Seating Charts

 

For full orchestra rehearsals, I put color-coded name cards on music stands so students know where to sit.  It is also easy for me to see at a glance who is missing.  I used to not create a seating chart and just try to mix up the name cards each week so students would be sitting with different stand partners and in different parts of the section until it was a few weeks before a concert and we would begin using concert seating (that I wrote out by hand).  I could also strategically place students together who would be sharing a spare instrument because they both forgot theirs that day.  After full orchestra, I would collect the name cards in order (Row 1 left to right, Row 2, Row 3, etc.), so I had that seating "preserved" until next week and could mix it up from there.  Of course, I couldn't remember which students had sat with which stand partners over the course of several weeks, so sometimes I would hear students say that they've sat with a particular person three times already and they hadn't sat with so-and-so yet.  But that system worked well enough for my purposes.

However, the pandemic arrived and changed things (to say the least).  We weren't able to hold full orchestra during the 2020-2021 school year (I videotaped myself leading "virtual" full orchestra rehearsals for students to play along with at home).  Then, once we were able to resume full orchestra rehearsals at school the following school year, teachers still needed to submit seating charts to the office in case of any contact tracing that needed to be done.  I started creating seating charts using Google Slides, color-coded, of course, by instrument and then referencing that seating chart to get the names cards in order so set-up each week was as quick and easy as possible.  I also make note of how many chairs and stands go in each row and how many are needed total.  This document is just for me--students don't need to see the seating chart; they're just looking to find their name card on their music stand when they enter the room.  It turns out that I really appreciated having a record of my seating charts and have continued to use this Google Slide method.

• Seating chart template (Google Slide)

These days, I will keep the same seating chart about three or four weeks (we have once-a-week full orchestra rehearsals) and then mix it up.  I simply duplicate the slide, add the new start date on the top, and then drag the text boxes around.  In this way, old seating charts are easily viewable and I can reference them to make sure I am changing up stand partners and where in the section students are sitting.  Again, after each full orchestra, I just collect the name cards in order, and then I am all set for the following week.  If a student is absent that day, I still put their name card on the music stand; I just cover their name card with their stand partner's name card and set out one chair instead of two for that stand.  That way the name cards stay in order when I collect them afterwards.

This template document also includes concert seating charts, when I have two orchestras sitting in one big orchestra.  I like to start concerts with the beginners in the front and the second-year players in the back, and then once the beginners' part of the concert is done, students switch places so the second-year players are in the front (basses don't move).  We end with one combined piece, and everyone stays where they are for that.  (See also: Winter Concert programming)

For concerts, instead of putting giant name cards on music stands that the audience would also see, I type up students names in seating chart order in a quick Google Doc, cut them into little strips, and then just tape them on to the stands when I set up for the concert so that only the performers can see.  When students are sitting in the back of the orchestra, waiting their turn to play, I don't assign seats for that part; I just say they have to sit with their stand partner somewhere in an empty seat.  That way, right before the concert starts, if I see any empty seats, I can ask a student who their stand partner is to know who is missing without having to consult my seating chart.  I hope it also makes it easier when it comes time to switch seats to stay with their stand partner to know where to go.  When we do switch places mid-concert, I don't want students searching for their name somewhere in the back of the orchestra; they should just find an available spot--with their stand partner (since we play one combined piece together yet).  Students who are moving toward the front of the orchestra getting ready to play should more-or-less know where they're going because it's the same location they've been in for full orchestra the last couple of weeks and can verify they've found the right spot when they see their names on their music stand.

On music stands for the concert:

5th: Name, Name

6th: Name, Name

One year, I had such big orchestras that it just wasn't feasible to ask that many students to switch places in the middle of the concert, so I had the beginners on one side and the second-year players on the other side, as shown in the third slide in the template document (and below).  The 6th grade cellos were not particularly happy to be sitting in the back, but that's what made the most sense to me with the space we had available (we share the concert with the band and choir--the choir is on the stage, and the band is set up on the gymnasium floor alongside the orchestra).

For small groups (usually about three or four students), I do not create a seating chart.  However, at the beginning of the year, I do put name cards on the music stands for the beginners during small groups while I am learning their names.  Once I am more comfortable with remembering names, I only use the name cards for full orchestra, and students can choose where they sit for small groups.

For our district-wide String Fest, where there are 200+ students in our giant elementary combined orchestra, I still draw that seating chart by hand (See String Fest Seating Chart Template for that one).

How do you like to create seating charts?  I know there are more sophisticated programs out there, but the Google Slide version works for my purposes.

Name Cards

To show students where to sit each week, I use name cards.  Each name card is a full sheet of paper folded in half so it can rest on top of the stand and can be viewed from both in front and behind.  These are color-coded by instrument.

At the beginning of the year with first-year students, I use these during small groups, both so students know where to sit and because I am still learning names.  At the beginning of the day, I have the cards stacked in the order I'll be seeing kids during the day and within easy reach (on the piano bench) so that I can quickly switch name cards at the transition time.  That is an incentive for me to learn names sooner rather than later, as it takes a few moments to get those organized at the beginning of the day (or end of the day the previous week if I'm on top of things).  I do make an effort to switch up seating each week, just for variety's sake.

I also use these every week for full orchestra.  The color-coding helps kids quickly locate their instrument's section and then their own name.  Again, I do make an effort to switch up the seating each week.  I want students to experience playing in the front, middle, and back of the section and with different stand partners too.

Except for a concert seating chart (which goes into effect about three full orchestras before the concert) where the students do stay in the same spot from one week to the next, I do not write out the seating chart each week.  I just do my best to keep scrambling up stand partners and who's sitting where.  When I'm really organized, in the folder where I store the name cards, I will jot down anyone without a stand partner due to having an odd number of students so that I can make sure someone else will be the singleton next week.

Students who have forgotten their instrument and need to borrow a spare will be seated together so they can share the spare without disrupting the students around them.  If students do have to share an instrument because I can see their spot on the instrument rack is empty, I write the two (or three...hopefully not more) names on a piece of scrap paper and tape it to the case of the spare so both students know who they'll be sharing with and it doesn't take any class time for me to explain.  I also pull out the names of students who are absent that day from the stack and set up accordingly so there aren't any empty chairs in full orchestra.

Every once in a while students will walk into the room for full orchestra with no name cards out and a "Seating is free choice today :)" note on the board.  That generally happens the week after a concert.

The front side (that I see) includes more information such as the student's full name and teacher's name in smaller font at the bottom.  If students try to switch name cards without me noticing, a hint is that they put the card on the wrong way and I see the side with just the first name :)

To actually create the name cards without having to type up everyone's name one by one, I use the "Step-by-Step Mail Merge Wizard" feature in Microsoft Word and pull the information directly from my roster, which is saved as an Excel sheet.  I double check the document before printing and add last initials for those students who have someone else with the same first name in the same orchestra.  The document is already organized by instrument (since that's how my roster is set up), which makes color-coding printing simple.

Name card template (Word document)

Enjoy!