Ready or Not....Here They Come!

With much hesitation, I joined the masses and headed back to school :)  Last Monday began my week of staff development and room prep.  Whew!  I'm already tired and the students haven't even darkened my door yet.  Between all the TpT shopping and the digital creating, the laminator was nice enough to allow all my goodies to go through without a hitch.  The walls are decked, the room is set up, the files are in order.....it's going to be a great year! 

Here's a few pics of my room this year...

 

The entrance to my music room, and "Instagram" board in the hallway.  This is where I'll display pictures throughout the year.      

My desk area and Character Counts board.

  

By the door I display my MUSIC rules, Attention Grabbers, Bye Bye Butterfly,

 and my reward board for 1st-3rd.

  

Instrument

set-up and 

composer wall.

The front chalkboard with M-U-S-I-C letters for class behavior and sol-fege signs.

The view from one side to the other. The room is actually really long, but not very deep.  I was debating whether or not to lose the risers, but a lack of storage space elsewhere helped me make my decision.

I actually like the risers fine except when it comes to playing circle games.  As you can see on the floor, my velcro marks run right up into the risers.  It doesn't leave much room for play.

Anchor charts for notes/rests.

Thanks for coming along on the room tour.  I would love any suggestions you may have for getting the most use of my space.  

 And so it begins....  A new year.  A fresh start.  

An exciting ride with The Bates Clef!

Time's a Tickin'

I don't know about you, but I have thoroughly enjoyed my late morning sleep-ins this summer.  Not only that, but pajama days coupled with daytime t.v. / movies are the absolute BEST!  My kids and I have basked in the laziness of life from mid-June until now.  Monday morning begins the pre-school activities (i.e. trainings, meetings, and room-prep) for teachers in my district.  Kudos to those of you who live outside my area for beginning your year within the last few weeks.  Personally, I would not have been ready, however, my mental enthusiasm is returning at a slow and steady rate.  By this time next week, I'll be good to go and ready to leap into the new year.

Be sure to come back and visit next week for a sneak peak at my Music room and my first week's plans.

 

Products for Prep

August 25th is the BIG DAY!

All of the littles will return to school with fresh haircuts, sweet smiles, and an eagerness to learn.  Though I've enjoyed my summer of laziness, the "back to school" commercials and the school supply aisles are getting me excited to greet my kiddos again.

Today, I'm linking up with Mrs. Miracle's Music Room  as I prep for the new school year.  Included will be, not only some of my resources, but also those of others.

The first product is by Cori Bloom from Rhythm & Bloom.

These Spanish/English music quotes are perfect for my school because of the high number of Spanish speaking families that we serve.  They are going to look perfect in the hallway leading up to the music room :)

While I like to teach patriotic songs to all students during the first weeks of school, my 6th graders dig in deeper with the Star-Spangled Banner.  I found this wonderful resource not long ago from Music with Sara Bibee.  I will definitely be using her unit pack during the month of September.

We've all heard it plenty of times..."See ya' later alligator...."  This is a standard salutation for my 1st - 3rd graders as they leave my class each time.  I start the year teaching the first three animals with motions as the students line up to go.  Each six weeks following, I add 1 or 2 more to the mix.  The students love acting out the animals and it's a great way to apply "ta and titi" rhythms throughout the year.  You can find this poster of 10 animal sayings here at The Music-Go-Round.

 

Finally, a new creation as of this summer, is Football Frenzy.  Here in Texas, football season is a way of life!  I plan to use these fun cards to review S-M with 2nd and 3rd grades during the first few weeks.  Then, after much preparation with the fabulous firsties, I'll use the icon cards to practice S-M on a 3-line staff.  If you're a football fanatic like me, check out Football Frenzy.

Thank you for stopping by.  I'll be checking out some other products at Teachers Pay Teachers for my wishlist.  Blast off with TpT's Back to School sale on Aug 4-5.  My entire store will be 20% off, while another 8% discount can be added using the TpT code BTS14.  Thanks Jena Hudson for making the super-cute pic.  

Happy shopping!

The Music-Go-Round

Back to School Sale - TpT!

Mark your calendars for a Back 2 School sale on August 4-5.  All products from The Music-Go-Round will be discounted 20% by using the code BTS14 @ checkout.  This is a great time to stock up on those activities you've been pinning for your classroom.