Music Ed conferences can be the ultimate pick me up, motivator, and idea generator. But if you come away with a million ideas and no way to make them a cohesive part of your curriculum, you risk wasting all that information. Here’s my tips to help you implement new info and organize your conference materials.
Organize Handouts
Add them to labeled folders, and toss anything you won’t use, or don’t need. If you prefer digital copies scan them. Title the file so you can find it quickly. I like to categorize my folders by topic. If there is more than one really big take away, I make a copy and keep it in both folders so I can find it when I’m in a rush.
Add To Your “Song List”
If you learned new songs and activities, add them to your “song list”. This started as part of my Kodaly levels. Keeping a database of songs so I can quickly find one for a concept. But then I thought it could be helpful to add everything else to it. Why sift through multiple places to find an activity when I can be in one spot? Videos, play alongs, dances, even my materials list. It’s all in one file so that I can find what I need when I need it.
When I find something I want to add to my curriculum, I add it to the sheet. It helps organize all the materials so I can find resources I already have, songs I know, and pick things quickly. This is just an example of mine and you can see how I organize it. For song concepts, I have a column for each concept and just write song titles. It is all in one sheet. I use the tabs to help keep it organized. See the bottom of the image. For other categories, I write some important info such as title, use/concept, location, activity type, or grade level.
Keep a “To Add” list
If you haven’t added something yet but know you want to, add it to a list you keep on your desk/planner/corkboard so you know what you want to add in soon. For something new dance that won’t work until spring, jot it down so you don’t forget when you are planning. If it’s a new method to help manage classroom behaviors, make a note that will help you change that way of doing things. I’ve had too many times where I say I’ll add it later and completely forget until I find those conference notes 3 years later.
Prioritize
I don’t know about you, but I come out of conferences with SO. MUCH. INFO. that it’s impossible to add it all at once. So I make a list to prioritize. If it’s a song or dance, that’s an easy add to my song list and make a note of where it goes. But if it’s a big thing, a new way of doing something, or a whole change, I write it down and prioritize where my energy will go. When one has become a natural part of what I do, then I move on to the next one.
