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I have a WONDERFUL librarian who is always working to provide books resources whenever we need them. Today, I was looking to create a list of possible composer biographies we'd like to add to our school library AND I was in a hurry. So I decided to create a pinterest board to share with her. Some of these titles are new to me, that I intend to investigate before recommending for purchase. Some of these titles are ones that I have used at other schools that I know for sure, students will love. Others are titles that I have seen and have been curious about. Perhaps some of these are titles you are familiar with, and some may be new. The first thing I plan on doing is going through and notating which composers are studied in which grade levels as that may affect the eventual book the library will purchase. Perhaps as I have time, I'll even have a chance to look up them up from a library vendor website. However, for now, I'm happy to have a working list. 
Wednesday, September 24, 2014
Pinterest Board! - Composer Biographies
I have a WONDERFUL librarian who is always working to provide books resources whenever we need them. Today, I was looking to create a list of possible composer biographies we'd like to add to our school library AND I was in a hurry. So I decided to create a pinterest board to share with her. Some of these titles are new to me, that I intend to investigate before recommending for purchase. Some of these titles are ones that I have used at other schools that I know for sure, students will love. Others are titles that I have seen and have been curious about. Perhaps some of these are titles you are familiar with, and some may be new. The first thing I plan on doing is going through and notating which composers are studied in which grade levels as that may affect the eventual book the library will purchase. Perhaps as I have time, I'll even have a chance to look up them up from a library vendor website. However, for now, I'm happy to have a working list. 
Tuesday, September 16, 2014
Google Drive is AWESOME!
Today we started choir! Yippee! This year we had a much easier time starting choir than last year because THIS year, instead of asking parents and students to return a sheet of paper letting us know that they were coming to choir today, we sent home a hyperlink that sent our interested parents and students directly to a google form. YAY!
Students who wished to join choir simply filled out the google form and without any other steps, we had an instant spreadsheet!!!!
Today, when we were ready to mark attendance, and take note of who is interested in auditioning for special parts or serving as choir officers, my co-teacher and I were able to work on the very same spreadsheet at the very same time! Our changes were visible to both of us and we got twice as much work done in half the time. We also were both constantly working from the most current document.
If you are looking for a way to manage your extra choirs better, then I HIGHLY recommend using google drive!
It is working AMAZINGLY well!
If you haven't tried it, now would be a great time!
Tuesday, September 2, 2014
8 obvious and often ignored tips for music teachers who get sick.
So it's the second week of school and I'm already out with a nasty sinus infection. If this post were about how to keep from getting sick I would remind everyone to
1. Wash your hands
2. Get a flu shot annually
3. Eat healthy and get plenty of sleep
4. find a good ENT and
5. Get allergy shots if needed
That's great but now I am sick..... Now what? Here are the things I want to remember so that I can get better faster...... first, please remember that I am not a doctor, nor is this blog intended as medical advise. I am just trying to put my mind at rest by reminding myself of a few things while I work on getting back to school this week.
1. If you are ill, truly and contagiously ill, STAY home. No one wants your germs and if you don't rest it will take longer for you to recover. This is super hard on control freaks like me who have been known to go in to school dragging and drooling and sharing my sickness with staff and students alike. You never know who among your co-workers or students may have or like me may be living with someone with a compromised immune system. Caution is always the best option. Your determination to go to work might be no big deal to you but you could accidentally put another person in serious danger. If you suspect that you might be around folks who have a compromised immune system wear a mask and gloves. I have lived in masks and gloves for 3 days already.
2. When in doubt Go to the doctor! I am preaching to myself right now..... I HATE going to the doctor, especially when I am sick!!!!! it takes too long and is too much work and by the
time you get there and go to the pharmacy half of your day of rest is wasted. I had a friend who
recommend a Medspring clinic. They have them in DFW, Houston and Chicago. There may be
something similar in your area. It is not an emergency room, but they are open until 9:00 pm, you are always seen by an MD and they call in your prescriptions before you leave the office. Being a teacher means that I am never off during office hours, so I think this clinic just changed my life.
3. Drink water - not caffeinated fizzies, but water, water, water,. Not even lemon flavored cough drops or diet coke will do.... So sad.... But here is a tip. when you get tired of water, try heating it up.... Its warm.
4. Invest in a nettypot. It's gross but far far far more effective than any medicine when you have a stuffy nose.....Be sure to use only distilled water.
5. Be aware of what you are taking. Some cold medicines are combinations of several drugs. There may be elements that you don't need OR you may accidentally take more than you intend if you aren't being attentive. Take your medicine as directed so as to avoid unwanted side effects. Take all of your antibiotics even after you feel better and don't forget that even homeopathic options can still cause issues if used indiscriminately. For example, did you know that echinacea
which is often used to as a cold remedy is part of the ragweed family? If you are allergic to ragweed then a hot steaming cup of echinacea tea might send your simple case of the sniffles into a full blown allergy driven sinus infection....
6. Limit or reduce sugar intake. All of those medicines and remedies can create a perfect storm for elevated blood sugar. This is especially true if you are prescribed a steroid as part of your treatment plan as elevated blood sugar is often a side effect. Cough medicines and cough drops are especially high in sugar so watch out. It is harder to fight an infection with high blood sugar, so while you are sick, it's not a good time to give into temptation.
7. Quit talking - Especially if you have any sort of sinus infection, throat infection or bronchial infection. your vocal chords will thank you for the rest AND anything you can do to avoid
unnecessary coughing will speed your ability to vocalize well once you feel better. You wouldn't
expect an athlete to run with an injury for fear of causing further damage. The same is true for singing music teachers who hope to have a lifetime career and who also hope to avoid developing the dreaded "old music teacher voice".
8. Save an "easy-ish" lesson for yourself. In addition to having good sub plans, try to save at least one or two easy plans for yourself so that if you MUST go to work when you are. not up to full teaching power, you can still give your students something good and curricular lay valuable. On days like that I am liable to rearrange my roadmap and do lessons where I have lots of listening activities like genre or composer studies. Centers or other independent practice lessons also work well as long as your students are fairly independent on the skill you are practicing.
1. Wash your hands
2. Get a flu shot annually
3. Eat healthy and get plenty of sleep
4. find a good ENT and
5. Get allergy shots if needed
That's great but now I am sick..... Now what? Here are the things I want to remember so that I can get better faster...... first, please remember that I am not a doctor, nor is this blog intended as medical advise. I am just trying to put my mind at rest by reminding myself of a few things while I work on getting back to school this week.
1. If you are ill, truly and contagiously ill, STAY home. No one wants your germs and if you don't rest it will take longer for you to recover. This is super hard on control freaks like me who have been known to go in to school dragging and drooling and sharing my sickness with staff and students alike. You never know who among your co-workers or students may have or like me may be living with someone with a compromised immune system. Caution is always the best option. Your determination to go to work might be no big deal to you but you could accidentally put another person in serious danger. If you suspect that you might be around folks who have a compromised immune system wear a mask and gloves. I have lived in masks and gloves for 3 days already.
2. When in doubt Go to the doctor! I am preaching to myself right now..... I HATE going to the doctor, especially when I am sick!!!!! it takes too long and is too much work and by the
time you get there and go to the pharmacy half of your day of rest is wasted. I had a friend who
recommend a Medspring clinic. They have them in DFW, Houston and Chicago. There may be
something similar in your area. It is not an emergency room, but they are open until 9:00 pm, you are always seen by an MD and they call in your prescriptions before you leave the office. Being a teacher means that I am never off during office hours, so I think this clinic just changed my life.
3. Drink water - not caffeinated fizzies, but water, water, water,. Not even lemon flavored cough drops or diet coke will do.... So sad.... But here is a tip. when you get tired of water, try heating it up.... Its warm.
4. Invest in a nettypot. It's gross but far far far more effective than any medicine when you have a stuffy nose.....Be sure to use only distilled water.
5. Be aware of what you are taking. Some cold medicines are combinations of several drugs. There may be elements that you don't need OR you may accidentally take more than you intend if you aren't being attentive. Take your medicine as directed so as to avoid unwanted side effects. Take all of your antibiotics even after you feel better and don't forget that even homeopathic options can still cause issues if used indiscriminately. For example, did you know that echinacea
which is often used to as a cold remedy is part of the ragweed family? If you are allergic to ragweed then a hot steaming cup of echinacea tea might send your simple case of the sniffles into a full blown allergy driven sinus infection....
6. Limit or reduce sugar intake. All of those medicines and remedies can create a perfect storm for elevated blood sugar. This is especially true if you are prescribed a steroid as part of your treatment plan as elevated blood sugar is often a side effect. Cough medicines and cough drops are especially high in sugar so watch out. It is harder to fight an infection with high blood sugar, so while you are sick, it's not a good time to give into temptation.
7. Quit talking - Especially if you have any sort of sinus infection, throat infection or bronchial infection. your vocal chords will thank you for the rest AND anything you can do to avoid
unnecessary coughing will speed your ability to vocalize well once you feel better. You wouldn't
expect an athlete to run with an injury for fear of causing further damage. The same is true for singing music teachers who hope to have a lifetime career and who also hope to avoid developing the dreaded "old music teacher voice".
8. Save an "easy-ish" lesson for yourself. In addition to having good sub plans, try to save at least one or two easy plans for yourself so that if you MUST go to work when you are. not up to full teaching power, you can still give your students something good and curricular lay valuable. On days like that I am liable to rearrange my roadmap and do lessons where I have lots of listening activities like genre or composer studies. Centers or other independent practice lessons also work well as long as your students are fairly independent on the skill you are practicing.
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