Episode #117: Setting Up the Music Room

Music Teacher Coffee Talk · MTCT #117: Setting Up the Music Room

 

Main Theme: Setting Up the Music Room

Things to consider:

• Student seating

• Will you use chairs, risers, spots on the floor, flexible seating, or any combination of those? Carrie is using these Sit Spots on the carpet. Tanya created laminated spots on her hard tiled floor.

• Will you have assigned seats?

• Instrument and materials

• Create zones for different types of materials (ie: instruments in one area, manipulatives in another, books in another)

• Where will you store large items like tubanos and bass bars if you don't have large closets or cabinets? Carrie created a nook behind the piano for those items.

• How will you categorize bins of non-pitched percussion?

• Label everything so you can find things quickly! This is also helpful for guest teachers coming into your room so they can find the things you refer to in your plans.

• Consider long-term storage for lesser used items (ie: seasonal things or props/costumes for programs). Carrie purchased these bags to store seasonal decorations and manipulatives.

• Books

• Where do you want to keep your teacher books? At home or at school? Think about where you do the bulk of your planning.

• How do you want to arrange picture books? Tanya is trying the rainbow system.

• Decor

• Will you have a theme? Tanya and Carrie both choose not to have a theme in an attempt to keep the room clean and simple and not too visually overwhelming for kids.

• Think about your color palette. Strive to keep things consistent and cohesive.

• Don't overdo it with word walls and posters. Only post things that you and students will refer to. Less is more!

Know Better, Do Better

The beginning of the year is an important time to learn students' names and ensure you are saying them correctly. Here's a great name that we learned from Aileen Miracle. Check out this blog post from her with more ideas for learning student names.

Work Smarter, Not Harder

Tanya learned a trick from Katie Wonderly to help hang things on the walls. Put painter's tape on the wall and painter's tape on the back of your item. Then use a hot glue gun to attach the item to the wall where you placed the painter's tape so you do not damage the wall or your item when it's time to pull it down. 

Coda

Carrie recommends watching The Dropout on Hulu.

Tanya recommends reading Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin