Worked for Me Wednesday

I'm excited to link up with the awesome Aileen Miracle at Mrs. Miracle's Music Room for her "Worked for Me Wednesday" linky party.  For our posts, music teachers will talk about something we've done before that we've found that has worked for us!  After you read my idea below, simply click on this picture below to go check out some more posts with great ideas!

My post today is about my magical wind chimes.  Yep, they're truly "magical" in my little music world.  Well, at least for behavior management!!! 

Years ago, I was teaching a very chatty first grade class and trying so hard to come up with something...anything to grab their attention and keep it.  I am still not sure how I came up with this and how it worked and has continued to work for years, but I would bet money on the fact that it works because kids WANT to use their imaginations naturally.  So....this is what happened one very magical music class:  

"Boys and Girls, the strangest thing happened the other day!  I was teaching a class and by mistake I came over here and played the beautiful sound of these wind chimes and the next thing you know...my whole class just...fell asleep!!!  The WHOLE class.  AND then, the STRANGEST thing happened, when I played the wind chimes again, the class woke up, BUT, they had NO idea that they fell asleep.  They just sat up, looked at me, and smiled, like nothing had happened at all.  It was so magical.  I mean, I wonder if it only works on that class....or maybe just on amazing listeners out there....I mean...I wonder...would it...maybe work...on well....no...I don't think so.....well, maybe I should just try.....(cue the wind chimes...and down they go with a giggle!!!  Silently "asleep")  WHAT in the world just happened!?!  These MUST be MAGICAL wind chimes!  Wow!  I wonder if I play them again...(they all wake up and look around).  "Kids!  You fell asleep!"  "huh?  no we didn't...etc." - I mean, no way would it ever work more than once" (wind chimes - down they go...giggles, etc.)  And so on.  

They.  LOVE. this.

From the day I introduce this, I now have one of the BEST classroom management tools ever.  Simply play the wind chimes....kids automatically "fall asleep" and I can teach while they're silently attentive!  I use this for all of my "listening lessons."  They love it and ask me if we are going to play the "wind chime" game constantly.  I use it with my "Carnival of the Animals" unit when I want them to focus their listening.  I can tell you that I've had less than a hand full of "non-believers," but with a little persuasion, eventually, they cave in.  I usually just say, "Well, these really only work on the best listeners..." and MOST of the time they lie down...only once in 15 years, have I actually said to a child, just play along and have fun with us.  Again, deep down, it's all about "play" and using their imaginations - for most, it's just natural.  I love their "acting" skills, too.  "What?  Who me?  I wasn't sleeping."  hahaha! 

I have to also share that one year, we had a part-time music position added to our school.  This teacher had some 1st grade classes with students I had the previous year.  She was teaching a lesson and singing a song where there were wind chime parts and played them - to suddenly find....lol......her whole class laying down on the floor pretending to be asleep!!!  hahahahahaaaa! Oh my goodness did I crack up laughing when she told me this - I remember her describing it as turning around and seeing her class of "narcoleptic children and being totally confused."  They told her later about the magic wind chimes - but what a gift to know that my silly idea had STUCK with them.  Ha!!!!

So, that's my idea that TRULY "Worked" for me.  I hope you enjoyed it!  Please feel free to comment below if you enjoyed this post or even share something that completely has "worked" for you in your music classroom.  Thanks for stopping by!

Introducing...Singing Snoopy

And now...the big reveal! Singing Snoopy, the music room mascot has a new house!

Once upon a time, in the land of music, there was an adorable dog and his name, was "Singing Snoopy."  The truth is that his true name, was originally "Singing Sammy," but the very first time I introduced him to a class, Singing Snoopy came out of my mouth instead and well, it stuck. 
AND...it WORKS! 
See, "Snoopy," the music room mascot, is not like other dogs.  He is always "snooping" for "Snooper Star" singers in the music room.  You know - the kind of kids that are sitting up tall, singing with their best singing voices, and hard workers.  Snoopy can only talk to me - and I understand Snoopy language.  He tells me songs he wants to hear the class sing, he notices kids who are trying really hard that day, and well, of course, he does his very own special "Snoopy celebration dance" when the music makes him happy. 
The children love when his ears go up while he's listening to their singing! 

Singing Snoopy has been a very, very special part of my classroom and teaching for almost 14 years now and well, it was time for him to have special recognition for helping my classes run smoothly. 
About two years ago, a little girl came into my classroom one day with the biggest smile on her face and presented me with a "dog house" for Snoopy.  She was so excited to give him his handmade "dog house" and giggled as she showed me.  So clever and sweet.  But then, well, it became a "thing" among students to "make Snoopy a home."  Oh my goodness!  By the end of last year, I had more "Snoopy houses" than I knew what to do with (Imagine a "Snoopy Mansion" with windows and doors made out of a giant cardboard box).  I had to somehow help the kids understand that I enjoyed their creativity and Snoopy was very grateful, but he didn't need any more new houses! 
Soooo...I came up with the idea of having my father-in-law build a dog house this past summer (designed by my very talented hubby) and once the kids saw it the first day of school I had a story ready about Snoopy's plan to buy a new home.

Well, Snoopy's "family" has since grown, and it was time for Snoopy to put his dog house on realtor.com and sell it so he could hire a builder (my father in-law) and a decorator (yours truly) to build him his new home.  Snoopy has a wife and many mini-snoopy-versions which have come to me as gifts from my singers!  I think it's so sweet and funny at the same time.  I love that they adore him - they write him letters and draw him pictures.  And make him dog bones AND furniture for his house!  ha!  And yes, he has a mailbox, too!  (I'll admit it - yes, I'm jealous - he gets more mail than I do.)  The best is when they write him songs and rhythm patterns, of course!  Adorable. 

The "Snooperson Family"

Snoopy, Snoopy, jr. and Snoopy jr.-jr.  (LOL!!!)

I'll take some more pics of the rest of the family and post them soon. 

My next project involving Singing Snoopy is going to be creating "Snoopy-Grams." I want to send home little notes to students when Snoopy finds a "Snooper-star Singer." I am just not exactly sure how to manage that piece yet...should I do one every music class and keep a checklist?

Any suggestions are welcome! 

What is something unique you do in your classroom that has turned into an awesome classroom management tool?  I never expected "Singing Snoopy" to become such an invaluable part of my teaching!  Even my 4th graders still like him.