Spring Cleaning for Your Choir Room🌷🎵
Springtime is in the air and it’s the perfect time to declutter both your physical and mental space.
If you are like me, clutter builds up on your desk and shelves seemingly overnight. I never notice it until it’s too late. Every day I think, “I will sort that pile of papers tomorrow…or next week.” But you don’t have to do it alone. Take a few minutes now to organize a plan and involve your choir students in the process so they can take ownership of the choir room and the program as a whole.
Teacher Goals
Your time is precious. Pro tip: Set a timer for 20 minutes (or however much time you can spare) and give yourself a goal. Start small with your goal setting. Maybe your goal is to clean off your desk, file away music from your last concert or delete old emails. Whatever it is, having the end goal in mind will help you accomplish it. Here are a few ideas to get you started!
Clean off your desk.
File music from previous concerts.
Ready music for the final concert(s) of the year.
Delete old emails.
Finish grading the papers you have been putting off for days. (Or simply allow yourself to throw them away. Really, it is okay to do that once in a while.)
Look through your computer files. What can be deleted? What could be organized in a digital folder?
Make an “End of the Year To Do list.
Sort and organize music needed for the remainder of the year.
Make sure your bus request paperwork has been submitted for all end of the year trips.
Make a plan to spend the remainder of your budget money for the school year.
Create a wishlist for new music and start planning music for next school year.
Let the students help!
We all know that being a choir teacher is so much more than just teaching songs. Organizing uniforms, planning trips, and hosting an array of evening events is just the tip of the iceberg. It can be overwhelming. However, students love to help with tasks in the classroom. Choose a rehearsal and call it “Choir Clean Up Day!” Take a few minutes to create a list of classroom organization tasks that your students could help with. Assign a student leader for each of the tasks and put them in charge. (Below are some of my ideas.)
Switch out an old bulletin board. You could even let the kids create their own.
Organize and file old choir music.
Assess your music library. Could students double check that music is properly alphabetized? Maybe they could number scores or make a list of how many copies you own of certain songs.
Check on older pieces of music. Are they still appropriate for the time? Are any scores damaged or moldy?
Repair any scores that are ripped/torn? Each year, I usually have one or two pieces that need a little scotch tape repair near the crease.
Clean out folder cabinets. Those slots collect dust quickly!
Clean the whiteboard.
Wipe down cabinets around the room. (You could have each student a wet wipe and give a prize for the most “dirty” wipe!)
Sharpen pencils.
Sort old markers/colored pencils.
Organize or sort Choir Uniforms by numbers, sizes, etc.
Survey students and ask what they would like to accomplish in the last few weeks of school.
Spring cleaning for your choir room extends beyond physical tidiness; it's about creating an environment that nurtures musical passion. Involve students in the process so they can take ownership of the ensemble. By organizing your space and planning ahead, you pave the way for a more organized end of the school year…and you will feel better about your space, too!
Happy spring cleaning! 🌷🎶
