Elementary Music/Music Technology Blog

Many teachers have already had their first day of school or are currently in a year-round school. However, if you are approaching this weekend as your last weekend of summer or like me, your crazy prep weekend before the first day of school, I thought that I would prepare this list to remind myself the positive aspects of the first day of school.

Here are my top 10 reasons why I adore the first day of school (from an elementary music teacher’s view point):

1. The students walk into your classroom with big smiles on their faces and ready to sing.
2. The students must tell you every aspect of their summer vacations.
3. The teachers are in good moods and not burnt out, as when you last saw them in June.
4. The elementary students want to come back to school. Their excitement rejuvenates your excitement to teach.
5. The students want to perform on every instrument in your room and ask you several times “When will we create some music?” In which I respond, “Immediately!”
6. I get to try out new lesson plans. Sometimes they need tweaking and sometimes they succeed beyond my wildest dreams.
7. Many schools begin their year with patriotic assemblies. That coupled with the anniversary of Francis Scott Key writing the Star-Spangled Banner on September 14, 1814, gives me a great integration tool for beginning the year singing patriotic songs and correlating music with American history.
8. The new keyboard and drum machine applications for my iPod Touch turns it into an instrument for students to create music.
9. New school year=clean new slate. The sky’s the limit.
10. When the littlest students see you, they look at your face,  remember who you are,  get excited and exclaim, “Mrs. Burns!” Then, they give you a big hug. Does it get any better than that?

I sincerely hope that you have a wonderful school year!

Please check back on Monday, September 1st, when I will be hosting the 3rd edition of the Music Education Blog Carnival!