Music on a Cart - Blog , Organization

COVID-19 Considerations for Teaching Music on a Cart

Thu, 16 Jul 2020 20:38:58 -0400

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It’s already been said a million times...the year 2020 threw everyone for a loop. No one could have foretold a virus that would confine so many to their houses all across the globe and force schools to suddenly close for prolonged amounts of time. It’s jarring in many ways. And now, several months later, there is still much uncertainty. Much thought goes into each next step that's taken, and we slowly approach things that we once took for granted.

Typically each summer, I see an uptick on the MusicOnACart.com website from music teachers who have found out their next year’s assignments and for whatever reason are told they must teach their music classes from a cart. This summer, the searches and inquiries had an additional twist. The questions came from music teachers who may be faced with cart teaching due to COVID-19 protocols put into place by their school districts...if they are teaching in person at all. Even though I’ve addressed a lot of cart teaching questions on this website, I wanted to share these three additional thoughts leaning more towards the current situation due to this virus that has changed the typical way we’ve approached things. So let’s delve right in!

Disclaimer: I am not a licensed medical professional or psychologist. I'm merely sharing my thoughts and ideas, from one music teacher to another!

1) Cart or. . . no cart?

I’ve outlined in great detail the options that teachers have in selecting a cart for their music teaching situations and needs. Yet in this time of COVID-19, you may want to consider additional options. For example, you may not need a great amount of cart space due to a restriction of instruments and manipulatives you’re allowed to use (I’ll touch more on that later in this blog). Maybe a large tote bag might work better for your situation. Maybe a smaller, collapsable teaching tote with a telescopic handle might be enough. Take some time to sit down and brainstorm what might be your most used items for your lessons and then evaluate how much space you’ll truly need to bring those items from classroom to classroom.

Get inspired by other teachers who have rocked out their carts for teaching classroom to classroom.

Check out the "Rock as you *ROLL*" board on MusicOnACart.com's Pinterest!

2) Communication

I’ve outlined this point in prior blogs, but it bears repeating. Even though everyone is overwhelmed at the sheer amount of change going on and things being switched up minute by minute, you should be the one to take the initiative to communicate with your fellow colleagues whose rooms you’ll be teaching in and also communicate with your principal regarding your questions and needs. This includes safe storage of music items that you won’t be using daily and a place for you to have a “home base” of sorts to keep your daily, most used teaching materials accessible to you. Don’t be afraid to speak up multiple times if necessary, because things may fall to the back-burner unless you're the squeaky wheel (pun totally intended 😉 ). You’ll also need to be in communication regarding what materials you’ll be permitted to use with your students in your lessons and ways in which they want you to disinfect those items, and frequency of disinfection. Rather than going to your principals and asking if certain instruments are okay to use, be proactive by having a game plan already set in your mind (or write it down) as to how you plan on making an instrument or manipulative safe in these disinfecting days and communicate that to them.

3) Curriculum

A major point I share with people whom I advise is: Don't. Chuck. Your. Entire. Curriculum. Don't do that! Sometimes, in the panic of hearing you’re being placed on a cart, your mind can automatically go to thoughts like, “I can’t teach any of my lessons anymore, what am I going to do?!?” Don’t throw out the proverbial baby with the bathwater. First of all, start in small chunks. Begin your focus on activities for just the first few weeks back. Since it’s usually a time of transition and new things (and even more so now), I highly doubt anyone is expecting the most thorough, detailed, ‘pull out all the stops’ lessons as soon as you start back up again. You’re not the only one in transition and uncertainty, so as you hopefully give grace to your students, give some grace to yourself as well. Meaningful music making is not complex. Start with modifying the first 2 or so lessons you’ve used in the past and be open to changing things as you go, because once you’ve had a week or two or even three under you’re belt, you’ll have a better idea of how to further tweak and adapt your past lessons to your current situation. It’s at that point that you can sit down with several months of units or your yearly scope and sequence and decide how to take what you have and make it work. Too often people freeze in overwhelming fear of needing to know how to do ALL their lessons on a cart immediately. Don’t do that. Just start small.

Let’s take a moment to discuss music teaching materials and manipulatives. I’ve already mentioned in the previous point that you want to talk with your principals (if they haven’t already made it known to you) so you’re certain exactly what materials you’re allowed to use. Which instruments in your possession can be easily disinfected without damaging them? What can you laminate for easy cleaning? Do you even WANT to be disinfecting so many items? Maybe it’s more beneficial to give your students personal manipulatives that won’t be shared. Are your students old enough to have a hand in making those manipulatives so you won’t have to? This could be the case for upper elementary grades and above. If they can take some of that prep work off your hands, by all means, take a lesson time and have them make it!

Interested in access to exclusive music teaching resources? Check out The Cart Closet!

How about storing these individual student music items? Even if students keep their music manipulatives and instruments in separate plastic bags, you might not be allowed to have them toss those bags in a bin or box in their classroom. They may have to keep them in their own desks so there’s no cross contamination, but that works even better for you because there’s less for you to lug or keep track of.

If you’re limited on what music activities you can do, don’t give up...think creatively! For example movement is soooo much more than moving from one place to another in the meter or dynamics of music. There’s so much more to be explored without the need for massive space. Students can explore high, middle, low levels in their spots, heavy vs. light or bound vs. free movements with different parts of their bodies. Have you been told "no singing allowed"? Do a flipped classroom model and post songs through Google Slides, Flipgrid, or Loom for them to learn and sing at home. Then use the classroom time to explore other elements of the song, like its history or some music theory, composition, or improvisation activities. Not enough scarves for all of your students? Use tissues! No rhythm sticks? Use pencils or markers! The body itself is a great instrument, so replace music instruments with various body percussion actions and layer those sound effects for cool music making activities! We as musicians are a creative bunch, tap into that creativity for your lessons!

Also, don’t forget the power of asking around and/or searching online for inexpensive music instrument alternatives and materials! See if your local parent-teacher group or education foundation can help you with some supplies. There may be other teachers also seeking financial help from them, but it doesn’t hurt to ask for your program, too. Check out local online groups, whether on social media (like Facebook) or other local online forums and put out a request for donations. And if it comes down to reaching into your own pocket, search for bulk pricing deals from online vendors, craft stores, or hardware stores. The discount or dollar store isn't always the most cost effective option...do some online research and shop around. Thinking creatively and outside the box is key, especially since music teachers have multiple grade levels to consider.

I hope this gives you a starting place as you consider what you can do on your end to make the upcoming year as successful as possible, given the circumstances. It won’t look the way you intended, but that doesn’t mean students won’t gain musical knowledge and skills from your lessons this year. Even as one who has been teaching from a cart for many years, I also find myself in a place where I have to re-evaluate the coming year and change up how I’ve done things in the past. So we’re in this together!

I’d love to hear your thoughts or any ideas that *you* have about teaching in limited classroom space. Or if you have any questions, please feel free to share in the comments below!

Encouraging you to rock as you roll,

Top Organizing Tip I'd Tell My First-Year-Teacher Self

Thu, 24 Aug 2017 16:45:25 -0400

One interesting thing about having a dedicated music classroom is that it becomes quite easy to accumulate stuff. With ample shelf space and filing cabinets plentiful, it’s easy to stock up and to put things out of sight and out of mind. This was definitely the case for me when I started my teaching career in a music classroom. Once I was placed on a cart, I had to eventually address the issue of accumulated items and the value of keeping them from year to year. I say eventually because trying to survive my first year (and every year thereafter) teaching music from a cart took the majority of my energy and thinking space. Organization was the last thing on my mind so I simply placed all my music classroom items in any nook and cranny around the school that I could find. As it became apparent that the possibility of regaining a music classroom was a far off hope, I had to address the scattered clutter.

Time to address the clutter!

And address the clutter, I did. However, there was one problem: the speed of my occasional purging wasn’t matching the speed in which I gained MORE materials. New curricula, new conference freebies, new music teaching resources...I relished pouring over new learning materials and the latest releases. While there’s nothing wrong with that (we as teachers should always be learning and growing), I had to ask myself if it was reeeeally necessary to keep every single paper from every single conference session I attended. I mean, honestly, my 4th graders were not going to be singing SATB choral literature so why was I hanging on to it for the mere fact that it was free? And all those extra copies of various worksheets for my students, did I really need to hold onto those, too? It all kept piling up and the overflow was making its way to my house for storage! This paper pile madness had to stop!

STOP THE MADNESS!

So finally I became determined to get a hold of ALL that I’ve accumulated and finally set out to organize it once and for all. I began with easy things, such as curriculum resources and music that I use most often, categorized it, and sorted all of it out at school. As I mentioned in my previous post, I found it helpful to place all of my music magazine resources into categorized binders for ease in mobility since my prep space changes from year to year. After organizing all of that, it was time to tackle the bigger mountain before me:

ALL. THE. PAPERS.

The mountain of copies, handouts, worksheets, and paperwork that overflowed at school and, in turn, overflowed at my home. With determination, I set up a workspace in my house and before leaving at the end of the school year, I brought home several boxes of all the additional papers and lesson materials that I accumulated and would sort through over the summer.

One of FOUR boxes of papers I brought home the last day of school!

I spent a solid two weeks (non-stop, morning to night) sorting, purging, and organizing this 10+ years of stuff. As I kept sorting, I couldn’t help but think, “Man, if only I had thought to organize myself from the get-go, it would’ve been SO much easier to stay on top of things.” And so, if I were to go back in time, the advice I would tell my “first year teacher” self is this:

Here are the main categories I ended up dividing the bulk of my paperwork into:

Classroom lesson activities
Worksheet master copies
Professional documents
Conference materials
Concert programs
Pictures

From there, utilize binders with dividers to further sort the above categories into more specific units:

Classroom Lesson Activities

These aren't necessarily my daily lesson plans (those are digitally saved), but rather supplemental lesson activities, song sheets, and other lesson resources that I use regularly. These are sorted by grade level and within those grade levels, grouped by season (fall, winter, spring/summer).

Worksheet Master Copies

Keep ONE master copy of student worksheets and handouts you like and use during the year. These can also be divided by grade level, then further subdivided by unit, month, or season. DON'T HOLD ON TO ANY EXTRA COPIES! Make copies of worksheets according to current class lists and then make only 5 or so extras in case a new student comes mid-year or if a student's copy gets destroyed by accident somehow. At the end of the school year, any remaining copies go straight into the recycling bin.

Professional Documents

Teaching certificates, evaluations, SGOs/SLOs/PLOs, PD certificates all organized by academic year.

Conference Materials

Please, don't be like me and keep every handout, freebie octavo, worksheet, and brochure you've ever received from all the conferences you attend over the years. TOO MUCH!! After arriving home from a conference or workshop, take a moment to sit down and go through your bag of goodies and only keep what you find valuable to your teaching. File it and trash the rest. I sorted mine into categories such as “Piano, Singing, Rhythm, Special Needs, Orff, Movement” and so on. If you aren't sure about something, hold on to it for one year. But JUST ONE. After that, purge.

Concert Programs

Keep one program copy of each concert you conduct and use binder dividers to group them by school year. If you don’t print programs for your concerts, then simply make a master list of the concert name, grade, date, and song selections as a reference and file it. Or, if you prefer, those concert lists could be kept digitally.

Pictures

This includes school portrait and faculty group pictures, pictures of yourself with students, pictures or articles from media (newspapers, online write-ups), and maybe even picture documentation of special classroom projects you've done. Again, utilize binder dividers or 3-hole punched folders to organize these by academic year.

Ahhh! Nice and neat and ORGANIZED! :)

Now that everything is neatly organized, I can quickly find the references, resources, and papers that I need. A kindergarten concert program from 2011...got it! That really good conference session on folk dancing a few years back, I can find that handout in less than a minute! Going forward into my teaching career, I vow to stay on top of the paperwork and not let all my hours of organizing this summer go in vain. How? Well, at the end of each month I’ll spend about 20 or so minutes sorting, filing, and/or purging papers accumulated that month and in the days after I return from a conference, I’ll only keep and promptly file the most relevant resources.

Rescuing myself from clutter, one paper at a time!

How about you? Do you have bookshelves full of papers and materials that you haven’t looked at in a while? Do you have an organizing system that you follow? Do you just shove everything into a nice, large storage closet, shut the door, and ignore? Please share your experience of tackling (or not tackling) accumulation in the comments below!

Encouraging you to rock as you roll,

Summer Prep for Teachers on a Cart

Fri, 07 Jul 2017 18:58:16 -0400

Even though it’s the summertime, a teacher’s mind never quite shuts off, right? We’re always in a perpetual cycle of reflecting back on the past school year and planning ahead for the next. However, it’s not always “all work and no play” regarding planning. One of the fun things many teachers like to do is keep their eyes open for a good sale in their favorite store or stock up on cool classroom supplies and festive decor. But what’s a cart teacher to do? We don’t have the luxury of scooping up heaps of seasonal decor, bulletin board items, or other cutesy classroom goods due to lack of space to display them and places to store it all. Does that mean that we can only wistfully walk through the ‘back-to-school’ aisles and not purchase a thing? Not necessarily. There are definitely some items you can invest in that will help your daily cart teaching for the upcoming school year.

The amount of planning ahead required for teaching on a cart looks different depending on your situation:

It’s your first year on a cart in a district you’ve never taught in before.
Your music room is being repurposed and you'll now be teaching from a cart.
You've already been teaching on a cart for multiple years in the same school.

However, the list below can be beneficial no matter what situation you are in, so it's my hope that you can glean what you need as you apply it to your particular circumstance. Alright, with that said, let's go shopping!

Are you now teaching from a cart due to COVID-19 restrictions in schools? Check out this blog post for things to consider in your planning!

1. Binders

In my years of teaching music from a cart, I've found that binders are the easiest way to keep things together and organized. From music magazines, to lesson ideas, to sub plans, to worksheets, I put EVERYTHING into binders! This is especially helpful because the space in which I'm given to prep has changed multiple times through the years. Sometimes those spaces had a file cabinet for me to use, most times they don't. But a shelf or bookcase of some kind was usually available and binders make things much easier to transport.

I currently have 12 binders of music and teaching resources. Here you can see some loose music magazines that I'll soon put into binders for the upcoming school year.

Having my materials organized into binders allows me to easily transport my stuff from year to year AND helps me easily access materials when I need them. One cool item that helps me place softcover music magazines into these 3-hole binders are these:

These plastic magazine strips are awesome! You simply find the midway point of the magazine (where the staples are seen) slip that half into the opening, and now you're able to easily add it to a hole-punch binder. They typically come in packs of 12 and can be found online or in office supply stores. Get them, they're great!

2. Storage Bins with Lids

When I was first placed on a cart, I was desperate for any type of storage...period. But now that I've been 'on the move' for years, I've realized that it's more beneficial to have storage bins that are transparent (so I can easily see at a glance what's inside) and comes with a lid. Lids are important because they keep dust out, prevent your items from falling out if you hit a bump, and aid in stacking so you can utilize as much square footage as possible.

3. Decor

My cart through the seasons!

Okay, so you don't have a nifty room to decorate with your chosen color scheme or cool themes based on the latest Instagram trends. That doesn't mean that only classroom teachers get to have all the fun in decorating! I finally decided after years of being on a cart that I was tired of staring at the same, boring, brown metal cart. So I headed to the nearest dollar store and got some autumn leaves garland to twist around my cart. The kids loved it so much that around the holidays I bought string lights and looped those around my cart legs, too, plugging them in so they'd light up during music time in their classrooms (and if I forgot to plug in those lights, my students would let me know it!). Then I bought various colors of tinsel and garland to sport during the holidays and through the wintertime. In the spring, I swapped silver snow tinsel for multi-colored leis. My students ate it up, teachers complimented my creativity, and I had something a little nicer to look at day in and day out.

My fellow cart traveling teachers, yes, it's frustrating being on a cart, but making some lemonade from the lemons helps bring a more positive mindset to a frustrating situation. So rock out your cart! Whether it's with dollar store decor, spray paint, or shelf liner, add something that'll make your cart pop! Check out my Pinterest board to see how some other cart teachers have rocked out their carts:

4. Basic Office Supplies

Sometimes districts will provide teachers with office supplies, but other times not. Either way, it's a great idea (and I actually prefer) to have my own set of basic office supplies. I utilize the top shelf of my cart as my "rolling office" with my desk supplies quickly at my disposal: pencils, pens, erasers, Post-its, stapler, tape, dry erase markers/eraser, etc. As I'm teaching, I can quickly grab what I need instead of asking the students where their teacher keeps something and having a herd of kids scramble to run and get said item from their teacher's desk or closet. I save lots of time and energy (and student accidents!) by just having my own supply on hand and would suggest the same for any cart teacher. But please remember this one thing...LABEL EVERYTHING!!! If you don't label things with your name, it WILL grow legs and go missing...trust me!

Check out Fun Music Gifts for cool, music-themed office supplies that can be

customized with your name and favorite colors!

So, those are a few examples of practical, organizational, and even decorative ideas that you can be on the lookout for in the stores while you’re beginning your cart prep planning for the school year. Are there any *must have* items that you’ve found were quite handy in your cart teaching experience? Are you new to being on a cart and wondering what else should be purchased? Please feel free to share, ask, and comment below!

Encouraging you to rock as you roll,

Anatomy of a Cart- Part 2: Creative Ways to Maximize Your Storage

Thu, 30 Mar 2017 16:16:00 -0400

In the previous post, Anatomy of a Cart: Part 1, we covered what characteristics to look for when searching for an optimal, mobile teaching cart. Today, we’re getting down into some more nitty-gritty details by discussing ways to creatively increase storage space on your cart. Being a music teacher on a cart means you essentially take your music classroom with you as you travel around the school building. If you’re going to have all of your needed teaching materials on hand, then you need to maximize ALL areas of your cart.

If you thought your only option was tossing your music teaching items on the cart’s shelves and rolling out, then read on, my friend, to find out some super strategic ways of storing your teaching tools and truly utilizing all of the space on your cart!

Stackable Bins

Let’s start with the most obvious storage solution: stackable bins. These are very efficient ways of storing small instruments. I personally prefer clear bins so I can easily see what instruments are inside, but I also have storage bins with patterns and holes cut out of the sides that allow me to see their contents. If you don’t have transparent storage bins, labels taped to the sides will eliminate the guesswork. If you don’t have time to design your own labels, there are a plethora of music educators on Teachers Pay Teachers that have created labels of various themes, colors, and patterns. Browse and find the perfect kind for you!

These storage bins are also helpful in that once you’ve finished a lesson unit that uses certain containers of instruments, you can easily transfer the bins from your cart back into a closet, stacking them up quite neatly until you need them again!

Small Containers

These smaller storage options are perfect for storing office items, such as binder clips, rubber bands, erasers, paper clips, and the like. As you can see, I like to also keep a container with my ‘must have’ personal items: cough drops, hand sanitizer, lotion, and lip balm. I keep these small containers on the very top tier of my cart since I utilize that area as my “desk on wheels.” This is super handy and practical, as it can be time consuming to search each classroom you teach in and attempt to find basic office products during a lesson. Storing your own stash on your cart allows you to have these items right at your fingertips.

Storage Pockets

Now let’s discuss some storage options for the exterior portion of your cart. Utilizing the outside areas was a concept that hadn’t occurred to me when I was initially placed on a cart, but after my first year of cart teaching, it became apparent that I needed to expand my cart's square footage. So I started with overhead projector pockets. Whoa, blast from the past...do you even remember those?

These multi-pocket holders come with a belt/strap that goes around the perimeter of the projector and would normally be used to hold dry erase markers, erasers, and other projector related materials. On my cart, these projector pockets store teaching items such as my “word wall” and vocal exploration cards, smaller picture cards, and bandages (the see-through pocket and low location on the cart allows students to quickly locate and grab them without my assistance).

While the projector pockets were helpful, I soon realized that I needed more...something bigger and deeper that could hold items such as my clipboard, story books, and papers. Enter the Seat Sack! These chair pockets became all the rage a number of years back and when I commented to one teacher on how cool I thought they were, she gave me one of her extras! In order to attach it to my cart, I took the part that would slide onto the chair and cut along the sides to open it up to just a flap. I tucked this now open flap underneath the mat on the top of my cart, allowing the pocket part to dangle over the side and provide the perfect place for my larger, flatter teaching items. However, after using the projector pockets and chair pocket for a few years, I was still on the lookout for even more storage. On a trip to Bed, Bath, and Beyond, I found it...a car back seat organizer!

I immediately snatched it up along with this awesome organizational gem:

Initially made for college students to drape over their dresser or mini-fridge, this organizer was perfect for me to store my read-aloud books, papers, small posters, water bottles, miscellaneous small instruments (ex. slide whistle, harmonica, a recorder), pens, markers, wires, tissue boxes, and more! If you're unable to find these in stores, look online and use the search terms "car back seat organizer" or "mini fridge caddy" and that should turn up many options for you to look at and possibly order.

These organizers were my chosen method of increasing cart storage, but there are other creative external organizational items cart teachers can utilize. To discover additional ideas, feel free to browse through Music on a Cart's “Rock as you *ROLL*” and “Classroom organization” boards on Pinterest:

Even with all of these options, there’s still one more crucial cart area that many people tend to neglect. I’ll cover that in a future blog post, so stay tuned! Are there any organizational tools you've found helpful for your cart teaching situation that you currently use? Or did any of the above suggested items come as a surprise to you? Please let me know and share your thoughts in the comments below!

Encouraging you to rock as you roll,

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Anatomy of a Cart- Part 1: How to Select the Perfect Teaching Cart

Fri, 10 Mar 2017 16:39:37 -0500

For the traveling teacher who does not have a classroom of their own, a teaching cart becomes one of the most essential elements of their instruction. It’s from this mobile cart that all necessary equipment, teaching aids, and other lesson materials are found, collected, and stored, so it’s very important to select a cart that will meet all of these needs. In my own trial-and-error experiences over the years with researching and testing out various types of carts, I’ve found that there were surprisingly a plethora of different types and styles of carts to choose from! In Part 2 of this series, I'll discuss how to optimize the square footage on your cart so you can fully utilize its space in your daily instruction, but right now let's look at 4 key elements to keep in mind when determining which type of teaching cart is right for you!

Although I’m discussing this from my perspective as an elementary music teacher, these are tips that can be helpful for teachers of ANY level (elementary, middle, or high school) and of ANY subject area (music, art, foreign language, ELA, math, etc.) who also find themselves in a position of being a traveling, mobile teacher who must travel to different rooms every class period.

Alright, let’s get started!

#1 - Size

A natural inclination after finding out you're going to be teaching from a cart is to feel like you need the LARGEST cart possible to fit as many things onto it as possible. Don’t give in to that knee-jerk reaction...bigger is NOT always better! I've found out the hard way that a bigger cart is not always the most useful and in fact, the larger size can potentially hinder and hurt you physically as well as logistically. Survey the classrooms that you’ll be teaching in to get an idea of the width of the doorway and potential classroom obstacles. Create a checklist of the daily instructional items you’ll need. Then, based on those things, select an appropriately sized cart for your needs.

Need some more tips for what to do after finding out you'll be teaching from a cart?

Click the picture below!

#2 - Material

Carts come in several types of materials, the most popular being metal, chrome wire, and plastic. Below is a very brief “pros & cons” list for each:

Metal

Pros: sturdy, offers multiple ways of attaching items to its surface (magnets, adhesive strips, Velcro® strips)
Cons: typically don’t come with a handle, making pushing/maneuvering slightly difficult

Chrome Wire

Pros: light weight; usually a narrow, more slim design that's easier to fit through doorways
Cons: narrow design limits storage space; can be flimsy or wobbly (for a sturdy version, look for keywords like "heavy duty" or "commercial"), typically lacks a solid surface so small items must be placed in separate bins or tubs to avoid falling through the holes

Plastic

Pros: very durable; usually comes with a handle for ease in pushing/maneuvering; the shelves typically have a “lip” that prevents items from sliding off of the cart
Cons: can't utilize magnets to attach items (must use adhesive hooks or Velcro® strips); can be difficult to pivot and turn (look for the words "full-swivel castors" in the description for carts that will pivot smoothly)

#3 - Tiers

Carts come in various heights and tiers. Depending on the materials you’ll need to bring with you, it’s helpful to know how tall or narrow a tier you can get by on. For me personally, I needed a multi-tiered cart that could hold an average alto xylophone, which is the largest instrument I’d need to place on my cart. The cart I use now can hold two alto xylophones side by side on a single tier.

If a cart with fixed tiers isn’t working for you, then consider ordering one with adjustable height shelving, an option I had no clue about in my early cart teaching days!

#4 - Extras

Based on your personal and instructional preferences, you may want to consider what I call the “extras” of a cart. These can include:

Locked Storage

A cabinet on the bottom containing a lock and key to hold valuable electronic equipment, adapters, or anything else that you want to restrict access to when you’re not using the cart.

Extended Shelving

Pull out shelves that can hold a laptop, iPad/tablet, papers or other items during your lesson. Just remember to fold down or slide the shelf back in again for ease of getting through doorways!

Power Cable

A cart with built-in power outlets with an extension cord gives you one less thing to have to remember to bring. I was quite sad when my built-in extension cord and attached double outlet stopped working (the cart was very old before I acquired it) and now I must use a separate extension cord for the electronic devices I keep on my cart. Not wishing to waste space, I hung two organizers over the broken outlet and the lower left pocket holds my wires and cords when not in use.

If you’d like to view more pictures and see examples of other traveling teachers’ carts, check out the “Rock as You *ROLL*” board from Music on a Cart’s Pinterest page:

Do you currently teach from a cart? Which type of cart have you found most helpful? Were you able to purchase one or did you use what was already available at your school? I’m very interested to hear your thoughts in the comments below!

Encouraging you to rock as you roll,

Are you now teaching from a cart due to COVID-19 restrictions in schools? Check out this blog post for things to consider in your planning!

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Teaching Elementary Music to Students with Special Needs

Thu, 19 Jan 2017 16:59:18 -0500

Teaching and working with children is quite the learning experience! This has been especially true in teaching my students with special needs. As time goes on and I continue working with students in a variety of settings, I’m constantly learning how to adapt and modify my lessons to help with the flow of music class, which in turn provides the best environment for them to learn. These changes often occur on a weekly (and even a daily) basis depending on which students I’m teaching, what time of day their music class is, how their day has gone so far, if they like/dislike the shirt they’re wearing, if they like/dislike the shirt I'm wearing...you get the idea! Lots of factors can influence the success of music class, but I’ve found four consistently helpful strategies that maybe you can also consider if you’re teaching elementary music from a cart in a self-contained or mainstreamed classroom.

Decide on Seating

It’s a good idea to touch base with the teacher to see what ideas s/he may have for when music time rolls around (Anyone else get that cart joke? Just me? Oh...okay moving on 😆 ). For example, some situations you'd might want to address could be:

Will students sit in a circle on the floor or would sitting in chairs setup in a line or a semi-circle provide better physical structure and boundaries?
How many paraprofessionals or teacher assistants will be present during music time?

How will those adults sit in accordance to the students they work with (side-by-side, behind, etc.)? How involved with the students do you want them to be?

Determining the answers to those questions, along with asking the teacher to have the students ready and waiting for when you arrive, helps eliminate a lot of wasted time for your music class. Also, be mindful of what direction your students are facing. Are they facing the teacher’s computer which causes a distraction as the teacher types emails or lesson plans during music class? Are they sitting near or facing an area with lots of toys or books that they may be tempted to pull down or take out during music time? Don’t be afraid to bring up your concerns with the teacher and work together towards a solution.

Consider a Cover

Teaching from a cart means you have to bring ALL your necessary materials with you for a good chunk of the day or until your next opportunity to switch out instruments or materials. Often, this means that some classes may work with certain instruments that other classes will not. Add the fact that you’ll want to keep your cart in close proximity to where you’re teaching in the room. But think about it...you’ll have quick and easy access for grabbing things, but so will your students! To help eliminate the chances of snatching fingers and grabbing hands, you may want to consider making your cart items "disappear" by hiding them with:

A large poster or two→ hung on the side of your cart to cover what's behind it (poster examples can include your class rules, the lesson objectives, an inspirational saying, music quote, etc.)
A makeshift curtain→ use a large piece of fabric to hang up on your cart with Velcro®, magnets, tape, or if you want to get *really* fancy -> a small tension rod!
A blanket →simply drape it on top of the instruments you're not using at the moment

I’ve had times where one of my students successfully lunged for an item and, to avoid total meltdowns while attempting to get it back, I had to employ a ‘bait and switch’ or distract them and get their attention onto something else. I’m always be amazed at how the smallest hands can have the tightest death grip! Or, instead of the death grip, my instrument gets hurled across the room to unceremoniously crash into the wall or hit an unsuspecting victim. Other times a student might ask me repeatedly when we’re going to use *insert instrument name* over and over and OVER again. There’s nothing wrong with occasionally acquiescing so I'll sometimes allow them to musically experiment with said instrument on the spot (it's a great learning moment), but sometimes when you’re trying to hit certain curricular points (SGO’s/SLO’s anyone?) the constant questions each and every music class will suck up tons of time. But, if it’s covered up and can’t be seen, it eliminates the time spent addressing it. Out of sight, out of mind!

Keep it Simple

Speaking of eliminating wasted time, if you want to make the most valuable use of your music class time, it helps to have short, succinct phrases to redirect off task behavior. Whenever possible, I like to boil it down to simple 1- or 2-word phrases. Rather than saying, “Michael, I know you’re excited but you can lower your voice a bit because I’m sitting right here a few inches in front of you,” just say, “Indoor voice.” Instead of, "Anna, you have to take that out of your mouth," simply say, "No mouth."

Redirecting behavior and giving verbal prompts with as few words as possible is a technique that many special needs teachers incorporate because it clearly and concisely lets the student know what they need to do. Along with that, these short phrases will save you time PLUS save your voice. And while we’re on the topic of saving your voice...

Utilize Visuals

I’m all about using a good visual to get the point across! Having a picture that demonstrates what you want the student to do is great because you can easily point to it or hold it up without saying a word. An example of this in action is when I’m singing melodic echoing patterns with students one at a time, and while I’m using my 'pretend microphone' working with one student, another student might interrupt by trying to take their turn or asking about the most random thing ever. I’ll simply take the Quiet Voice poster and hold it up while continuing to echo with the student I’m working with. Or, if it was an interrupting question, I'll hold up the Raise Your Hand poster as a reminder. No time lost and no vocal explanation needed! The Quiet Voice picture I use is an enlarged up copy of a PCS (Picture Communication Symbol) through BoardMaker software. BoardMaker is quite expensive, but it's a very standard purchase districts make for certified special needs teachers to use in their students' communication charts and visuals around their classrooms. Ask the teacher in your school building and they'll probably be more than happy to help and print out images for you to use since it matches what their students see daily in their programs.

My most used behavior visuals

I asked for a bigger copy of the 'quiet' PCS and added the words "Quiet Voice" on top before laminating it. BEST DECISION EVER! In trying to teach skills such as taking turns, waiting, and listening, the four posters above are easily my most often used posters (for ALL of my classes, really). So think about the key phrases, verbal prompts, or redirects you repeatedly say and ask the special needs teacher at your school if they have a corresponding visual that they use for similar situations in their classroom. Print it. Laminate it. Add magnet strips to the back of it. And use it! The consistency of visuals is good for your students and your voice will thank you!

How about you? What are some difficulties you face being on a cart in a special needs classroom? What techniques or strategies have you found helpful in your music classes? “Sharing is caring” so leave some valuable jewels of wisdom in the comments below!

Encouraging you to rock as you roll,

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