Don't die on me, d*mmit!

So this past school year (and the second half of the year before) I decided that blogging wasn't really going to be my thing anymore.  Clearly I couldn't keep up with it, and clearly I was lagging in making updates and writing interesting and witty things.

Fast forward to today.

It occurs to me that if nothing else I need a space to explain some things that are available for the greater good.  My Teachers Pay Teachers store needs to be expounded upon, as does some of the ideas I have for my classroom, and if nothing else I'd like to have some sort of space to think out loud and see my ideas from another perspective.  So that's what I'm going to be doing.

In many ways, this is nothing new - I've been somewhat using this blog for those purposes all along.  In other ways, I'll be curious to see what (if any) sparks of inspiration can be gained from what seems to be a blog without readership.

If there's anyone out there, care to leave a comment?

Bueller?



Also, look back here soon to see an explanation of my brand spanking new 2107-2018 Planner of Awesome!

Midyear check in!

Oh, you sad, neglected blog.

At the beginning of this year, I posted my professional goals.  I intended to use that as a springboard to document the various things I did this year to meet those goals.  This implies that I would be posting more frequently.  Sadly, this has not been the case.  Something about working 4 jobs and always having to be somewhere does not lend itself to writing blog posts.  Such is life.

Back to those professional goals, though.  I've actually done some things with them.

First of all, I tackled my file cabinet as intended.  I now have my one functional file drawer organized in a useful manner. The first section is for emergency sub plans and procedures, with a laminated set of class lists, just in case.  The great thing about this is that if something comes up and I am not able to be at school unexpectedly (which means something along the lines of... a bear attack, I suppose?), there are enough plans and activities in that drawer (and in the office) to keep my classes busy for several days (while my limbs are reattached, I suppose).  I also tossed the old paperwork that was serving no purpose. Honestly, I don't know why it took 5 years to scrap the fundraising paperwork from 2009, but apparently it did.  I also organized my IEP/504/Medical Alert folders so they were clear and consistent and easier to access, put my copy masters together, and rearranged a few other categories as well.

Essentially, I feel like I started using a file cabinet like a grown-up.  Now if only I had a hanging frame for more than one drawer....

What you can't see is the frustration caused by trying to file things that have no place to be filed.  Argh.

The two middle drawers still have my pool noodle rhythm pieces, I need to find a time to use those again soon.

The bottom drawer is mostly sound-related stuff - microphones, cables, microphone boxes, etc. Some day I will go back through this and make sure everything in that drawer is organized, too.  But not today.

Second goal - organization of my table/desk space and mailboxes!

I am not going to show a picture of these.  They're currently a big jumbled mess.  This is partly due to just having a concert last night, and partly due to me being a mess when it comes to organization.  In some ways the switch to a smaller table has helped.  It frees up a little space in the room, and limits the surface area that is able to be cluttered.  In other ways, it didn't make a difference.  I still find myself with piles, I still end up perching things precariously next to my laptop, and sometimes that is a recipe for disaster.  However, thanks to the laws of physics, those piles are a bit smaller than they had been.

Yes, please.  But not the chair. It looks uncomfortable.

The mailboxes have worked great so far, especially since I have not done my usual routine with student folders.  I need to get on those folders, since my mailboxes are pretty much filled with student work.  I also have some things stacked on top of those boxes, but not as badly as it has been in the past.  Baby steps, I suppose.

Also, I ended up taking a large shipping label, measuring and marking out the small pieces I needed, and cutting them out and attaching them to the small binder clips to make labels for each class.  I think it looks pretty darn good, especially since my handwriting is a bit suspect at times.

Third - the hot rod music cart!  So having a PVC tube with drum sticks in it has been useful.  The problem I have run into is that zip ties and smooth PVC aren't exactly the most secure means of attachment.  What has happened is that one zip tie has slid off, which caused the whole thing to tilt.  The good news is that makes the opening point toward me when I stand at the cart.  The bad news is it also flops around and sticks out kind of awkwardly.  What I think I will do is drill a couple small holes in the side of the pipe, then lag bolt it to the cart to hold it in position at a slight angle.  Every now and then when I (or a student) move the cart those sticks will catch on something.  Not a huge problem, but fairly annoying.  Also, I don't like my slick cart looking kind of ghetto.

Fourth - greater student independence.  This is definitely a work in progress, but I have in many ways increased the things I have students do on their own exponentially.  Sometimes I still have to spell things out in ridiculously literal terms, but most of the time I can give a direction and set the kids to it.  It usually works out as planned, but not always.  One of the most helpful things in this area is definitely the use of band and strings students as helpers in general music. These are the kids who spend the most time in my room, so they are the most familiar with things.  They're also less likely to do silly things that they shouldn't, so I am able to trust them with more responsibility.  One more reason parents should encourage their kids to learn an instrument.


I have a confession to make.  It's terrible, yet funny all at the same time.

Thankfully, this is not my confession.

Funny.  But not mine.

One of my ongoing goals is to become more organized, to keep ahead of messes, to avoid creating piles, etc.

I had a student a few days ago ask why my room was so messy.

I kind of hung my head and mumbled "...I know..."

The good news is that I had it mostly sorted out with a couple days.  The bad news is that the struggle is very real and continues.  However, for my two remaining professional development credits I plan on taking a course on practical classroom organization strategies.  Hopefully if the course is structured like I understand it to be it will be a better resource than looking at music ed blogs and Pinterest.  If not, I'll at least have two credits out of it and my room won't be any worse organizationally.

If you have a great organization system, would you be so kind as to share it?  I feel that all teachers can benefit from the ideas of others, especially in our own personal area of weakness.

Until next time, keep up that good work, folks!

Forgotten Instrument Records

I don't know about you, but a kid who forgets their instrument is the bane of my existence.  For some reason, printing out a monthly calendar that shows EVERY SINGLE DAY a kid will need their instrument isn't clear enough.  For some reason, having classes meet on the same days EVERY WEEK isn't regular enough.  For some reason, kids seem to think "I was in a rush." is a good reason to forget their instrument.

Ugh.

Incidentally, the worst part is when it's my private students who forget.  Because clearly you won't need the instrument that you are paying someone to tutor you individually on.  Sigh.

But I digress.

I have been trying to come up with a solution to this problem since day one of my teaching career.  I've written letters home, sent home form notes, sent home handwritten notes, sent emails, made phone calls, written student names on the board, included it as a comment in report cards, had face-to-face conversations with parents... You name it, I've probably tried it.  I even had kids copying out of the dictionary (regular and the Harvard Dictionary of Music).  Nothing seems to truly work.

So I am going to try something I just stumbled across.  The No Instrument Binder.  This is less a means of prevention (which I am still looking for) and more a means of tracking.  This was originally intended as a No Homework Binder, and the idea came from the blog "Teach - Bake - Love."  The original idea was to have each student write their name and the reason why they forgot their homework, and then put their homework in the binder.  This helps with organization, tracking student work, keeping up with grades, etc.  The only catch is that as a music teacher, I really don't assign "homework" per se.

So what I am going to try is to have kids write their name and the date in the binder, along with the reason why their instrument is not in class.  I think to start out I will allow students to write "I was in a rush." as their reason, but I suspect that once it becomes obvious how many of those lame excuses I get I will require a little more thought to go into it.  Hopefully this works better than my patented "Mr. Earley is disappointed and frustrated by your lack of responsibility" look that I give.  We'll see.  Check back for developments, I plan to create this over Spring Break and give it a limited run to the end of the school year.

Boomwhackers!

You may know (or you may not) that I love Boomwhackers. Better yet, students of all ages love Boomwhackers.  If you have not yet had the joy of seeing or playing them, I will describe briefly.  Each Boomwhacker is a colored plastic tube cut to a specific length.  This allows them to be pitched, and each tube is marked with the pitch it plays, as well as the solfege syllable associated with it (assuming you are using fixed do).  They come in various sets, though the most common set is the standard one-octave diatonic set in C Major.

There are tons of Boomwhacker resources available, some free, some surprisingly expensive.  The neat thing about them though is that you do not need any extra materials.  The tubes can be used with many resources you already have.  Sometimes the best thing to do is to provide no resources and just let the kids explore!

Granted, there is always a need to establish procedures and expectations (Boomwhackers must be held like.... Boomwhackers may not touch your neighbor/other items in the room/small animals... Do not treat them like you are performing martial arts... etc.)  but within reason they are tough enough to stand up to class after class of use.

One of my favorite things to do is to show how one person can play an entire song with a set, and then how we can play the same song as a class with each person responsible for one note.  I usually do this with simple songs like Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star or Mary Had a Little Lamb.  Kids can get pretty excited over a discovery that they can all be part of making the music together (though a few get disgruntled - "Why does red get all of the notes? I'm playing pink and I only got to play once!"  I'm fairly certain these kids will never be happy with what I give them, so I just try to make sure no one kid is stuck with one color all the time).

A while back I created a Powerpoint to help introduce my students to the Boomwhackers.  The goal was to establish my own procedures as well as get them comfortable with using the tubes properly, waiting their turn, following the directions for when to play, etc.  You can find that Powerpoint in my Teachers Pay Teachers store.

This school year, I decided I would take that idea one step further.  I created a Powerpoint for Mary Had a Little Lamb using the same process - one color per slide, advance through the slides steadily to get the kids to play the tubes in the right order.  This led to a realization of a problem.  Even if I am advancing the slides to a steady beat, there was no cue to get the kids to play on the beat. I had to go through it a lot to get to a point where they knew what came next in order to have some semblance of beat.

This just wouldn't do.

Instead, I created a system of "notation" that uses colored squares and rectangles to indicate which tube plays and for how long.  It allows the kids to look ahead at what's coming, and seems to do a great job of prepping them to move into regular notation.  It also has the side benefit of not being a cutesy picture of some clipart bumblebee and heart and sun in place of real notes.  I am not a fan of those.   I created a song collection using this method of progressively arranged tunes.  You can find that collection here.  It includes the songs Hot Cross Buns, Mary Had a Little Lamb, Clair de Lune, Go Tell Aunt Rhody, Frere Jacques, London Bridge, and Old MacDonald.  Each song takes up one slide, and is readily approachable by even the youngest of elementary students.

My goal is to create a series of song collections, and then offer them all bundled together at a discount.

If you have another way of using Boomwhackers please feel free to leave a comment.  Even better would be if you use my Powerpoints let me know how you used them and how it went!

Hot Rod Music Cart Update!

Today is a big day.  I finally received the cup holder that I ordered from Amazon.com to mount on my music cart.

Yesterday I tinkered with it a little, but figured I would need a couple bolts, a couple nuts, and some washers to make it work.  Thankfully I still have my bag of tools at school from when I did the initial Hot Rod Music Cart project.  In my bag I found two 1 1/2" lag screws that fit the bolt holes on the cup holder perfectly, so I knew I was in business.

The cup holder itself is made of semi-rigid molded plastic, and is intended to mount on the windshield bracket of an '88-95 Jeep Wrangler.  I miss my Jeep very much, so this is the best I can get at the moment toward having one again.

Unfortunately I don't have any pictures of the actual process of the install.  This is something I did by myself in the 5 minutes before students came this morning. 

I debated with myself about the placement, and had all but decided that I would mount it on the left end beside where I intend to mount an Ikea shelf (when the day finally comes that I head up to Ikea).  Then two things occurred to me: 1) I am right handed and 2) I could use the empty space on the front right corner without it being in my way.  Thank goodness.  I think having to use my left hand to hoist my coffee mug might have been a recipe for disaster - think less "Boy, that's awkward..." and more "Oh no! Hot coffee spilled on two third grade violin students! Potential lawsuit!"

We can't have that.

There's something wrong with this picture...  Something is missing...

The best news was that the install was extremely easy.  I used a silver Sharpie to mark where the holes were going to go, checked for level (I still ended up being slightly off, but not by much), and drilled out a pair of 1/4" pilot holes.  Then I held the cup holder with one hand while I inserted and tightened each lag screw.  Unfortunately I didn't bring a socket wrench with me, so I had to use a pair of channel lock pliers (what my Dad and Granddad call "Waterpump Pliers"), but it worked out fine.

Ah, hot coffee in the coffee mug, that's what was missing!  Install officially complete.

The completed install from the right side. Again, notice the boxes of ukuleles in the background!

The important thing is that in the end, I got a fully functional coffee mug holder that is mounted to my Hot Rod Music Cart.  Let's face it, having a fresh cup of coffee close at hand is all it takes to make me happy.  Most days.

Hot Rod Music Cart

Today was parent conference day.  Being a music teacher, that means that I don't generally get much in the way of traffic to my room, especially since I am out in the Mobile Music Mansion.  I did get a few parents that came through, though, and had some good conversations with them.  Hooray for awesome parents!  That definitely makes my job much easier, since I'm usually the one who gets to call or email them and let them know that they need to spend more money for their kid's musical endeavors.

Since I knew today would be a bit lonely, I came prepared.  I knew I needed to grade some student work, but more importantly, it was time to build something I've been dreaming about for 4 years: the Hot Rod Music Cart.  Now, to be clear, I do not teach from a cart, I have my own classroom - the Mobile Music Mansion isn't that mobile. Thank goodness.  Instead, I was hoping to have some means of organizing the things that I use a lot during the day.  I initially had lusted after a kitchen cart from Ikea, with plans to hack it into the cart I wanted, but since it cost $100 I kept having to put it off.  Again.  And again.  For 3 years.  Including several times where I was in Ikea and they didn't have that particular cart in stock.  Ugh.

After striking out so many times, I decided it was finally time to look for another solution.  Thankfully when I moved into the Mobile Music Mansion last year, someone was kind enough to leave behind a black plastic media cart.  Since I used it in plain view of just about everyone last year and no one said anything, I decided that meant it was mine to use.  Hooray!  Then I had to decide what to do with it.  What exactly did I want?  Well, for starters I needed a music stand that didn't require me picking it up and moving it constantly, so that had to be attached to the cart.  I also wanted storage for writing implements, as I am prone to putting them down and walking away, then forgetting where I put them.  I wanted easy access to some of the tools I use for day to day instrument repair.  I wanted storage space that was close at hand for band and strings method books and teacher manuals.  I also wanted to be able to sort sheet music, worksheets, handouts, etc. I wanted to be able to use the top of the cart to tune violins and violas.  And most importantly, I needed a place for my coffee.

Wow, that's quite the list.

So here is where I started:

Wow.  Quite the pile, eh?  Hey, is that a Kinder Chinder?  And masking tape?  And a clarinet?  Nice pencil cup.  My goodness.

Thankfully these things clean up easily.  Here we are nice and cleared off.  See those brown boxes in the background?  That would be 9 ukuleles!  Woohoo!

First up is cutting the post from the music stand to length.  This was an old Wenger stand that wouldn't stay at the desired height.  The clutch inside had worn out, so I took it apart using delicate but persistent (read: repeated and moderately violent) force.  Nothing a pair of pliers and a flat bladed screwdriver couldn't handle.

Since the stand was going to rest on the middle shelf, it had to be cut down about 3 inches to keep it from being too tall.  I didn't want to give my students something to hide behind, so I figured a little adjustment would be just the right perscription.  I marked my cut with a Sharpie and cut it using a clamp and a hacksaw on the rear steps of the Mobile Music Mansion.

Here is what the stand looks like attached to the cart.  I'd say I got the height just about perfect.

 This is how it looks from the back.  It's attached to the cart using a metal hose clamp and a block of 1x3 that I had in my shed at home.

 Here's a closeup of my high-tech fastening solution.  The hose clamp is screwed into the cart using a self-tapping screw, then the post of the stand is slid through the opening, which is then tightened.  I will probably end up needing to put some sort of gasket in here to prevent the stand from twisting, but it's already pretty solid.  The base is a piece of 1x3 cut down to roughly square, then attached to the shelf using two deck screws.  The center of the square piece has been drilled out halfway using a 3/4" paddle bit, which just happened to be the perfect diameter for the post.  It's not exactly elegant, but it will do.  I'll probably paint it black at some point.

 On the handles I attached a roll of masking tape using a zip tie.  It hangs loosely enough to be able to use it for all of the masking tape situations I encounter on an average day (a surprising amount, really).  I also looped two rubber bands together to make a sort of sling to hold my mouthpiece sanitizer spray bottle.  Speaking of which, I need to make some to refill the bottle.  More on that later.

Here is what the front looks like after the stand, masking tape, and spray bottle are attached. For a brief moment I thought I would stop there, but felt like something was missing.  

Notice the Sharpie and pen on the front right corner?  Me too.  

Something must be done about that.

Fortunately, I have been drinking sweet tea that comes in rectangular prism-shaped bottles.  In the best spirit of recycling I cut the top off to use as a funnel (I swear I'll be brave enough some day to have the kids make maracas out of cans and beans in class), then I attached the bottom to the front left corner to hold my writing implements and anything else that needed a vaguely cup-shaped container.

Here is a three-quarter rear view of my completed (for the moment) Hot Rod Music Cart.  Notice the music stand, pen container, and stack of books (with the binder of Turning Point clickers underneath!). I can only hope that things will stay so neat and organized.

Plans for the future - 

Hot Rod Music Cart 2.0 - I want to add a set of organizers to hold sheet music, a Lack shelf from Ikea on the non-handle end, and a coffee mug holder along the lines of this one.  I also had a small plastic set of drawers I picked up at Walmart several years ago that I used for the smaller tools that I need for repairs from time to time, along with rubber bands, valve oil, a spare violin bridge, and some cork grease.  I imagine that the contents of these small drawers will evolve over time, but I think this is a good starting point. I also would like to come up with a means of mounting a clarinet stand and a violin hanger, but I can't decide if that is just reckless endangerment or a useful idea.  More on that as it develops.

So there it is, the Hot Rod Music Cart!  Hopefully the idea will inspire someone to build their own.  Have you built your own Hot Rod Music Cart?  Or something along those lines?  Please share in the comments!

Update - 10/15: Today I realized I had no place to put my conducting baton.  I often forget that I have it since I'm usually worried about it getting broken or lost.  Solution?  I drilled a 1/4" hole in part of the handle of the cart.  Now my Mollard sits just to the right of where I stand in front of each ensemble.  Good to go! (Picture coming soon)