It’s hard to believe that some US school districts go back to school as early as July! Regardless of whether you’re still enjoying your iced coffee on the beach, or gearing up for another school year, this post contains helpful back-to-school essentials for your general music classroom.

Here, you’ll find my fifteen favorite finds for back-to-school supplies, decor for your music classroom, books, and technology that will set you up for success in the upcoming school year!

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Back-To-School Supplies for the Music Room ♩

Music Teacher Office Supplies & Organization:

1. 1-30 Number Spot Markers and Labels

You may have already heard me talk about these in my Amazon favorites post. They’re one of my classroom management secrets for general music class, and they’re perfect for back-to-school!

These spot markers make assigned seating really simple in the music room. When I designate seating in the classroom, I assign each child to a number and switch spots throughout the year as needed. I’ve used these on concrete, hardwood floors, and tile, and they don’t leave any residue behind! They’re not designed for use on carpet, but these might help if that’s your current situation!

I really love using spot markers in the music room because it’s really easy to assign each student to a number and assign students to new numbers as needed. If you are looking for a more effective seating solution for this school year, I highly recommend these!

2. Personalized Wooden Pencils for Back-To-School

Pencils drive me a little crazy as a general music teacher. If you ask students to bring a pencil to class, typically some kids will, some kids forget, and some kids will bring pens or colored pencils, instead. If you provide pencils for your students, those pencils will start to disappear gradually, over time. It’s always a mess.

After about two years of constantly buying boxes of pencils for my students, I got tired of those same pencils disappearing from my room. Purchasing these personalized pencils was an investment, but it helped me solve a recurring problem. All I had to do was choose a color and customize the text to say “Return to the Music Room,” and that solved the issue pretty quickly. It was the only box of pencils I had to buy, and I even had classroom teachers send their students back to my classroom to return my pencils! These are the exact pencils I purchased, and hopefully, they will help you too if you’ve experienced a similar issue!

3. Self-Inking Grading Stamp Set for Bulk Easy Grading

While I’m on the topic of solving problems, I’ll also share how these self-inking grading stamps solved another one of my biggest problems as a music teacher: grading papers.

These grading stamps make the job of grading so much easier. I don’t know about you, but, as a music teacher, having hundreds of papers to grade can be overwhelming. I really enjoy having these stamps because they make grading feedback simple, and they definitely have saved me from writing the same feedback over and over again while I’m grading student work.

4. 13-Pocket Expanding File Folder for General Music Papers Organization

Speaking of grading papers, let’s not forget about keeping them organized! In my experience, papers can pile up quickly at back-to-school time, especially if you are teaching in multiple school buildings or pushing into classrooms on a cart.

I like using expanding file folders to organize my handouts and grading papers. This expandable file includes 13 sections with tabs that can organize schools, classes, grade levels, or whatever else you need!

General Music Finds for Students:

5. 10-Pack Bulk Music Staff White Boards for Music Notation Practice

There are so many possibilities for centers and activities with these little music staff whiteboards! While having a class set is wonderful and useful, you can still do many activities by having students work with a whiteboard in pairs or small groups. These whiteboards are double-sided, with one side containing music staff, and one side blank. Don’t forget dry-erase markers and erasers for your students!

6. 20-Pack Ribbon Dancing Wands for Music Class Movement Activities

I actually like these rainbow ribbon wands a bit more than my old ones! For one thing, they’re each the same color and pattern, which eliminates students begging for their favorite colors. The ribbon itself is also thicker and more durable, making it less likely to become tangled or unraveled during movement activities. Check them out!

 

7. 20-Pack of Conducting Batons for General Music Class

I love the idea of incorporating these conducting batons into general music class! You can have students practice responding to a conductor or have them learn conducting gestures themselves!

8. 20 Wooden Mallets for General Music Class

Wooden mallets are so flimsy that it’s no surprise I’m always buying extras at back-to-school time. If you deal with the same frustrations of broken wooden mallets throughout the school year, you can get 20 replacement mallets for a pretty great deal!

Music Classroom Decor ♫

9. Music Classroom Rug with 24 Sit Spots

At the beginning of every school year, I always ask for a rug for the music room. There is something wholesome about having younger students sitting on or around the carpet and singing together. Although I’ve never been able to secure approval for purchasing a carpet for my classroom, I am always on the lookout for great-looking music rugs for back-to-school season.

This bright and colorful music rug is on my wishlist because of the generous number of seat spots (24 student spots!) and the non slip rubber backing, which makes it easy to keep the carpet in place during movement activities. If you’re approved for a carpet purchase this year, check this one out!

10. Back-to-School Music Bulletin Board Trim Set with 6 Designs

If you love making bulletin boards, you’ll love these six colorful music trims! Usually, there’s not a lot of variety for music-themed decor, so I love that there are so many options in this set! Also, the trim paper is really sturdy!

Books for General Music Class 📖

11. Down by the Bay by Raffi

This is one of my most beloved childhood songs from Raffi, and I love this book for K-1 grade levels! It’s wonderful for back-to-school because the song is so much fun that it helps motivate kids to participate and sing together. It would make a wonderful addition to any music classroom library.

12. Charlie Parker Played Be Bop by Chris Raschka

I love this book because it makes a great introduction to a music genre that doesn’t get talked about enough—bebop. This book is ideal for grades K-2, and it is written in a poetic way, where the words mimic the feeling of Bebop music.

The words are mostly nonsense, but you can help students make those important real-world connections to American music and jazz. It also highlights the significant contributions of Black musicians. 

When you read this story to students, it helps if you read the words with a rhythmic, almost song-like feel. After reading, you might invite students to listen to excerpts of Bebop music, or even do a follow-up cross-curricular activity where students write their own poem, inspired by the sounds of Bebop music. There are many unique lessons you can come up with for this book. I definitely recommend giving it a try this year!

13. Take Control of the Noisy Class: Chaos to Calm in 15 Seconds by Rob Plevin

Fun fact: My classroom management is not always perfect, and while I have a good routine in place, I am always looking for strategies to improve my practice, especially when it comes to challenging students.

I am still in the process of reading this book by Rob Plevin, but I’ve really enjoyed the classroom management strategies written here, and I think it’s a great read for back-to-school. Plevin’s approach is laser-focused on building relationships with students, which also aligns with my own teaching philosophy. He also has an interesting opinion about rewarding students for positive behavior! If you’re looking for practical strategies for classroom management, this book is definitely worth a look!

 

 

 

Tech for the General Music Room  🔊

14. Soundcore Anker 3 Portable Bluetooth Speaker

This is my favorite Bluetooth speaker! I bought this speaker two years ago and it’s still just as wonderful as ever! It pairs beautifully with any device and has really nice sound quality. The volume can be turned up quite loud, and it’s lightweight enough to tuck into your teaching bag for on-the-go music teaching. The battery also lasts a very long time on a single charge! I am able to go several weeks with this little speaker doing its thing before it needs a charge!

 

15. Wireless Presentation Clicker Ring – for Slideshow Lessons!

I am happy to use Google Slides in general music class, and I have many music lessons that incorporate them. This little clicker ring is compatible with PowerPoint, KeyNote, and Google Slides, and it quickly became a teaching accessory that I now can’t live without. It helps me walk freely around the music room to supervise and correct students while I’m actively teaching. It’s comfortable to wear (just like a ring), and there’s even a laser pointer that can be used to emphasize teaching concepts from across the room. Just be cautious to keep it away from any students or eyeballs!

More Back-To-School Resources for General Music

I hope this post helps you find some hidden gems for back-to-school! If I had to give you my #1 choice from this list, it would probably be the classroom management book by Rob Plevin, because I’ve gotten so many wonderful insights, and I believe it’s a great read for back-to-school season.

If you’re looking for more general music resources for back-to-school, I recommend signing up for the Chamber of Freebies! It’s my growing library of music education resources, which contains printables, worksheets, flashcards, digital activities and more! You can also shop for music teaching resources in my Teachers Pay Teachers Store and on Boom Learning.