End-of-Year Photo Gift

Throughout the school year, I take several pictures of students--during the first few weeks of school when the beginners are still plucking, once students have learned to hold their bow, concerts, Solo/Ensemble tours, etc.  I like to display the pictures on the STAR Musician wall (see post here).

On the last day of orchestra, after students have tried out some pieces from their new summer packets, I give students a little photo memento.  I order photos through Walgreens (waiting for a good deal to come up!), cut colorful paper in half, hand-write the following information on the back, and tape the photo to the front with double-sided scrap-booking tape.
 
Name, instrument
School name, grade
School year
Solo/Ensemble piece(s) and ensemble partner(s)
-My name

It's pretty simple, a little time consuming, but a nice memory for students of their year in orchestra.

Beautiful Bow Hold Bulletin Board

I had been wanting to create a bulletin board showcasing the bow holds of famous string players--and of my students--for a couple of years now and I finally made it happen this year.  You'll see some pictures both before and after I added the student pictures.  Students can check out some model bow holds and start to become familiar with the names of a few well known string players as well as feel recognized for their work on their own bow hold!

• Google doc of pictures, captions, and credits
• PDF of pictures, captions, and credits

Musicians included:

VIOLIN

• Regina Carter
• Yehudi Menuhin
• Midori
• Julian Rhee
• Chauntee Ross
• Lindsey Stirling

VIOLA

• Yuri Bashmet

CELLO

• Yo-Yo Ma
• Steven Sharp Nelson
• Monique Ross

BASS

• Edgar Meyer (French bow)
• Esperanza Spalding (German bow)

Look at These STAR Musicians!

At each of my schools, I have a place in the classroom showcasing orchestra members.  I post pictures of all my students playing their instrument (either from their small groups or during full orchestra), which I update a couple times a year.  I also post their most recent compositions and the winning responses to the question of the week.  The mascot for one of my schools is "Stars," hence the "STAR Musicians" title.

I want the word "musician" to be a part of each of my students' self-image, and I like to think that seeing these images every time they walk out the door of the orchestra room helps my students with their own musical identity.