California and taking it to the mat!

A wonderful Sunny Day to you and a warm welcome to all the new MYC teachers who have completed their training this spring. MYC is a great program. There is a lot to learn in your first year but don't be afraid to talk to a seasoned teacher if you are feeling overwhelmed or need ideas, they can help you get through your first year with ease and confidence.

I have just returned from the California Music Teachers Convention. It was a wonderful experience, learning about all the new materials coming out and meeting many of the composers who wrote the material. It is was inspiring and lots of fun. The evenings were spent seeing the sights of Los Angelos, and what an amazing city it is! So much to see and do, it is a city I would love to go back to and explore some more.

The next conference on my agenda is the Music for Young Children conference in Banff on Saturday. I'm looking forward to meeting many of you there. Please stop by our booth and leave your business card for a chance to win some music resources to use in your class this fall.

Do you have unruly students in your classes? How do you control those little ones that just want to turn somersaults through out the studio? How do you maintain some kind of control (or discipline) without feeling that you are the big bad bully?

To maintain a sense of order and control in my studio I have a class set of mats - all the same colour for the kids to sit and wiggle on to their hearts content. The mats give the children a boundary and give them the space they need to move until it's time to go the piano or participate in an off mat activity.

In the past I've had different coloured mats and sure enough someone would want the red one and all the red ones would be gone. Then there would be tears. So, I bought a set of yellow bath mats from IKEA for a reasonable amount.

A mat to sit upon gives your students room to wiggle, a boundary and you a feeling of fairness and guidelines for behavior in your classroom.