In my years of teaching music from a cart, along with figuring out how to maximize my cart storage space, I’ve also experimented with different kinds of manipulatives I could easily carry around and incorporate in the often cramped classroom spaces I teach in. Along with the portability factor, I’ve found that materials that I could use for multiple purposes were best...giving you more bang for your lesson buck! Here’s a list of my current 5 favorite multifunctional lesson manipulatives:

Students race to sweep up small, labeled objects (something with a little depth, such as plastic cubes, color tiles, or even folded index cards) based on what’s called out. For example, having students race to see who can sweep up only the string family instrument names scattered on the floor or all of the rhythms that add up to 4 beats. Students might not be crazy about cleaning up their room at home, but a music sweeping game is a whole other story! And, as with the fly swatters, you can purchase just a few dustpans which is plenty for your students to take turns with in small groups.

How about you? Do you have a particular music lesson manipulative that’s your favorite? Have you tried any of the ideas above? Are there any manipulatives you’ve found difficult to store on your cart due to their shape or size? I would love to hear your thoughts in the comments below!

Encouraging you to rock as you roll,

This has been a very interesting school year. Out of my 10+ years teaching elementary music, this was the first year that I was challenged with all sorts of behavioral issues. And not with just a few classes or one grade level, but at every single grade level that I teach (with the exception of preschool...those little 3 and 4 year olds really had it together!). I’ve truly been stretched and challenged as an educator in attempting to find various systems, strategies, and ways in which to establish, restore, and/or reiterate proper classroom behavior. As I reflect back on this school year and the strategies I've tried, I noticed that there was a common thread. And that’s what I’d like to discuss today.

Now, I’m not saying that this is a magical strategic tool that will instantaneously fix every single behavior issue you’ll face in your classroom (but hey, if you ever find that magical strategy, please let me know), yet as the school year rolled on, I found that this helped….a lot. Simply put, what I’m talking about is this:

During those 10 minutes of self-assessment, I’d circulate around the room, silently read their answers, and have a very brief one-on-one chat with each student (quietly so no one else nearby hears) about the choices and actions they made that day in music. For some classes, once the teacher returned to the classroom, students would hold up their paper and the teacher would give a quick glance and offer an overall comment about the reflections as a whole (and when the comment was positive, boy would we play it up and make a big deal of it!). However, every single time, I required that they put the self-reflection papers in their take-home folders to bring home. If the situation warranted it, I would write a note on the paper asking parents to sign that they’ve read their child’s self-assessment and have it returned back to school the next day. This really helped alleviate a LOT of extra time on my part documenting individual behaviors and helped to alleviate the defensiveness that some parents had because it was their own child who was confessing in their own handwriting how they did in class that day, for better or for worse. The classroom teachers also appreciated it as it gave them an idea of how their students did and they appreciated the extra support in reiterating positive behavior and addressing the negative.

For my upper elementary students (3rd and 4th graders), the above self-reflection sheet I made was too simplistic. Thankfully, I found a really AMAZING self-assessment rubric created by Jessica Zannini, creator of the website "Notes from the Portable." Do yourself a favor and go there now to download it for free!  Although it was formulated for the regular ed. classroom, I found that the behavior checks listed spoke perfectly to what I kept reiterating during music class. Again, I left 10 minutes towards the end of the class period for filling out these rubrics (I used the 3 smiley rubric she created, but there's also a more detailed, numbered rubric in the downloadable packet) along with answering the questions on the reverse side, reminding them that although it’s worded to have them reflect on their day/week in school, they’re only reflecting and filling it out regarding how they did in music class that day. And just like my lower elementary classes, I circulated around the classroom to individually speak to each student about their rubric rating. Taking their papers home was optional unless I wrote my own remarks on the line given for teacher comments or circled the sentence on the bottom that stated they had to have it signed by a parent and brought back the next day. The classroom teacher would place it in my mailbox when the student brought it back the next day, but I preferred (as much as possible) to go the student myself before school or during homeroom to follow up face-to-face, collect their paper, and speak with them the next day. This wasn't limited to only negative behaviors, though. If a student had a spectacular day or did something great in music, I would write a comment in the teacher's spot and circle for the paper to go home and get signed so their parent would know how well they did that day.

Now was this a magical formula that solved all my crazy classroom behavior issues? Unfortunately not...BUT, I found that as I consistently followed through, at the expense of some instructional time, it made a difference in helping them recognize and take more personal ownership of the behaviors they exhibited during class. And really, such a time for teaching personal self-assessment and reflection IS an important part of life and learning anyway...so in actuality, it’s not time wasted, but time invested. Having students write down and then read for themselves in black and white their behavior choices helped them to see patterns and trends from week to week (and teachers and parents were able to see it, too) and my speaking to each individual student, helping them hash out and talk out their choice of actions that day, helped reinforce the personal ownership aspect along with the fact that I was on their side, cheering them on to do great things, but the decision was theirs as to how they would choose to behave.

*Sigh* A tough year indeed, but still a fruitful one...for both my students and for myself. In future blog posts, I'll discuss the myriad of other strategies and classroom management techniques I utilized in conjunction with the above, but this one was the biggest change I've tried implementing so far in my classes this year, so I wanted to share it first. Have you had any successful strategies that you’ve tried in your music classes? Have you had to sacrifice classroom time to reset or reinforce proper classroom behavior? Please tell me that I’m not alone and leave some nuggets of your wisdom in the comments below!

Encouraging you to rock as you roll,

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 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!

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#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!

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!

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!

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Year after year, I receive stories like the ones above. Stories by elementary music teachers from all across the country describing how they have lost (or are about to lose) their music teaching classroom space. Sometimes a music teacher might get temporarily kicked out of their music room for Picture Day or for several days during state testing. Other times the inconvenience is for a slightly longer duration (several months to a year or so) to accommodate school renovations or a construction project. However, the emails most common in my inbox are from the “indefinitely” camp of music teachers who have lost their music rooms and are unsure if they will ever regain a music classroom space again. The reasons for this can be many, including:

• Increased student enrollment
  
• Creation of a lab (STEM or maker space)
  
• Addition of a self-contained special needs classroom
  
• Addition of a BSI, ESL, or other type of special services classroom space
  

Finding out that you’re losing your music room and going to be teaching music on a cart is disappointing for sure. Yet when I hear about music teachers receiving such notification just a few days in advance (like I quoted above), it’s just heartbreaking! And for that unfortunate music teacher dread, disappointment, and panic start to set in.

So what do you do...other than feel completely overwhelmed? Or begin freaking out? Or a combination of BOTH?! I’ve already addressed some broader points to remember when one finds out that they'll be teaching music on a cart in this blog that shares my own cart story:

But for this blog post, I’d like to delve deeper and talk through some more detailed steps to implement that involve you, the other teachers in your school building, and your administrators. Reflecting on my own experience, I've boiled things down to 3 categories that I believe can be immensely helpful in setting yourself up for success in implementing music lessons from a cart. So let's get to it!

WARNING!!

This is going to be a lengthier post, but I want to properly give you information that'll be super helpful for your cart teaching situation! 😃 

Time 

Is there any time allotted for transitioning between class periods? When I was first put on a cart, my district had 3 minutes scheduled in between class periods. Then over the years as various principals came and went, it shrank down to 2, then 1, and now I have ZERO! Yup, zero transition time. So one class period technically starts the same exact time the previous one ends. Hang tight, because I’ll address this further in point #2.

Distance 

Do you have to trek all the way across the school from one class to the next? Do you have classes on multiple floors? Is there an elevator to utilize? Do a walk-through the way your schedule is laid out and find out how long it takes you to get from class to class. You’ll probably need to add a minute or so to that travel time as pushing a cart slows down your usual speed compared to traveling by foot alone. If you already have a cart, go ahead and do your walk-through while pushing it...with some instruments or items to weigh it down, too.

Layout 

As you perform your walk-through to check time and distance, you should also scope out the layout of the different classrooms. How have teachers arranged the desks, tables, bookshelves, and other furniture in their space? Where are the outlets located if you need to plug in speakers or charge equipment? In which area of the room can your music class take place? What kinds of distractions are in and around that area? While these are all good to address at the start of the year, be forewarned! Classroom teachers can decided to completely revamp how their room is arranged at any given point of the school year. Get a general idea of how the classrooms look initially, have a plan in place, yet keep in mind that it might change as the teacher also adjusts to the dynamics of his or her class and changes the space accordingly. 

If you're going to be teaching music from a cart, then of course you'll need the most optimal cart for your teaching needs and one that's best suited for maneuvering around your school's hallways and doorways. But I must warn you, bigger is NOT always better! In another blog post, I'll address what types of carts you can choose from (there are many options!), exactly what characteristics you need to look for when securing a cart, and how to fully outfit it for your teaching, but for now, consider the following:

• Size - You'll need to push this bad boy around all day, so think very carefully about the size of your cart along with the ease of maneuverability because you don't want to injure yourself. Will bending down to push it hurt your back? Is the cart already heavy even though it's completely empty? Can it easily fit through the doorways of every classroom you'll be entering?
  
• Storage - This is not only how many shelves are available on the cart, but the ways in which you can utilize ALL areas (inside, outside, upside, and down) of your cart. This could also include a locked storage section on your cart, if that's important to you.
• Electrical requirements - Does your cart come with an extension cord or have the ability to incorporate electrical equipment that you'll need? Will you need to put a music playing device on your cart? Bluetooth speaker? Keyboard? Laptop?

Cart preparation is a whole other discussion and I'm very excited to share with you how I've rocked out my own cart in order to successfully implement my music lesson activities! But for now, what are your thoughts? Does your teaching schedule have absolutely no transition time between periods like mine does? Have you considered writing down your expectations and sharing them (in a super kind fashion) to the teachers whose rooms you'll be teaching in? Have your administrators given you a prep space? Have you considered sprucing up your cart to make it practical, but fun? I'd love to hear your thoughts and ideas in the comments below!

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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.

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.

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! 

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...

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.

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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