Five for Friday {August 15}

Oh my, it has been a llllooooonnnngggg time since I have been able to join in on this oh, so fun linky! So finally, after a busy, busy summer, I am linking up with Doodle Bugs Teaching for Five for Friday. 

Wow has it been a busy week?!?! We start back to school this week in good ole' Scott County.  Even though it has been busy, it has also been GREAT! I absolutely love seeing all my students smiling from ear to ear as they enter my music classroom! Even though there were TONS of things I have accomplished this week, here is my top five!

If you have read this blog before, you know that I teach at four different elementary schools! As a result, I have four schools to get ready for school.  And to make it even more fun?!?! I had to move two, yes two, classrooms THIS week! But I am very, very, very excited about my classroom switches! 

Here is my first room......a BRAND NEW ROOM!

This photo was taken before any of my stuff, art stuff, board, sink, and projector were in! It took me two days, but I am finally moved in! Yay! It all smells so nice and clean! 

This is the second classroom I moved this week.  I went from a teeny tiny room to a very spacious room! Eek! I don't know what to do with all this space!!! {Insert really happy music teacher face.} I was so thankful to have great teacher friends, admin, and custodians to move all my stuff up the stairs into my new room (since I wasn't at that school this week).  My great teacher friend, Tracy South at 4th Grade Dynamic Duo, helped me set up to teach on Monday morning. 

I was able to get this adorable bulletin board up right before the students walked in the door this week! I think it turned out pretty cute! 

I have recently became obsessed with making my desk, or rather I should say desks, at each of my schools! Throw on some contact paper, bulletin boarder, a pennant banner, and viola, a cute desk! 

This week I also figured out how to make a rose for a headband.  I grabbed some scrap fabric, my sewing machine, and Pinterest to help me with this little project! I am seeing lots of new hand bands in my near future.  

I am sure your week has been as busy as mine as Back to School 2014 is up and running! Good luck to you as you start back to school, and don't forget to check out Doodle Bugs Teaching for more Five for Friday posts! 

My Music Room Set-Up

Today I am linking up with Aileen Miracle at Mrs. Miracle's Music Room for "My Music Room Set-up." I have been sooooo excited to reveal my classroom that I have spent hours and hours updating over the summer! Thank you Aileen for hosting. I have been looking forward to this type of blog post all summer.  

I am going to warn you now...there will be lots and lots of pictures!!! Most of you know that I teach at four schools! I will just be showing one of my classrooms, which happens to be at my largest school.  This room is also the school I spend the most time in.  My other classrooms are either extremely tiny, a combined art and music room, or a room that is under construction :)  I am excited to be getting a new room at one of my schools, but we are going to cross our fingers that it will be ready by next Tuesday! Eek! 

I had plans to do a lot of blogging this summer; however, I ended up spending more time in my classroom than I thought.  Here are pictures of my classroom before I added my personal touch.  These photos were actually taken two years ago, but I really didn't change much during my first two years of teaching. I knew it was time for an extreme makeover, the Jena way! 

So after many, many hours and lots of helping hands from my hubs and my teacher BFF, Lindsey, here is the NEW and IMPROVED music room!!!! 

I am very lucky to work in a supportive school district! They allowed us to paint our classrooms this year, and the school has totally transformed! I first got rid of the 20 year old wallpaper and added a splash of paint! Ok...maybe a little more than a splash...I painted my front wall a sky blue, while the side and back walls are painted a light green.  It has definitely brightened up my dingy room and created a cheery learning and creating musical environment.  

In my classroom, I have a songbird theme.  My students are referred to as songbirds in our newsletters and social media outlets! They love it :)  My bestie, Lindsey, also incorporated a bird theme in her classroom this year.  As a result, we created the silhouette birds to 'fly' around our classrooms and tissue poms to serve as clouds.  She also inspired me to purchase and incorporate the School Girl Style silhouettes around my classroom.  The package came with a swinging girl that fit perfectly with my corner tree that my mother-in-law painted.  Check out the silhouettes and all the other adorableness in Lindsey's kindergarten classroom.  

This adorable boy silhouette was created to hold balloons, but what better way to incorporate a musical theme with a recorder in hand! I think it worked out perfectly and is placed by my door as my students say goodbye in music class.  

After searching on Pinterest, I found this silhouette girl with recorder balloons and knew I HAD to incorporate it into my music classroom! I found some old records, which happened to be kid themed, and placed the beauty on a large empty wall! I am in LOVE with the way it turned out! 

Here is another view of the balloon girl! I also painted my doors and windowsills, then added some cute curtains! 

On my other LARGE blank and boring wall, I added a display of Boomwhackers, practical and pretty! 

I simply added a strip of velcro to the wall and a small piece on the tube.  Now, students can quickly grab the Boomwhacker they need instead of me digging through a laundry basket! 

On my last wall, I cut out letters for the above picture on my Cricut machine! It is in the perfect view spot in my room for my administrators and other teachers to see the cross curricular connections of music! 

I wanted a tree in my classroom to enhance my classroom theme, but also to give the students a whimsical atmosphere.  So I added the tissue poms for leaves and created an instrument paradise :) All of my Orff instruments are placed in this corner. 

  I also added an updated bookcase with labeled containers for smaller percussion instruments.  I painted the bookshelf and added contact paper to the back. All my other instruments are stored in a closet. 

Underneath my dry erase board, I placed recorder fingering posters.  This placement is easy for students to see and provide a quick reference if need be.  

I also made seat crates that are stored underneath my dry erase board.  I created labels to attach with binder rings.  For these crates, I stored movement props, such as parachutes and scarves, puppets, and masks.  By having them in the front of the room, they are easy to access.  Not only are my items neatly organized, but I can pull these crates out for a quick spot to sit for story telling or role playing. 

Next to my board, I have a set of Solfege hand signs and my classroom rules! These are easy to see from any angle in the classroom, especially for those little troublemakers.  

To create more room for movement, I got rid of my big, hunk of metal desk and computer table.  I was thrilled to get rid of my desktop and the table with it!  After getting rid of both, I then had a minor freak out moment of "Where will I put all the little things?"  As a result, I found an adorable table/desk at Office Depot that solved my problems. 

I moved my desk to a corner of my room, and viola, here is my small, but perfect, workspace!  I gave my filing cabinets a makeover, added a homey lamp, and reupholstered my desk chair (mother-in-law to the rescue again!). 

Added some Washi tape to take this plain desk organizer to a cute desk organizer! I also added a touch of Washi tape to the edge of my desk for some cohesion :) 

For all the 'tiny' things,  I made a Teacher Toolbox on top of my bookcase!

 You can also see some more Washi tape ;) Want these labels?! There are editable ones on my TPT store here.  

Here is my new corner! Still need to add a cork board above my desk and finish that bulletin board :) 

I also have two bulletin boards completed: one is in the hallway and one is used for our class rewards system.  Found out more about them here! 

Thanks for taking a step into my classroom! I think my music classroom is now set-up and ready to go for the first day of school! Check out other music classroom set-ups on Aileen's blog! 

Back to School Bulletin Boards

Hello!!! Wow has it been a wild and crazy month?! My plan was to blog more when school was out in May, but oh my, I have been busier this summer than I was in school! So now I am making it a goal to up my blogging game! I am beginning by linking up with David Row at Make Moments Matter for his Back to School Bulletin Boards for the Music Classroom! 

First, let me begin by saying, I LOVE, and I mean LOVE, bulletin boards.  Along with my handy dandy Cricut and many trips to the fabric and craft store, I go all out with my bulletin boards.  Since I am at four schools, I do not change them much through out the year.  So I begin each year with at least two big and bold bulletin boards at each school! 

To begin, I will show you my Recorder Karate bulletin board!  I use this bulletin board to keep track of my students' progress throughout the curriculum (along with my own paper version checklist).  It also holds my students' accountable because this bulletin is displayed in the hallway for all the parents, students, and teachers to see their progress! I adopted this display system from my mentor teacher, Jenni Koenemann.  Instead of using a bulletin board, however, she actually used felt-covered frames to display her students' progress.

I use the Recorder Karate system with my 4th grade recorder students.  When they pass their belt song, they not only receive their karate belt, but they also get to move their music note on the bulletin board for everyone to see.  I purchase these music notes from Punkydoodles. After laminating each music note, I write each student's name on the music note with a silver sharpie.  They then move their music note to their correct belt color on the board in the hallway. Since it is the beginning of the year, there weren't any music notes on this board yet :(  Below is a picture from last year of the bulletin board with the music notes.  I have done a LOT of improvements since last year :)

More details about the bulletin......layer! I think layering the borders makes it POP! Both borders are from Creative Teaching Press.  I also added the cute little poms at the top corner, inspired by School Girl Style.  These are 8 inch tissue poms that I just ordered online! Even though you can't tell in this picture, the background is a fun music fabric! I always use fabric for my bulletin boards so I can reuse them for years to come! (And they are fadeless!!!)  The karate kids are part of the Recorder Karate curriculum.  I not only printed out these cute kiddos, put I painted them, and laminated each one! Lastly, I made the belt signs, recorders, music notes, and header on my Cricut! 

Here is my second bulletin board at use at each of my schools: 

This bulletin board is my Piano Rewards system that I use for every class, except kindergarten.  With this bulletin, each class has a clothespin with their teacher's name on it. (They are currently being updated with new teacher names.)  At the end of each music class, the students rank themselves in 5 categories: making their best effort, using good posture, stating something they learned, pointing to someone who inspired them, and cooperating with others. Each category is worth up to 5 points and was also created by Jenni Koenemann, my mentor teacher.  

Students hold up their points they think they deserve in each category.  I then take the class majority and place that score for their points.  If students score a PERFECT score, they get to move their class clothespin up two piano keys.  If they get a 24, then they get to move their clothespin up one piano key.  Anything below a 24, the students do not get to move their clothespin for that music class.  The first class to reach the end of the piano will receive a prize.  Prizes include a dance party, folk dancing, music videos, sing alongs, or even candy.  The students really work together in achieving a perfect score each music class! The teachers also really join in on the competition between the classes! 

I hope you enjoyed my bulletin boards! I can't WAIT to show you the rest of my classroom in my upcoming classroom tour post! Eek! I am getting excited! To check out other bulletin board ideas for the music classroom, visit Make Moments Matter by clicking on the top photo! 

July Currently

Hello SUMMER!!!! Today I am linking up with Farley 

at Oh, Boy 4th Grade for the July Currently. 

Here is what I am currently doing, or thinking, or hoping for the month of July! 

Listening: I am currently listening to the Today Show.  I really love this news show and miss out on it when school is in session.  

Loving: I am LOVING summer, no bed time, sleep however late I want, hanging out with teacher friends, eating lots of great food, making impromptu trips, and so much more! 

Thinking: I am thinking about my AMAZING dinner I had last night.  One of my great friends from high school is a chef at Sydney Street Cafe.  (Side note: if you are ever in St. Louis, you must go there!!!) He is home this week so we all decided to take a day trip to Nashville to eat at Husk (a 3 hour drive, one way).  Let's just say we had 6 appetizers, 3 entrees, and 2 desserts among 3 people. It was delicious! And another great part of the day: the boys let me go to the Vera Bradley Outlet and snatch up some awesome deals! 

Wanting: I am definitely want to swim and get my tan on on this beautiful summer day.  It is supposed to be in the mid-80's for the rest of the week! Sounds glorious to me! 

Needing: Oh am I NEEDING to get my homework done for my online grad class.  I don't know about these online classes.  They just give you all the assignments the first day, and it is all due at the end of the semester.  This is bad for me....I am a procrastinator.  Wish me luck that I can get these done! 

4th Plans: I plan on spending a long weekend with my husband and wonderful in-laws at their gorgeous lake house. Boating, skiing, fishing, paddle boating, canoeing, and swimming.... I CAN'T WAIT! Oh, and did I mention lots of food and fireworks! 

Thanks for stopping by! I hope you are enjoying your summer! 

Artsy Fartsy Friday {Linky Party}

And another busy week of summer has past! It is Friday and time for another Artsy Fartsy Friday linky with Lindsey Law at Miss Law's Kinders and myself. 

We have been so busy this week with presenting at our district's conference, Digipalooza, part of the Department of Education's Summer of eLearning Tour, that I was unable to do any of the artsy fartsy projects I was wanting to accomplish.  But we didn't want you to miss out the fun and showing off your crafty projects.  

If you have missed the linky party in the past, and are unsure of what it is, check out my previous post here with all the details on the linky party. 

Happy Artsy Fartsy Friday to you!

Artsy Fartsy Friday {Linky Party} Classroom Tree

It is time for another Artsy Fartsy Friday Linky with Miss Law's Kinders and Sew Much Music. This linky will continue every Friday all summer long!  Still don't know what this linky party is about? Check out my previous post with all the details right here. 

Want to link up? 

1. Grab the Artsy Fartsy image and link to one of our blogs. 

2. Blog about a craft or project you have been working on this week. 

3. Link up at the bottom! 

Now on to my Artsy Farsty project for this week: Classroom Tree!

I have a songbird theme in my music classroom.  I have always wanted a tree painted in the corner of my classroom so I could place little songbirds on the branches.  I got my wish! 

Along with my wonderful mother-in-law (the true artist), we created a real-life tree mural in the corner of my classroom.  It is only in the beginning stages.  I hope to add some green pompoms for leaves and some little song birds. Maybe a music quote, too?!

Here is how we did it:

1. We began with a sketch of the tree. This was clearly my mother-in-laws sketch! I am not an artist, AT ALL!  

2.  We then went to Wal-Mart to buy the paint! Hint: buy the small paint samples.  You will only need one of each color! We purchased a dark brown, medium brown, and light brown.  You will need a quart of paint for the base color. 

3.  Next, draw the tree outline on the wall with a pencil.  Tip: Make sure to step back to check for correct branch proportions.  

4. Fill in the outline with the base color.  We used a small roller to do the wider parts of the tree, then a hand brush for the small branches. 

5. Add more color! This is the fun part!! Using a 2 inch paint brush, lightly dip the brush into the lighter colored paint.  Apply very gentle and dry brush strokes over the base color to get a "brushy" look! (Is that a word?!). Once you have finished with the lightest color, do the same with the darker color. 

6.  Finally, using a very small brush roughly outline the tree with the darkest color. You can see my outline on the right side of the photo above! 

7. Masterpiece! 

I LOVE that my tree goes all the way to the ceiling and looks realistic! I can't wait to add the final touches and show you! 

Thanks for stopping by for Artsy Fartsy! Want to link up? Add your link below and don't forget to comment on the two link-ups in front of you and the linky after you!