Weekly Lesson Organizer
In my Get Organized! and Storing Music posts, I alluded to a system I use to help stay organized when teaching lessons to 30+ students each week. It’s nothing fancy, but it helps me keep track of what materials need to go to what student and keeps my most frequently used teaching tools readily available. Here’s a snapshot of my weekly lesson organizer:
I have a hanging file for each day of the week that I teach. If I get a new book for a student, I just drop it in the file for the appropriate day. If a student accidentally forgets a book in the studio, I drop it in their lesson day file. Same goes for worksheets I want to remember to give to a specific student.
Here’s a closer look at some of the other items I keep in the organizer:
This handy notepad is where I keep track of all the music I need to look for or purchase the next time I make a trip to the music store.
I love these music flashcards! The ones I use the most are the notes on the staff. I like that each card has the full staff, regardless of whether the note is in the treble or bass clef. And I really like the second and third sections on each card that contain short patterns incorporating the specific note so that students can practice identifying and playing the note in a context similar to what they would find in a piece of music.
A collection of dice and pawns that can be used for various games at the keyboard. Very handy!
An assortment of magnets that I use with a magnetic white board. I use these for melodic dictation or I draw a quick staff on the board and use the magnets for note or interval identification.
The white board and markers get used every day in my studio! I can’t imagine functioning without them. Whether it’s something simple like writing out the Major scale pattern or practicing drawing treble clefs to fine-tuning notation skills or writing answers for listening activities, this board is well-used (obviously, since it’s falling apart!). Using a white board and markers provides an easy way to incorporate activities that address all three major learning styles - aural, visual and kinesthetic.
I’d love to know if you have tips for staying organized in your studio! I’m constantly looking for ways to run things more efficiently and love to know what’s working well for other teachers!
April 2nd, 2008 at 9:24 am
i keep a file on every student. There new books go in their personal folder. At the beginning of every lesson day, I check their files to see if there are any changes.
My students also get a “daily do” list which I keep on the computer. It has a listing of all the scales they are to learn for the year and a list of every book they are using. I update it regularly and it’s a great way for the parents and students to have no questions about what books to bring and what is expected.
April 5th, 2008 at 10:48 pm
Hi Natalie,
You are really organized. I usually just pile things on top of the piano and ended up forgetting to give them out! Uug!
I use a white board also except that I have staff lines drawn on them using permanent marker. I have them practice note reading by putting magnets on them.
I am wondering how you are using it for writing out answers for listening activities as you mentioned. Do you draw staff lines each time and then erase them?
It’d be nice if the board has two sides, one with staff and one without. But I ended up buying two!
Lydia
April 6th, 2008 at 10:37 am
I wish I had something to share, but all I can say is thank you for this site and all your great ideas!I plan to get my white board out tomorrow and test some students on note reading.
April 6th, 2008 at 10:16 pm
Atara~
You sound very organized! I keep a separate file for each student where I store their evaluation forms and year-end-evaluations from year to year, but that’s a good idea to use a system like that for weekly lesson books, etc. I’m curious to know more about your “Daily Do” list…do you have it posted on a website somewhere?
April 6th, 2008 at 10:19 pm
Hi Lydia!
By listening answers I mean that I might play an interval of a 2nd or 3rd and they write down which one they hear. Or, on an even more basic level, I play a sequence of notes going up or down and they draw an arrow to reflect which way they think they went. For some reason it’s just more fun to write the answer on a white board than it is to say it out loud, you know… 
I end up with my fair share of piles, too! It’s hard to stay on top of everything. Using a permanent marker is a good idea for drawing staff lines. I’ve thought about it before, but just haven’t brought myself to do something so, well, permanent.
April 6th, 2008 at 10:23 pm
Thanks for your kind words, Kathy! Just checked out your blog and it looks like you have a busy household! Do you mind if I add a link to you on my Music Blogs list?
April 8th, 2008 at 12:17 am
Thanks, Natalie, that would be fine with me. May I link to your blog?
And by the way, I did use my white board today. I was encouraged by how music that one little different activity perked up the lessons!
April 8th, 2008 at 7:43 am
It was late.:-) I meant by how ~much~ that activity perked up the lessons!