What's on Your Wall?

 Welcome to my 2015 - 2016 classroom.  This year, I'm decorating with a Star Wars theme!  The movie is set to be released in December, the stores are packed with characters, so why not ride that Star Wars train all the way to school?  I think the kids will respond well to the galaxy far, far away music room.  Come on in and take a look around.  I'd love to know what you think :)

 
 This is the hallway leading up to my music room and my music door.  I found these SW pics that were somewhat music related and added quotes to them.  I thought it was kind of cool.  You'll see some more on my classroom walls.

 Stepping just inside the door, I have behavior charts for 1st - 3rd grade classes.  Our school uses the PBIS system, so we've adopted the 3R's : Ready, Respectful, Responsible.  Classes earn up to 2 smiles per class depending on their overall behavior.  When each class fills their chart, they earn a "game day" or 20 minute "dance party!"
 
 The Character Counts wall never changes, except I added some stars this year.  Below the board is this year's "I Can..." statements.
 
  My desk area...notice the Music Jedi sign to the left :)

 One of my fave parts of the room...my black shelf with SW MUSIC banner.
 
 The ONLY time my desk will be clean until June.  I've gotten lots of positive response from my "binder cover" that I made into a calendar cover.


 Notes/Rest anchor charts.  My students are constantly referring to these.  I always leave them up and visible - even during assessments.  My motto is...look around the room and find your answers.

 Instruments are set up on the far side of the room.  Sometimes I arrange them perpendicular to the board as shown.  Other times, I set them up parallel to board.  It usually depends on my mood and what we're working on.

 When we study our composers, I call students over to the Composer Corner.  Until we begin our units, I'll keep this special composer disguised.  Something new this year...I decided to hang my hand drums.  I've got 8 or so up on the wall, and it looks cool:)
 Students in 4th - 6th grades will learn seven compositions and composers this year.  Displayed above the chalkboards are posters with each set.  These composers will also remained disguised until it's time to reveal. 

More anchor charts below the chalkboards for student use.  MUSIC letters are for 1st-3rd behavior charts.  Letters come down as needed to remind students of inappropriate classroom behaviors.
 
 
 When students line up to exit the room, I've got a few fun posters hanging here, plus our MUSIC Rules.  For the younger students, we chant "Bye Bye Butterfly" as they leave.  All students take advantage of the Attention Grabbers on the smaller poster.
 
 From my desk area, this is an overview of my room.  I'm fortunate to have a Promethean board where a lot of our "learning" time is done, and then we use every bit of our classroom space for application.
 
Thank you for touring my Star Wars music space this year.  If you decorated with Music Jedi products, I'd love to see how you incorporated them into your own classroom.  Please visit my Facebook page, The Bates Clef, to enter a raffle for a $10 credit to my store.  All you have to do is post some pics.  Easy as that!
The contest will end on Aug 31st.  Thanks for visiting:)


I've linked up with Mrs. King's Music Room for What's On Your Wall?  Click on the pic above to check out some other great looking classrooms!

School Days....Let's Do This!

Hello Friends!  If you're like me, you've been going CRAZY trying to ready your classroom for the students to begin a new year.  Hours of planning and prepping your "home away from home"  have finally become realized.  Click on the "My Classroom" tab above to grab a front seat tour of my Music Jedi room:)

Life has been hectic for the last week.  Have you experienced the same?  It's always hard to get back in the groove.  Between school business and helping my own with meet-the-teachers, schedule pick-ups, school shopping, and all, I'm ready for some consistency.  Just earlier this afternoon, the kids and I packed their backpacks with binders and a few supplies to get them through tomorrow.  Each of the three are going to a new "level" this year - high school, middle school, and intermediate school.  They're excited, but my feelings are mixed.  I'm happy about the new adventures, but it's bittersweet knowing that my oldest will have four more years before venturing out on his own path.  Through all the busyness, I'm going to try to soak in every minute I can.  You may not hear from me again until January because of marching band, football, softball, concerts, school activities, etc., but I'll check in occasionally.
I'm looking forward to seeing my school babes tomorrow.  The first week is always full of "get acquainted" and "review school procedures" lessons.  The following week will start the real class fun as we dive deep into all things music:)  I've got a few new things up my sleeve this year so you'll have to come back to see what's happening.
Lesson plans are calling me.  Kids are screaming their hungry.  Husband needs clean laundry.  I guess my time here is finished:) Best wishes to you on a new year!
 

Back to School Sale

 Hurray for sales!  I love this Back to School sale as much as I love shopping for school supplies.  It's in my blood :)  I'm excited to offer my whole store 20% off + another 8% with the code: BTS15.  That's some great savings to get a jump-start on your planning for this next year.  Take a look at some of the products offered on TpT at The Bates Clef.   For the younger students, Finger Plays in Music offers 6 songs/poems + simple movements, vocal exercises, activity sheets and more.  Because kindergarten is added to my schedule this year, I'll be starting with these as an introduction to music.  Click on the picture for the store link.

 One of my favorite activities to do as a review with 1st and 2nd is Football Frenzy!  The kids love playing with these sight reading cards.  We make a game out of it where I sing the melody and one person from each team tries to locate the correct card and take it back to their team without being tagged.  It's a football-tag kind of game in S-M or S-M-L.  So much fun!

  For the older students Cedar Swamp is the way to go.  Not only does the song get them singing, but also moving and playing on Orff instruments.  This is an all-time favorite for my 3rd-6th graders!  If you haven't checked this one out, it's definitely a must have:)    

Perfect for the sub-tub is a collection of BINGO games.  These come in Treble or Bass Clef, lines & spaces or note letter names.  This is pretty easy for a non-musical sub to come in and direct.  Most of the time a student is chosen to lead the activity.

  Do you have a room theme in mind?  I chose the Star Wars theme early on and can't wait to get everything up in my room.  If you've shopped at all in the stores, you couldn't walk five feet without bumping into something Star Wars: clothes, toys, food, etc.  The market is flooded with anticipation of the December release.  I think my students will really enjoy this year's theme.  If you're at a loss, check out this bundle. It has everything you'll need to start your room.  The bundle includes the seven products you see below + binder covers (not pictured.)  

  For these products and more, visit The Bates Clef on TpT.  Meanwhile, I'm off to make my wishlist for tomorrow.

TEXAS Size Link-up {Finger Plays In Music}

 Howdy y'all!  I'm joining in this Texas-Size link-up to bring a little love from the DFW area.  Though I typically discuss music products, I have a an #Idea for the general ed classroom too.  For the younger students, music is an integral part of their daily learning.  Why not incorporate some musical elements into their core curriculum? 

 Finger Plays in Music offers the opportunity for students to learn simple poetry while adding movements, learning about syllables/beat, practicing different sounds with their voices, and more.

Included in this file are 40+ pages with 6 songs/poems, movement instructions, and an activity sheet for each.  For more information and previews, go to Finger Plays In Music.  Follow The Bates Clef on Facebook and TpT for latest news and updates.  Share with a Music Teacher friend for music related products and more.

Enter the Rafflecopter for a chance to win Finger Plays in Music.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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