving piece, and my friends performed it BEAUTIFULLY!!  (Made me look pretty good, too - they deserve a ton of the credit!  I loved it!)

I've learned so much these past three summers from my instructors AND fellow colleagues in class.  I can't believe the end is almost here!  Come Friday, all 21 of us - the LARGEST Level 3 class in OU history, by the way - will perform our final concert, wrapping it up with the beautiful sounds and text of Harmonia Mundi..  "Music made together may one day heal mankind."

Best of luck to the many teachers out there taking classes and/or workshops this summer to better themselves as teachers and musicians!!!  :)

Renewed & Ready!

As it has been many, many moons since my last post, I feel like I need to re-introduce myself again...  Too much to list from the past 2 years, but I will happily post the highlights - both personally and professionally.

Tell us a little something about you...

I'm Lindsey and I teach music in Northwestern Oklahoma!  I live in an historic house in a medium-sized town that is officially100 years old! (I'm LOVING it!)  My hubby and I have been married for close to 5 1/2 years now, and right after the move from Stillwater to Enid, we found the sweetest pug, Wrigley, who is a daily burst of energy. Then about a year and a half later, we adopted her "big brother" Pete, who added just the right amount of personality and love to our growing family.  (Pete and Wrigley look absolutely nothing alike, and are pretty much as close to opposite as I could've gotten with them both being pugs.  I adore them.)

Just this past year, almost exactly a year ago now, we welcomed our first child together!  Baby D has so much personality, and is the favorite part of my day!  I can't believe that he will be a year old next month, but I've enjoyed the new journey of motherhood.  I am absolutely blessed to be, in my opinion, living the best of both worlds - teaching music in one of the best schools around, and coming home to a happy, healthy baby boy everyday.  It made for a FAST year, but wouldn't change a thing about it!

How long have you been teaching?

I just finished my SEVENTH year of teaching elementary music. My first year was the biggest challenge so far, but I know the journey is not over yet!  I taught PreK-12th grade in a very small school, and it was exhausting!  It was also 40-minutes one way from our home, which didn't do much for my car or my marriage. We powered through ("we" the marriage, not the car - she didn't make it), and I was able to find an elementary position in town at Adams. It was a traveling position and I stayed there and LOVED it for two years, but I transferred for my fourth year and it was wonderful to be in one building. I've worked with a handful of GREAT teachers at every school, but the schedule at Glenwood was pretty hard..  Luckily, I had LOTS of friends and paras who were more than willing to help out with those first few minutes of certain classes, as this pregnant girl needed a potty break often!!!  Both years at Glenwood, I taught 60 classes a week between the hours of 8-3:00.  Every day.  We had no time between classes, and there was some consistency, but for the most part, the grade levels weren't always back-to-back with each other (8:00 5th, 8:30 4th, 9:00 5th, 9:30 Kinders, 10:00 3rd... You get the idea).

However, on the North side of Enid (technically, it is its own town called North Enid) is where I hope I've found my home.  Chisholm is a medium-sized public school where T and I have always talked about our children going to since we moved here.  I love the size, and the amount of teachers that stay late, show up early, or are there every weekend are the MAJORITY in the building.  I was really impressed at how much it made me up my expectations of myself in my classroom, too.  (My expectations have always been high - sometimes unattainably high, but it was refreshing to be in a place where that was the "norm.")  The principal saw something special in me, and took a HUGE chance on a young, PREGNANT, music teacher who would be gone the first SIX WEEKS of the school year!  So grateful to her and always will be.  I loved every minute at Chisholm, and worked harder than I ever have before.

You might not know...

Teaching wasn't my initial career choice. Growing up with parents that were both teachers/coaches, I decided that by high school that I didn't want none of that cake.  I saw the long hours, disrespect (by adults and kids alike), and financial burden it took with my siblings and I.  When I got to college, I had full intentions of becoming a wedding planner. Didn't last long. (Not even sure where it came from, and, come to find out, would have been AWFUL for me. Planning my own was an awful experience - which took place during the middle of my first semester teaching ever... Didn't help its cause.)  By the first semester in, I had already talked to the music ed. advisor and gotten enrolled in choir and never looked back.

Also, this coming week will be my final week of Level 3 for my Kodaly Certification!!!!  Come next Friday, I will be a nationally certified teacher in the Kodaly Method from the University of Oklahoma!!  More than ever, I would LOVE to give back and teach this course someday, but I'd also really love to audit other programs in the states.  (Maybe start close to home in Kansas or Texas?) 

What are you looking most forward to this school year?

I'm most looking forward to a fresh start to a FULL year back.  We will need to depend on each other to be positive, as it may be a more difficult year, due to being under construction the entire year - the bond passed for a brand new elementary!!!!  So excited!!!!  That said, I refuse to let anything stand between my happiness (and sanity).  I will choose to make the effort every single day to make this year worthwhile for the students and myself.

What do you need to improve?

There's always something I'm thinking about that I want to improve.  Summertime is usually my time to focus and reflect on what went well and what went poorly.  (And, of course, there were things that I could or should have done better..)  I want to make sure my students know more about the classics. Composers, classical music, everything!  Yes, I realize there are only so many hours that I see them, but I will cram everything I can get them to grasp into their sweet ever-growing brains before the year's up.

I'd also like to be better at choosing my choral repertoire - for both my honor choir AND the newly-founded Enid Community Children's Chorus my colleagues and I are starting!!!  Training with Sandy Knudson these past three summers has been instrumental in both improving my own musicianship, and the way I approach my choir rehearsals and performances.

What teaching supplies can you *not* live without?

Love my Sharpies.  I seriously cannot do a project without color-coding everything.  Each grade level has its own color that I've continued for the past 6 years. It works, and I'm slightly obsessed with it.

Of course, I keep a healthy stash of Dr. Pepper around at all times. It's a sad, sad addiction that I am slowly giving up.

I cannot live without my office supplies.  Labels, markers, pens, post-its... Everything has it's place!  I'm one of those who is organized to an "obsessive" point, yet my desk always has clutter.  (How does that happen??!) 

My SmartBoard is a-mazing!  Every class will still have a "Musical Moment" or greeting in some way (thank you, Bev Anyan!), and I hope to fit in more - as my classes at Chisholm are 45 minutes each, opposed to the 30 minutes in previous schools. 

Books, books, and more teaching-inspired books!  It's another crazy addiction, and my husband cannot understand it.  I'm doing my best to find him some good ones though.  He claims he's not a reader, but I'm working on him. ;)

Please keep coming back!  My fellow Kodaly buddy, Tony, (and newly elected OKE board member!) at Chronicles of a Music Teacher and I are going to keep each other accountable - the teaching year is BUSY, but we hole to share our stories and ideas with each of you!! 

Happy Summer, friends!!  Hope levels everywhere are inspiring teachers from across the nation!

Game On...

Now that my summer has slowed down tremendously, and I'm not hopping from one city (or state... or country in some cases) to another, I'm back just in time for school to begin!  I'm getting ready and excited as I talk to many of my music-teacher-friends about the new year, our new ideas, new curriculum plans, what we want to organize, etc. (it's like a drug to some of us out there...we're addicted).   

Moving forward though, I spent a good two hours of my day back in my classroom.  You should all be proud that I made it this long!  I feel behind in the fact that I still haven't quite determined my "theme" for this year (since we do not have a school-wide one), but last year's SPACE theme went over well!  Composer Crater, Inter-Galactic Instruments, a Tech Crew... I'll need some new ideas, so bring them on please!  But I digress...  Back to the point of the story.

During those two hours at school today, I was able to EMPTY six of the seven wall closets!  Yes, I am extremely lucky in the fact that I have some serious storage space along that entire West wall, but last year was so busy, I had NO TIME to go through any of them!  And the former teacher of that room had them PACKED.  She recently retired, but I can't imagine what my room will look like after teaching for almost 30 years.  (Surely, you're getting an idea of what kind of cleaning and organizing I'm working with here people.)

Not to worry.  I happened to be pulling out box after box and lining them up in the middle of my classroom to go through, when I got a call from my homegirl, Katie over at Crafy Compositions.  Pretty sure she's so awesome that she's going to come to my classroom with me tomorrow to go through each and every one, and then go tub shopping!  (To answer the question you're probably thinking... Yes.  The tubs all have to match with a label marking what is inside.  Duh.) 

Before and After pictures will be coming soon, but I can tell you that without her... I just don't know that this project would be possible.  It'll take some serious work.  You down with OCD?  Yeah, you know me!

Organizing - Best Day of My Life!

After being a Melisa Bauer's workshop yesterday that was organized by OKE, I'm completely inspired. I took some serious notes and felt like I still could've listened to more ideas! Like her, I'm absolutely obsessed with notebooks. (It's a bit scary... Color-coordinated and everything.)

Here's what I'm thinking for my notebooks:

1. Index Binder - This one was started last summer after Phyllis King brought her "List of Lists" to OU, and I need to update it. Since I changed schools, I customized a gift for myself - my own personalized notebook from zazzle.com. :) In case of fire, this is the binder I grab!

I have tabs for my schedule (weekly, monthly, and yearly), a tab for each grade level (that has my monthly/yearly goals that I set to teach and any other important work divided up by grade), and then also tabs for certain subjects. These last ones are what needs updated. Under my "Melody" tab, I have list the solfege in order of teaching (color-coded, of course) and after that I list the songs I know that practice them. I have the same thing for my other tabs, Rhythm, Listening, Music Elements, Games, Holidays, and then finally the National Standards for music and our state's PASS Skills.

2. Notebook #2 is up next. I liked her idea of having Monthly Classroom Zones. (I'm thinking each "zone" represented one week in the month, if I remember correctly.) But Zone 1 is for her to get bulletin boards changed and other decorations put out/away. Zone 2 is more for cleaning. Zone 3 is a more of a monthly sort. Papers that need to be filed or others that need to be thrown away get done this week. Zone 4 is Planning Power! I have an idea of where I want to be at the end of each month, but it would be nice if I wrote it out and made it more concrete... To Do List! :)

3. Song Anthology. Enough said.

Another thing that I hope to get started over my summer (or possibly Spring Break... I may not be able to wait) is sorting through my things and organizing some by tubs and/or units. Each tub would contain materials for a specific unit or month. Melisa brought a couple of hers to our workshop that we could glance through, and I think it would be completely relevant to my classroom. She has a tub labeled for each month that has more of her decorations or "Frills & Flapadoodles" and other tubs for her units. (LOVED her!!) Each thing would have its own spot and I'd know exactly where to look for it. (Instrument sorting may be the first place I start... I inherited a closet full of small percussion instruments that are all over 4 different shelves. I'm getting overwhelmed just thinking about it!) Spring Break!

Final thing on my list is to incorporate Whole Brain Teaching. Done and done. I'm sold! Have to present a break-out session tomorrow on Class Dojo - wish me luck! I may or may not be back until after my program Thursday... Hope everyone has a great week!

December Goals Review..

As for my December Goals.. Here they are in no particular order:

#1 - Have all Christmas gifts bought and wrapped by December 22nd. We don't get out of school until the 21st, so this could be pretty tricky.

FAILED. I did, however, get all gifts bought and wrapped within 24 hours though! Right after I had a Chili's date with my girls after school on the 21st, I went straight to shopping. So from about 5:30 p.m. on the 21st until 2:00 the next day - I was finished! I don't know that I'll get that lucky every year, but I'm super-impressed with myself this year. (Holiday cards are on the To Do List for next year...)

#2 - Organize my closet. My "closet" is really one of our extra bedrooms (the smallest one, but it's still full), and I feel like I am completely overwhelmed when I try to get started in there and get anything done. My goal this month is to clean out any clothes I haven't worn in a year and have all of them hung up or put away.

ACCOMPLISHED! How excited am I?!! I posted my vanity pics from Thursday's project, but the final touches (meaning - putting away all of the clothes from the laundry baskets and organizing misc. things into small baskets) were all done today!! Sadly, I got distracted from painting the bathroom, again, but soon!

#3 - Put up Christmas decorations! How sad is it that I have yet to decorate for the holiday season!? I know I'm behind, and I also know that it will only get worse/busier. At least, we have our lights up outside!

ACCOMPLISHED! I didn't go over-the-top this year, but I did manage to set out a few things - including a very small tree. It was a little late in the season to get up our big one, so I compromised. :)

#4 - Read 2 or 3 new books over the break. Yes, I'm a nerd, but if anyone has any great suggestions, I'd love to hear about them!

FAILED. I did re-read a book that was a gift a few years ago called Santa, Baby, but I didn't get much farther than that. I figure, since I finished many other projects, I could let this one go a little.

#5 - Print out my huge assortment of pictures. I am a huge scrapbook girl, and I need to get going on that again!

FAILED. I did get a few printed, but not near my assortment. (Not even half.. When I wrote this goal, I didn't realize how crazy it was to try to get them all printed!) I also TOOK more pictures this holiday season! I don't know why I ever really stopped - surely, not because I gained weight after college or became uber-obsessed with my career... Nah. I'm working on it.

Hope everyone is having a great start to their weekend! Can't believe our break is coming to a close, but I made the best of it! :)

PS - Newest December Goal: Make a resolution! I like having goals each month, for sure, but I need to try and see if I can decide on one that's long-term. Any ideas? Let me know!

Project Winter Break!

I have seriously been out of control when it comes to projects this break! I started the "break" with my Christmas shopping - yes, all of it within 24 hours.. I was lucky. However, after all FIVE Christmases in all of 2 1/2 days, we were exhausted! T and I spent all of Monday relaxing in our sweats (once we got back home, of course). And my sweet pups were so worn out, they didn't get back to their sweet, energetic selves until today! But I couldn't really complain, I do love to cuddle with them. :)

Onto my projects. I made my list, and set out to conquer them all over these past few days:

Monday - re-energize and prepare

Tuesday - Project Closet

Wednesday - Project Errands

Thursday - Project Vanity

Friday (to come) - Project Bathroom

TUESDAY - PROJECT CLOSET

On Tuesday, I seriously cleaned out SIX LARGE TRASHBAGS worth of clothes and shoes. I'm talking anything from shirts, skirts, dresses to coats, scarves and hats! It was amazing. T helped me load them up and take them down to the closest shelter. They may not be able to use everything, but I figured it could help someone. There are only 5 showing, but I didn't think about the coat closet until after I took the pic.

I can honestly say, I haven't seen this many extra hangers in my life. It feels great!

WEDNESDAY - PROJECT ERRANDS

I didn't necessarily need the "project" in my title, but it went with the rest of the days this week. We were really out and about from 10:30 until 3:30.. With a short stop for lunch at El Chico, we spent many hours at our small mall, Wal-Mart, Lowe's, AT&T, and Suddenlink. Whew! :)

We bought new curtains for most of our downstairs rooms (and T was honestly shocked at how much they cost - even with our coupon). I was trying something new to get more light in the dining room, and despite the sad image outside our giant window, I do like how it turned out.

We also bought some tubs to organize various things to slide under our spare bed, and extra laundry baskets to go in the basement for sorting clothes. I didn't take a picture, but they were promptly labeled as Whites, Darks, Colors, and Other. Oh, yes.. I did.

THURSDAY - PROJECT VANITY

So, I have had this adorable vanity and Mom and I found at a local garage sale two years ago, and I haven't done anything with it! It came to me a light, yellow color along with the chair's outline. When I was really feeling inventive, T and I painted it a matte black and sprayed the chair black as well. (There's just something special about my black and white relationship.) Anyway, I replaced the knobs, and it actually turned out pretty well.

Today was all about finishing it! I lined the inside of each drawer with cute, decorative paper, threw away the broken mirror (that came with it, but I was never able to use), and changed the material on the chair. I was so stunned by the finished product, I texted Mom and said that couldn't belong in my house! (I do love the mood lighting in the "after" picture though. hehe)

Before...

After!!

Isn't it so wonderful??! I'm in love.

FRIDAY - PROJECT BATHROOM

Pictures may come soon, but tomorrow I have one goal and only one goal. OK, that's not true. There's always something that comes up. Besides getting a teeth-cleaning at the dentist today, there were a few random things that came up around the house to finish or get distracted by. (Yes, I mean YOU, Pinterest!)

However, I plan to get a well-deserved (and well-needed) pedicure tomorrow, as well as painting my upstairs bathroom. I have a wonderful green that I adore - and painted the spare bedroom walls with - so I can only imagine that I'll love it in my bathroom with all of my brown/cream zebra accents, of course. There may be a couple of other Christmas gifts to put away, but we took care of the big ones on Monday and Tuesday (since T was off work both days). Big ones meaning my super awesome new mixer, my personal laminator (which may accompany me to school for a few small projects), my new label-maker, and his Keurig. He got some shoes that he's worn everyday since from my brother and sister, but there's still a small ice chest in the middle of my living room... Oh, how I love the holidays!

Hope everyone has had a blessed holiday season! Warm wishes to you!

xoxo

Happy Holidays!

Our last day of school was yesterday! Can you guess when my holiday shopping began? ...Yes, yesterday at 5:30 p.m. - directly after I met our Grizzly Girls at Chili's. :) However, I'm so proud to say that I officially finished in less than 24 hours! (Let's face it, I was pretty lucky.)

Our Christmas parties were on Tuesday afternoon - WITH BEAUTIFUL SNOWFLAKES, BTW - so our kiddos were pretty exhausted and restless to say the least. We have our class parties all at the same time, so I didn't have music classes from 2-3:00 that day. A nice, very well-deserved, break. Which I took full advantage of. I went to see one of my favorite friend's program! She teaches 1st-2nd special ed. and puts on a winter program for their parents in her classroom each year. I wasn't in the building for it last year, but since I don't have to travel this year, I was able to watch in the audience!

It. was. precious. Her students did such a great job, and she had provided them with matching holiday clothes that were adorable. They sang about 4-5 songs, had motions, and used props! I was so proud of them! (And she's our Teacher of the Year for our building - nothing short of spectacular. Seriously.)

I hope everyone enjoys their much-needed break and spending time with their families this holiday season!

We wish you a Merry Christmas!

We wish you a Merry Christmas!

We wish you a Merry Christmas,

and a Happy New Year!

December Goals

This isn't just a post for my goals, as much as I want to say... GO COWBOYS!

The Oklahoma State Cowboys defeated our own in-state rivals last night in Stillwater. The "Bedlam Forecast" sure had us all worried and prepared us for the worst, but most of the afternoon stayed warmer and dryer than planned. The game ended up making OSU look pretty darn good and gave us a win over the Sooners 44-10. (Awesome!)

As for my December Goals.. Here they are in no particular order:

#1 - Have all Christmas gifts bought and wrapped by December 22nd. We don't get out of school until the 21st, so this could be pretty tricky.

#2 - Organize my closet. My "closet" is really one of our extra bedrooms (the smallest one, but it's still full), and I feel like I am completely overwhelmed when I try to get started in there and get anything done. My goal this month is to clean out any clothes I haven't worn in a year and have all of them hung up or put away.

#3 - Put up Christmas decorations! How sad is it that I have yet to decorate for the holiday season!? I know I'm behind, and I also know that it will only get worse/busier. At least, we have our lights up outside!

#4 - Read 2 or 3 new books over the break. Yes, I'm a nerd, but if anyone has any great suggestions, I'd love to hear about them!

#5 - Print out my huge assortment of pictures. I am a huge scrapbook girl, and I need to get going on that again!

November Goals Round-Up

I was looking back at my goals for this month, and I'm so excited! 4 out of 5 is pretty darn good! :) Here's where the cards lay:

1. Run a full mile by the end of the month. Without stopping. Without walking. FAILED. It's just so cold already!

2. If needed, spend only ONE day at school after 5:00. ACCOMPLISHED! Most days I was able to leave between 4:00-4:30, so I'm getting better at getting everything I need done. (Also, it saved me some extra time since our school copier was broken from the 21st until now..)

3. Plan dinner 4 nights a week. ACCOMPLISHED!! We had all kinds of great foods! I guess I'll have to keep up my grocery shopping for the week on Mondays after school - seemed to work out just fine! (Felt like I was such a better wife!) haha

4. Send 5 cards to special people in my life just for fun. I love this one! ACCOMPLISHED!

5. Start planning holiday lists. ACCOMPLISHED! We even got the lights put up outside the house! Now the inside looks nothing like my usual Christmas does, but we were also gone for the weekend after Thanksgiving, so I couldn't quite fit in my normal routine. It will get done!

May the Odds Be Ever in Your Favor...

These new trailers are just teasing us! I cannot wait until some Hunger Games really come out! If you haven't read the books, there is still time! Don't walk to get them. Today. RUN. They are written so well and grab your attention from the beginning! I highly recommend them, along with many of my fellow teachers!

LOVE IT.

Drummer Hoff Fired It Off!

Tuesday Tune-Ups with Firsties!

I very much enjoy my lesson with my first graders this week. I started with a couple of opening Thanksgiving songs, but dove straight into our lesson after that...

DRUMMER HOFF FIRED IT OFF!

LESSON ONE:

I love using this great book, because it has so many great rhythmic qualities and I always tie it in with instruments. Adapted by Barbara Emberly & illustrated by Ed Emberly (yes, we always have to make sure we make the connection of their names.. haha), I always have a good time hearing how the two may be related! Cousins, siblings, parents, etc. So cute!

Anyway, we start the first day by reading the book and I have them actively participate by clapping as a whole group once after I say the sentence, "Drummer Hoff fired it off!" I like to keep them on their toes, so I tend to change it up and a pause in different places to really test their listening skills. At the end of the book, I tell them, "When I say this next word, I want you to pat your legs as quickly as you can until I give you this signal." And yes, the next word is "FIRE!" so they pat their little legs as quickly as they can until the explosion is over and I give the signal. LOVE THIS!

After we finish reading/clapping, I have the names of all of the officers in the book and I have the students put the names in order. Then, we clap the rhythm of each. "General Border gave the order" = ti-ti ti-ti ti-ti ti-ti and "Major Scott brought the shot" = ti-ti ta ti-ti ta and so on.

DRUMMER HOFF FIRED IT OFF!

Our school has adopted Safari (which is a recent switch from Discovery Education), and I actually found a great reading of the book that has animated the pictures and "makes them come to life!" Firsties were super impressed with that! (Let's be honest, I'm impressed, too. I'd love to know how to do that myself!)

That usually takes most of the first day, since I only see them for 30 minutes, so the next lesson is when we really dive into our instrument time!

LESSON TWO:

We start off by reviewing our book by either reading the book again with the claps or watching the video. (Always keeping fresh on their minds the explosion and cut-off signal.)

Next, I have my instruments set up in the front of the room, with each instrument representing a different character. I assign 3-4 students to each character, and then we read through the book. Students play the rhythm of their character on their instrument and stop once it gets to the next character. Of course, my Drummer Hoff could be a giant drum that only a few kids get to hit at the end, but since I do not have many drums in my classroom, I chose to use small cymbals. (I kept it a very small group of 1-2 kids only. It was plenty loud enough.) ;)

Again, always anticipating that explosion at the end, I have ALL instruments play when I say the word "FIRE!" If there's time, I have the groups change places, so the students are able to play more instruments. All is good fun though!

I need to take a cute pic of the students actually playing these instruments, but for today, you can see the set up of how it all went down.

DRUMMER HOFF FIRED IT OFF!

Hope you enjoy!

Sunday Fun-Day: Class Dojo

OK, so I've been reading about this all over the blogging world: Class Dojo.

I'm kind of obsessed!

Usually after the first 9 weeks (and once our procedures are down and practiced pretty well), I start a competition between every class that comes to music. I think my librarian may start the same thing and join my efforts, so I'm very excited about that, too!

How it works: I have a chart that lists every class, and I have students keep track and mark their stars once they line up. When they enter music, they are all awarded 5 stars as a class. It is their job to keep those 5 stars throughout our 30 minutes together. And then it all starts over the next day. (Since they come to me three times a week, a single class can keep up to 15 stars per week. After Friday at 3:00, it starts over the next week.)

Here are my 5 stars and what I require of them for their class to keep them:

Enter - come in quietly and go to their spot on the risers

Cooperation - work well with others, no disruptions, doing as they are asked, etc.

Participation - pretty self-explanatory, but if a couple aren't singing/clapping/etc., they lose this star

Attitude - a poor attitude towards fellow classmates, teachers, or the music = no star

Exit - line up quietly and ready for the hall

I've been posting these stars in the front of the room, so it is always visible to them, but I think this Class Dojo will be just as easy! I have it set up (for free, btw) for one class: Music, and then listed the classroom teacher's name as my "students."

You can add it to your smart phone AND pull it up on your SmartBoard anytime you'd like, too! I'm going to try it this week and see how it goes or if I need to stick with my old way. (Sometimes technology really is a fun time!)

Hope everyone's Veteran's Day Programs went smoothly - almost time for the Christmas ones! (Never a break... haha)

ABC's of Me!

I saw this cute get-to-know-you-idea on a fellow blogger's site, and decided that it would be a great time to throw it into the mix this week!

A. ATE FOR BREAKFAST: Mango-Pineapple smoothie from McD's. Yum.
B. BED SIZE: Queen
C. CHORE YOU HATE: Cleaning up a puppy mess or mowing. Not a fan.
D. DOG'S NAMES: Pete and Wrigley (pictured above)
E. ESSENTIAL "START THE DAY" ITEM: My phone! First, it acts as my alarm clock, but I tend to check emails and the weather first thing.
F. FAVORITE COLORS: Hot pink & turquoise. To wear - black or purple.
G. GOLD OR SILVER: My wedding rings are white gold (aka silver), but it depends on the outfit of choice for the day. :)
H. HEIGHT: 5'6"
I. INSTRUMENTS YOU PLAY: I took piano lessons for years, but studied voice after that. Other than my two weeks on the recorder, that's been about it.
J. JOB: Elementary music teacher
K. KIDS: Nope.
L. LIVING ARRANGEMENTS: Bought a house. Going on 2 1/2 years now!
M. MY FAVORITE SNACK: chips and salsa, Dr. Pepper, chocolate... You see where I'm going with this. N. NICKNAME: Linny was the only one that ever really sort of stuck.
O. OVERNIGHT HOSPITAL STAY: Never. (Thank goodness).
P. PET PEEVE: I have a lot of these, but I can never think of them when someone asks!
Q. QUOTE FROM A MOVIE: It's from Noah to Allie in The Notebook -- "So it's not gonna be easy. It's gonna be really hard. We're gonna have to work at this every day, but I want to do that because I want you. I want all of you, forever, you and me, every day."
R. RIGHTY OR LEFTY: Righty (except when I swing the bat! ...blame it on Pops.)
S. SIBLINGS: One of each, but I'm the oldest.
T. TIME YOU WAKE UP: On Wednesdays, I have a rehearsal at school at 7:30 a.m. and two/three days week I was running at 5:30 a.m. But I like to be at school extra early (since I only have 25 minutes to plan between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m.), which gives me time to accomplish at least one thing for the day. So I'm usually waking up between 6:05-6:15 now that it's too chilly.
U. UNDERWEAR: Um. Awkward turtle, homes. I have quite a variety, in case you were wondering. Oh, and I like to match my undies to my outfits if possible. True story.
V. VEGGIE YOU DISLIKE: I like most vegetables, but I've never had brussel sprouts and I doubt I'd be a fan.
W. WAYS/REASONS YOU ARE LATE: I love to sleep. Sometimes I get sucked into reading blogs/books on my nook or checking facebook (not as much anymore now that Pinterest has me completely inspired) and time gets away from me. Sometimes I have fashion emergencies - aka I just can't decide what to wear.
X. XRAYS YOU'VE HAD: For my teeth -- at the dentist & orthodontist.
Y. YUMMY FOOD YOU MAKE: I make lots of yummy food (if I do say so myself). Tonight's dinner was stolen from a fellow teacher and it may be my new favorite! Kind of a shephard's pie-type-thing. (Croissant rolls in a pie pan filled with beef, green beans, onion, tomato sauce and cheese - sooo wonderful!)
Z. ZOO ANIMALS YOU LIKE: Elephants (always my #1), penguins, anything my hubby wouldn't let me have as a house pet really.

Kinder-Music Mondays

I'm feeling a little behind with my kinders. For most of their classes, I usually follow Joy Nelson's The Music Effect to keep us on path, but this year has been a whirlwind of way too many extra things that have to be put into our musical time together. With my schedule, I only have time for one kinder class to come three times a week.

(Therefore, the other three kinder classes in our building have another - astounding, btw - teacher that sees them in the cafeteria... Yes, our building is officially out of classrooms and has no room for our traveling music teacher to have a classroom. She was presented with a Redcat-speaker system and CD player on a rolling cart. That's it. She's unbelievable. I don't know how she does it three days a week.)

Back to point. If you are not currently using The Music Effect books 1-2, I highly recommend them! Dr. Nelson gives you great stories and tips to keep the kids engaged and - if all keeps on track - a great base for their upcoming years in music.

I'd love to know what you're using in your kinder music classes!

Good luck to everyone on Veteran's Programs this week!

Solfa for Thought

So I've been doing some serious reflecting and research this weekend.. I have officially applied to grad. school and I am finally inspired! These past few weeks have felt like I was in a huge body of water, treading day after day, only to swim a few miles and tread again feeling like I've gotten no closer to land.

The past few years of my teaching experience have been a mixture of many of the main music-making approaches: Kodaly being the most dominate, with Orff following closely behind, and a dash of Dalcroze (which I am the least familiar with - but hope to change that and get a good grasp of all three and how they can be incorporated and somewhat fuzed together).

In the process of all this reflecting (and extra thinking), I've decided to give my posts a new goal. I've got an idea of where I'm going to go with my students, but getting there will be the work. So..

Each post will have some sort of concept I'm working on for the week. And only to make it easier on myself (since I can't promise that I'll get to post everyday), I want to dedicate one day a week to certain grade levels. It'll consist of anything from a great lesson I've got planned that day/week and maybe a cute story or two. Either way, here's my thinking:

Kinder-Music Mondays

Tune-Up Tuesdays for Firsties

What Second Grade Wants Wednesdays

Third Grade Thursdays

Fourth & Fifth Grade Fridays

Special Ed. Saturdays

Sunday Fun-Day!

I'm looking forward to a good time! Each day will have a theme - not saying there may not be something else on my mind to write about on these days - but this gives me a good place to start with ideas to jot down during the week!

November Goals...

OK... Let's be honest. I didn't do the best at last month's goals. It's already November 1st and my time is out! Here's a run-down of how October went. (I'm almost embarrassed to type..)

1. Run a full mile by the end of the month. FAILED. I am still up twice a week and running/walking, so I feel like that's a close one. I'll keep it up for November, and (even though it's about to get oh-so-cold) I'll have the mile before Thanksgiving!

2. Spend no more than $200. FAILED MISERABLY. I don't know what I was thinking with this one. I hosted an engagement party for a friend this month, so I down-right plummeted to failure at #2. (I also found some super-cute flat boots for $30 that are perfect to start this cold weather in and I couldn't resist! ...both pairs.)

3. Cook dinner 4 nights a week. ACCOMPLISHED!! Yay to me! I did do this one all but one week this month - and it was only 3 nights for that week, because I was not home for everyday of my so-called "Fall Break." (A week would've definitely done the trick.)

4. Send 5 cards to special people in my life just for fun. ACCOMPLISHED! Of course, my grandma got one again, but I also sent one to my sister and a Halloween one for my niece. A couple of teachers at work were having a tough week, so I technically didn't "send" them a card as much as I wrote them one and stuck it in their boxes at work. (If I count the 35 party invites for my friend's engagement, I'm way over my goal! haha)

5. Blog consistently twice a week WITH PICTURES! FAILED. I fully intend to continue with this as well for November.

So here's the final list for November:

1. Run a full mile by the end of the month. Without stopping. Without walking. I cannot wait to write "ACCOMPLISHED" for this one!!

2. If needed, spend only ONE day at school after 5:00. Last week, my workdays ranged anywhere from 6:45 a.m. to 7:15 p.m. There was only one day that I got home before my husband last week, and that was because I had to finish up a couple of errands before driving to the engagement party 90 minutes away, so I had to leave on time. There's just not enough time in my day when I teach 12 classes in a day!

3. Plan dinner 4 nights a week. This has to stay a goal each month. With the destination wedding moved to June, that gives me more time to get fit and eat healthy! Wish me luck!

4. Send 5 cards to special people in my life just for fun. I love this one! It's such a great feeling to get a card! I received a holiday card from my friend this month and it feels so good to be loved! (Thank you, Katie!)

5. Start planning holiday lists. I started one for myself and the hubs beginning this past summer. Just a quick collection of things I'd like to have and didn't want to buy myself when funds were tight. :) Thanks to other blogs and pinterest, I've got tons of ideas for my family and house decorations!

Keep Your Heads Up

Besides having a doc's appointment this morning, I decided that it was plenty necessary to take off the rest of the day. Today was known as my very first "Mental Health Day" of the school year. I figure that if I take one every nine weeks, I could very easily survive this hectic schedule I've got.

I made it through my first two program rehearsals this week as well. (Survived would be a better choice word actually.) I chose 3rd graders to kick off the programs this year, but let's be honest, a first rehearsal for any grade level is always rough. However, starting off the first rehearsal with 3 notes from parents about kids "having too much stress in their life" to have a speaking part (yes, I'm quoting it straight from the note) or won't be there, 4 kids crying after being on the stage for seriously no more than 5 minutes, and a fellow teacher who literally SCREAMS at kids. Interrupting teachers, interrupting students who are speaking, my lord it never ended! (I later found out that one reason a student was crying is because she is terrified of this teacher I speak of. Terr.I.Fied. How sad is that??)

Onto a better note, the second rehearsal went a million times smoother. Kids knew where to stand to say their part, they were ready, and our final dress rehearsal will be Monday, with the program for the school on Tuesday morning and the parents Tuesday evening. I'm not one to complain about not getting paid for this extra time directing (because I truly don't care about that part, but that seems to be the only language that the powers-that-be can understand). I, selfishly, tend to stress about the fact that between an eleven-hour period of the day, I'll have taught 10 classes on top of directing two program performances, while squeezing in a meal and a bathroom break or two. I'm a little anxious. Just a little. (And have to keep hearing other teachers complain about taking their kids on a local field trip, only to change their trip time in order to be back for specials. A few hours off of teaching and a break? May want to stay out of my line of sight for that day... hah) Luckily, our Fall Break is coming up at the end of the week, ergo, giving me a few relaxing hours to collapse into a deep sleeping coma.

Living with a coach of all sports, I learned at a young age that his go-to-phrase was all about "keepin' your head up." He tells each and every player to keep their heads up. (With part of his reasoning being, that if you have your head down on the field, you could get hit.) So seriously, if we don't keep our heads up and watch where we're going, we, too, may not see what's coming from the dark side. Respect the players and they'll respect you. Bringing me to yesterday...

Yesterday, a few of my fabulous co-teachers and I got together to have a nice, relaxing time time over a few cocktails. Well deserved and needed. :) My week has wrapped up very nicely if I do say so. Sometimes you just gotta go "Woohoo!!"

This next post will be chalked full of exceptional ideas, because I have some wonderful people in my life that inspire me to be a spectacular teacher. Stay tuned!