It’s time for New Year’s music resource roundup! January is one of my favorite months in the studio and that is because we kick off the New Year fresh! There is nothing like a positive boost in the middle of the school year to renew. We begin the first week back from our holiday break with a semester kickoff. I hold semester kickoffs twice a year. The first time is in August when our first semester begins, and then again in January when our 2nd semester begins. Each one has a specific purpose.

I thought it would be helpful to create a New Year resource roundup of blog posts and activities about things I’ve done over the years with my students. I hope it inspires and gives you some ideas you can do with your students!

NEW YEAR’S BLOG POSTS

Spring Semester Kickoff

Our spring semester kickoff in January is all about setting goals, improving practice strategies, etc. It gives students a chance to evaluate how they have been doing and what they can improve on.

Mid-Year Practice Boost

The holidays have come and gone, and the school year is now half over. The winter blues may even be setting in which means it’s time for a mid-year practice boost!

Start the Year Off Right with New Year’s S.M.A.R.T. Goals

Over the years, I wanted my students to be more specific with their New Year Goals. So years ago, I decided to create a SMART goal worksheet they can work from. I share an example of how we break down our S.M.A.R.T. goals.

Music Teacher Tip #33: Teaching SMART Goals

In this teacher tip, I share 5 different student examples ranging in different ages. I thought the examples would be helpful, so you can see what some of the student goals might look like. When I read through their goals, it also helps me know if they understood the goal setting process fully.

Teaching S.M.A.R.T. Goals

Creating S.M.A.R.T. Goals is a life skill that will benefit not only students in their lessons, but throughout their lives. 

One Word to Inspire

Have you ever thought about choosing one word to inspire you throughout the year? They say about 8% of people actually achieve their New Year’s resolution. That really doesn’t surprise me. Of course, it all starts with good intentions, but as you know we can have good intentions, and it still doesn’t get you anywhere. In January 2022 I decided to change things up a bit…

NEW YEAR’S RESOURCES

Below are some resources I have used over the years with my students.

This One Word project can be used any time of the year, but lends itself well when doing New Year goals with students. (Make sure you read the blog post above for more details on what I did with students)

Making New Years goals and reflecting on past goals is something I like to do with students each year. Why not make the experience more fun and interactive? That is exactly what these cootie catchers (aka fortune tellers) do!

Hands on, interactive, self-checking, printable and reproducible! (Single teacher license) The Secret Picture Music Tiles BUNDLE includes 10 different New Year themed pictures covering 10 different music subjects. 

Have students set goals the SMART way this year with this freebie!

A couple of free worksheets for students to write their goals and reflections.