We’ve been having the annual ‘sort out’ of music cases. It’s amazing how many times bags can be searched for vital ensemble parts that acquire invisibility cloaks until a couple of weeks after they are no longer needed. Magically, these cloaks wear off at the end of term, so when I help sort everything out for a final time, the missing items re-appear! (Or is it just my legendary ‘finding’ skill?)
Now that Mary’s Music Cupboard is up and running, it is going to be easier to replace some of those lost parts at the last moment, as many items can be downloaded and printed straight from this website. And since you can get parents to do this for you at home (and pay for it too), perhaps that will be a little incentive for them to see that things are looked after properly.
Winding down at the end of the academic year can leave everyone feeling a bit flat. It’s important to finish that last lesson or rehearsal on a high note, so everyone remembers how good music-making is, and wants to come back next term. Simple things like sticking a little Congratulations bookplate in the back of a book to mark its completion can give pupils a sense of achievement.
In that seemingly everlasting final week, the younger ones enjoy choosing ‘Top Five Faves’ to play through or perform at the last lesson. There are New Top Five Faves free download pages to choose from.
Have a great holiday – and remember to keep checking out Mary’s Music Cupboard to find new items. We will be filling it with stacks of specially composed downloads over the summer break, and I will keep adding new materials each week. (Look for news and information on Mary’s Music Cupboard on its Facebook page).