Tuesday, August 19, 2014

Teacher Week: Where?

Today I am linking up with Blog Hoppin' for Teacher Week Day 2: Where?   


Since I teach at four elementary schools, I have four classrooms to decorate. Yes..you heard me! Four! Good thing decorating is one of my absolute favorite things to do! Nothing is better than crafting in my book! I love that I can change things up at each school to make each one unique.  Even though I share two of my classrooms with art, I still try to keep it cute! 

But don't worry, I am not going to show you ALL of my schools! :) So for today, I am going to be showing my largest classroom (biggest school).  It is the one I spent the majority of my time getting ready during the summer. I have actually already done my classroom reveal in the music world, but I would love to show you, too! 

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 music classroom! 








Teacher Week: Who?

Today (although it's a day late), I will be linking up with Blog Hoppin' for the first day of Teacher Week!

I am Jena from Sew Much Music! Can you guess two of my favorite things just from my blog name?! Yes, you guessed it! Sewing and music :)  I am an elementary music teacher in my good ole' hometown of Scottsburg, Indiana.  I teach at four elementary schools over a two week period and get to teach over 1200 smiling faces.  Although it may seem crazy, I do thoroughly LOVE my job! I get four times the administrative support, four times the amazing teacher friends, four times the talented students, and an entire community behind my back.  Even though I can't go anywhere in town without hearing "Mrs. Hudson," it is such a joy to be back where I grew up and playing a large role in shaping our community. 

Family

Beside 1200 students, I don't have any children of my own.......yet! We are planning to have a couple kids in our future, but for now it is just my husband and our cat!


Oh, how we could go back to where this photo was taken?! Where did summer break go?! We have been married for three wonderful years! He loves the outdoors, cooking, and traveling! 


And here is our mouse-killing, cuddling furball of a cat, our Cinder. My husband never wanted a cat, and made me promise it would stay outside. That didn't last long :) Wifey usually gets her way so now kitty sleeps with us every night! 


Friends

I seriously have the BEST friends in the world! We laugh (a little too much) together, travel together, and eat ( a LOT) together! I love each one of them so much, and don't know what I would ever do without their encouragement, honesty, and support! I am very thankful for each one of them, whether they are a teacher friend, high school friend, or blogging friend...they each mean the world to me!

  

Things I Love...

Here is a list of some of the things I love:
1. McDonalds coke (there is just nothing like it)
2. Cooking
3. Gardening in our square foot garden
4. Quilting, sewing, and everything crafting
5. Cuddling with my hubby and cat
6. Hanging out with my nephews and nieces
7. Going out with friends
8. Collaborating with teachers
9. Teaching my amazing students!

Thanks for stopping by! See you this evening for day 2 of Teacher Week! 






Friday, August 15, 2014

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! 



Tuesday, August 5, 2014

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