New goodies for my classroom!

As I mentioned in my catch-up post, last school year I was able to move into a classroom formerly known as "The Annex," a little cabin-like building with a long and rich history at our school. This meant combining two classrooms into one, which was a ton of work but well worth it! I was able to mix instrument collections, consolidate books and other materials, and really make the space my own. Also, the space came with a BATHROOM (anyone who's had to teach without easy/quick bathroom access knows why I'm so excited about that!), a CLOSET, and a smaller attached office space! I also was finally able to order the rug I'd been drooling over for several years, and I love it just as much as I'd hoped (and so do my students).

Over the summer, I ordered a few more goodies to complete my collections. I can't wait to use them with the kids! For the Lower School, I ordered this lovely set of rainbow-colored Toca djembes, so I now have enough small djembes for a whole LS class (instead of having to always throw in bongos and other hand drums).

Ukuleles have long been popular in the Middle School, and when I started the job, I inherited some ukes and filled out the collection with the same (inexpensive) brand to have enough for Lower School classes. However, I was never happy with the sound and especially the poor intonation--every fretboard is just a little different. Then, I discovered the Makala dolphin, and later, shark ukes. For not too much more money, they offer a richer sound, come with better strings, and have much better intonation. I'd been gradually replacing the old ukes, and I finally have enough for an entire class in either unit. Aren't they pretty?