Organized Game Center & a SALE!

I don't know about you, but by the time the school year ends (since it coincides with many of our studios), my studio needs a BIG dose of organization!  I always start the fall with a completely organized, clean area, but as the year goes along, my attempts at staying organized can start to falter and then it pretty much goes downhill from there!

This past year I tried a whole new approach to my game organization and put together what I hoped would be an organized center.  I couldn't be more excited about how well it worked and since it's the only area in my studio that STAYED organized all year, I'm planning to try to pull inspiration from that center to other areas over the summer.

So here's a look at what I did...

I purchased a Kallax shelf unit from Ikea, turned it on it's side and added bins.  I labeled each bin with a musical concept which allowed me to sort games appropriately.

On the top of the unit, I store purchased games that I've altered to be music games and all of our dice, game chips,  and Japanese erasers that we use as game pieces.

I've posted before about how I store each game and let me just say - this system is FABULOUS!  Here's a post with a full description of that system.

Within each bin, all of the games are stored in pouches making it easy to "grab and go" when I need to fit in a bit of fun learning.


I put together a short video showing each bin and giving a bit more detail.  I hope it inspires you to make some organizational changes in your own studio!

Now for some EXTRA fun...

All of our games are ON SALE now until the end of this month!  Most of them 25% off! Here's your chance to stock up for the fall or even for use this summer - whether you use them with summer lessons, camps or other summer related activities you're planning!

Just click on the BIRDS OF A FEATHER tab above and shop away!!  We do have a few new games that I have yet to post about.  Watch for those over the next couple of weeks!

Game Storage

Over the years, I have tried numerous ideas trying to find the best way to store all the games I use in the studio.  I have tried using file folders, plastic folders, drawers, etc.  You name it!  Recently I found myself in a position needing to store 24 new games (more info on this later!) at one time.  I had purchased several plastic bags with the sliding closure on top, but found that the slider kept breaking making the bag unusable.  So, I needed a new system!

2 Things were important to me.  1.  Ease of Use so that I could grab a game quickly without looking for all the components and 2. Quality Storage so that I didn't have to worry about constantly ripped or broken parts.

ENTER...Vinyl and mesh storage bags sold by the Container Store.  I LOVE these things!!  In fact several parents have commented on how nice they are!  They come in 3 sizes and currently two colors - black and aqua.  I mainly use the middle size (10.75" x 14").   They are PERFECT to hold all of the game parts when I have game boards that are 8.5" x 11".

When I say, quality, I really mean QUALITY.  They are extremely well made from the tab at the top to the zippers and zipper pulls.  The mesh/vinyl bag itself is thick so it can withstand all of the game pieces and dice placed in them.

In each bag, I place the game board, directions sheet, cards, spinners, game pieces, dice, etc.

Everything I need for a game is included so that when I want to play the game, I simply grab a bag!

I was finding previously that I had to search through several bins, folders, etc. to get all of the components - a big waste of time, especially if you decided during a lesson that a student needed a quick drill of something.  We need all the previous minutes possible when doing lessons, right?

I store them with the tab facing up and have placed a label on each one with the name of the game and the concept it reviews.

Right now I have them in a fabric bin that fits in a shelf unit I purchased from IKEA.

I have some games that don't fit in the medium size so I have a few in the larger size bag and then smaller games that fit nicely in the smallest bag.

I couldn't be happier with this system.

The Final Touches

Lessons in the studio start up again next week.  I had a "kick-off" group lesson last Saturday morning.  I kept it very low key and just had fun with the kids.  We started out with a fun game to get to know each other since I have several new students starting.  It involved M&Ms and some Skittles so it was a winner!  Next I went through out new practice incentive - A Star is Born! and gave them their yearly binders.  They were super excited about it which is great when I think about all the work it took to put it all together! 

Then, because it was a hot and humid day, I popped some popcorn and put a movie on!  We watched "Peter and the Wolf" and talked about what instruments fit can fit different animals. 

 

There have been a few changes to the studio and a few additions that I thought you would enjoy seeing:

 

Chopin showed up!  Every studio needs a bust right?  I found this guy at a local goodwill store in Pennsylvania and get this...I only had to pay 89 cents for him!  Yep!  He was a real bargin.  A bit of paint and he'll be looking really handsome, don't you think?

I also purchased these very festive, colorful file containers.  Although I have business files for all my students, I wanted to have a folder or file for each of them that I could use to collect forgotten items, place information I wanted to give them, put worksheets aside for them, etc.   This year my students will know to look for their folder each week.  For example, all my Tuesday students look for their folder in the container labeled Tuesday.  By matching the file folder to the color of the container, it makes it easier for me and them to get their folder back in the right container.  I've already been filling them so it's making me VERY happy!

 

I've been looking for some attractive magazine holders to organize my music, theory books, etc.  Everything I looked at was very expensive and mostly just plain ugly...until I found these at IKEA!  They were $5.00 for 2!  A far cry from the $10.00 and up for each one I had been seeing!  I bought several of them.  They are made of cardboard, but really are great and do the job very nicely!

I use these plastic boxes to store my camp material as well as holiday games, etc. throughout the year.  The problem for me was that I have several and they stack nicely, but I always seemed to need the one on the bottom!  I was trying to find a way for my husband (I'm always volunteering him!) to build me a unit with shelves.

Well....voila!  I spotted this guy in a local Michaels - a bit pricey, but with a 50% coupon it fit the budget nicely.  Now all those wonderful drawers fit nicely and slide right out when I need something! SO much easier!

I also found these fun knobs at a Hobby Lobby in PA.  My husband thinks they look like eyes starring at you, but I thought they were fun so I changed out the knobs on my big music cabinet.

I also decorated the studio to match our "STAR" theme this year.  I added a bit of glitter glue to some stars and some tickets found at my local teacher store and added them to my pennants as well as on the walls.  I have a few more decorations to add and will hopefully get them up this week.

 

I'm looking forward to a fun year!  I have lots of things planned for our group lessons and recitals and will be sure to share!

 

 

 

 

A Storage Suggestion

I'm a crafter at heart.  It seems that if you can make something with your hands, I'm in!  Over the years, I have done crochet, knitted, embroidered, sewed, rubber stamped, quilted, quilled, watercolored, etc.  In fact, I have a room in my home devoted to my love of crafting and spending time in there is one of my favorite things.  One of the storage methods I use in this room are these wonderful stackable cubes:

I LOVE these.  They are so well designed and since the cubes are purchased separately, you can put the them together any way that works for you.  I've been thinking strongly about using these in my studio. 

The cubes with the shelves are the perfect size for storing music.  You can turn them horizontally or vertically and the edges can easily be labeled (using a labeler) by level or type.  The three drawer cubes would be perfect to store games and activites - again easily labeled by activity (rhythm, note id, etc.)  If you conduct summer camps, these would also work well for storing all of the items you need for each camp.  If you have a group lesson coming up, you could use one to hold everything you need as you put items together and avoid having "piles" of stuff sitting around (which is my problem!).  There are more cube options then you see in this picture and having used these in my craft room, I can envision loads of ways to use them in the studio. 

I buy them at Michaels and usually buy them at a 40-50%  discount by simply printing coupons off the internet and buying them one or two at a time.  They do come unassembled, but I have found them easy to put together and well worth the investment.  I also love how organized and orderly they look - which would add to the professional image I want my studio to have.

So if you're looking for a storage option, I would highly recommend these.  If I do decide to go with this option and start using them in my studio, I will take pictures so that you can see! 

A Want or A Need?

I've been wanting one of these:

It's not in the budget right now, but I still love to dream so I've taken a look at all of the music apps available (I want to be ready, just in case, right?).  There are SO many and I was excited to see loads of options.

We all know that "page turning" can be tough for pianists!  With a little help from a product called, Music Reader, that just may be a thing of the past.  Designed to work with tablet PCs like the ipad, it boasts that page turning is a thing of the past!  (Wouldn't you agree that now my desire for an ipad has turned from a want to a need?) It also claims to hold your entire music library.  Can you imagine the storage space we could save?

I'm curious to know if any of you have an ipad and if you use one in your studio or as an alternative to music books.  And if you have seen Music Reader, do you consider it a viable option?

Easy Organization!

One of the best investments I made for helping me to stay organized was purchasing baskets!  When Michaels had one of their 50% off sales on baskets I picked up a bunch of these:

I use these baskets for everything.  They measure 11" x 16" and 13" x 18".  When I ran my summer camps and did stations, each station had a basket filled with everything needed for the week for that area.  I just completed 2 workshops and each workshop had a basket which held everything I needed for that workshop.  I am halfway through a weekly Pre-piano camp and this basket (11" x 16") shows most of the things we used for the last class (some are hidden underneath!).  Once I have planned the event, I put everything I need in one of these baskets and then I can rest assured that I am completely prepared.  No scrambling at the last minute, no piles that can fall over, no worries!  And...they nestle within each other for easy storage when I'm not using them. 

Love these!  They make my life SO much easier!

Fall Happenings

Like most of you, I've been super busy getting ready for the fall start-up.  I've finished setting up my computer lab and just need to complete the structured plans for my students.  Once that's done, I'll be setting up a spreadsheet with the plan for each student so that they can have everything right there for easy access.  After that's all complete, we're ready to launch!

I've also worked on some organization.  With all the games, manipulatives and activities I've accumulated, it was getting hard to find what I wanted, so I picked up some drawer units from Target and labeled them "Note Identification", "Rhythm", "Terminology", "Technique-Scales", "Stickers" , etc. 

Here's a look at a couple of the drawers and what I store in them.

I've also picked up a few little "friends" to use with my beginning students as they navigate the keys.  I've used regular game pieces in the past, but these were calling out to come home with me.  My summer students have loved them, so I suspect my new and returning students will as well.

I'm also running two of my camps  - Mystery Music Camp and the Pre-Piano Camp - through my local town's Park & Rec program this fall.  Each camp will run once a week for 6 weeks.  I'm hoping that I'll acquire a few more students as I did over the summer. 

I've also put together my incentive program.  I'm using Jen's Musikopoly program so I spent time getting everything copied and put together.  The kids are REALLY excited about this program!  I'll be introducing  it this coming week in lessons.  I've also completed their notebooks with all of their lesson plans for the year hoping this will help us stay more focused this year.  I still have a few more things to get ready for my older students, but those should all be done within the next day or two.

I hope you're all ready to go and are excited about a new year!  I know I am!  I love what I do and enjoy the time I spend with each of my students!

Game Organization

I've been trying to get more organized in the studio and one of the areas that I knew I needed to start with was addressing all the games and activities I have. I was tired of trying to "remember" an activity or game that would reinforce a concept and tired of rummaging through everything to try and get ideas. SO...I finally decided to put together a spreadsheet that would allow me to easily see what I had. You can view it here.

This is a sample of the Elementary Level Games and Activities (Those in red are activities intended to be done outside). I used Microsoft Excel so I used the tabs at the bottom to separate by Level. Right now I am dividing by Pre-Reading, Elementary & Intermediate. I'm considering expanding that a little - especially the Elementary to Early Elementary and Late Elementary.

This process did a couple of things for me.

1. It allowed me to see what I had.
2. It helped me to quickly see what I had available in the area I wanted to reinforce.
3. It showed me what areas I was lacking and needed to add to!

It will be interesting to see what it looks like when I am done adding to it! I would love to hear any ideas you might have for keeping track of your games and activities and ways you store them.

My Studio

I live in a rural area of Connecticut and we own a small farm with several animals. When I'm not teaching, I can be found taking care of animals, working in the garden or mowing our very large yard. The kids love to visit the animals when they're here for their lessons - an added marketing tool!! I am really blessed to have a dedicated area in my home for my studio and thought I would share some pictures.
This is my piano - a gift from my amazing husband a few years ago.



This cupboard holds loads of music and worksheets, not to mention a bit of chocolate for some special games!

Some games and activities are stored in file folders.

More game storage...as you can see it's quite full!

This cupboard holds lots of music and organized storage. More music is kept in a file cabinet in another area of the house.

Rhythm instrument storage.

Because I also teach several music camps throughout the year, I have lots of equipment we use outside. It's starting to fill the studio and I want to add a computer lab, so all the balls, jump ropes, cones, etc. will eventually be moving to our basement (once I purchase a storage cabinet).

Well...that's it! My humble studio and where I spend many hours of my day!