#MusicWithMini

Let's be real, folks. This is where the magic happens. For my students, when they think back to elementary music, this will be the setting they always envision. For me, this is where I spend most waking hours of my day, August through May, so it's got to be appealing for my sanity's sake. That means COLOR! As exclaimed by a student of mine upon entering:

"It's like a party in here"

and the truth is, that's exactly the experience I want students to have in music class [but let's be honest, it's not a reality].

Below if a brief visual tour of my classroom--I'll get around to more specifics/my structures and routines in future posts, but for now this is the quick view!

Putting duct tape on the floor was perhaps one of the greatest things I did last year. Notice all the room for dancing?!

Note: Those poofs from the ceiling are perfect visuals for kids to set up centers (blue center/yellow center, etc.

[Purple Banner: "The greatest way to spread some cheer is singing loud for all to hear!"]

Any one of my students will tell you that I am a huge fan of stars. Each class earns a star every class--they're trying to collect green stars, but more on that later. The grade level sheets are for my weekly PBIS ticket winners--more on that later too!

Ya'll these sticks are magical. On the top of every chair I painted a number 1-24. Each student has a music number. My magical stick jar is a great way to choose helpers, do random assessments, and make quick groups for games or centers. Plus, it adds some elements of suspense for the kids.

There is a lot of encouragement to S-I-N-G throughout my room.

Curious as to what some other music classrooms look like?

Click here for more!

Hey world! It's happening. I am blogging about something I am incredibly passionate about: TEACHING!

I'm not an expert, or a magical wizard that has all the answers, but I'm a creative leader who is devoted to loving and teaching her students well. The name is Miss Mini, but some of my beloved life-skills students refer to me as Miss "Mickey". I teach music, have a choir, and perform the daily lunch duty. I've put together assemblies, concerts, field trips, and yes--even a rap video (more on that later). Technically I'm a 2nd year teacher, but I've taught abroad, and my first year as a music teacher aged me about 7 years, so does that count?

I know there are music educators out there that would have my head for saying this, but more than anything I am passionate about urban education. I teach in an urban K-4 building, serving approximately 500 students. My music class is not always about the greatest composers, or correctly identifying every single instrument (although, we're getting there). It's about using music as a creative outlet, giving my students options for when they need to "escape" besides youtube or Xbox---finding friends and playing a musical game, or having songs from my class keep them company at night when they can't fall asleep.

I'm excited to start blogging, to get some of my ideas out there and to collaborate with fellow music educators---all educators! I'm excited to celebrate successes and troubleshoot troubles. I hope you'll enjoy the peeks into my classroom and hopefully get a small taste of the love that is all around. As I often say to the classes before entering my room:

"Let's get this party started!"