Do You Have Tips for Music Teachers On a Cart?

I just found out I will be teaching on a cart this year! Our school is getting bigger and there is no space for me nor the art teacher right now. We will be opening up a new building to our growing campus but that’s in two years. Would you have any tips or know of any resources I can go to? Thank you again.

I need help planning for at least half a year on a cart. I know I will start that way and push-in to classrooms. Thank you so much for all the help!!

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1. You can do this!

Part 1 - Logistics

1. Have somewhere to land

   1. If it’s your car, have a bin of water bot tles and granola bars / your healthy snack of choice. Keep the front seat clean.

2. “Kon Marie” your cart

   1. Take out everything in your classroom, then mentally choose your very favorite things you love using every day

   2. What’s in My Bag - beach bag tote with a ball, rhythm sticks, finger cymbals, glockenspiel

3. Map your route and preview the classrooms

4. How can we collaborate with teachers?

   1. Would you like to be in the room or somewhere else?

   2. Do you have specific routines or practices that I can honor while I’m a guest in your space? (I am a real teacher - not a substitute - students test boundaries)

   3. Are there any academic projects coming up that we can collaborate on?

5. How can we create a new environment from general ed to the music room?

   1. Line up outside

   2. Opening song

   3. How can we support students?

Part 2 - Planning

1. As you plan, decide on the purpose of the activity.

   1. We are exhausted

   2. Resilient pedagogy

      1. Bee Bee Bumblebee - Arrange with a beat and beat subdivision (ta and ta-di)

         1. Play the game (adapted)

         2. Rhythmic building blocks

      2. Frog in the Meadow: Purpose - Move to a mrd melody

         1. Play the game

         2. Show the melody on your own

         3. Show the melody with a partner

      3. Yurikago no Uta - Perform body percussion to accompany the form of a song

         1. Listen to a recording of the song. If it’s new, discuss its origin from Japan, look at Japan on the map, allow students to offer information they may have about Japan, look at images of Japan.

         2. Analyze the form - if each phrase is four beats, what would we call the form in this class? (ABCD)

         3. This is a lullaby. What lullabies do you know? Let’s think about how this song would be performed in its context. When we add our ideas to it, how can we stay within that same context? (probably perform quietly, probably show fluid movements instead of agile movements, etc.)

         4. In partners, create four different stets of accompanying body percussion rhythms match the form of the song with the rhythm: ta-di ta-mi ta-dimi ta-dimi

Moving Forward and Looking Up

1. Some people prefer teaching on a cart

2. Collaboration opportunities

3. You can do this!

Resources:

1. Ask colleagues in your district! Many educators were first time carters this past year

2. musiconacart.com

3. Music a la Cart

4. The ABCs of Navigating Music on a Cart - Danielle Ingram