Today, I thought I’d share some pictures of my “lesson binder” that I use for keeping my teaching records/materials organized. My current system is designed to be uber portable because I currently teach all my lessons on campus in a practice room. When it’s time to teach, I grab my lesson binder from my office before greeting my student!
(click each picture to enlarge)
In the front of my binder, I keep a clear plastic pouch well-stocked with plenty of stickers to choose from. My students put a sticker on each piece of music they “pass” and each theory worksheet page they complete. I also keep some spare supplemental worksheets, business cards, and a notepad in the pocket on the left.
Next I have a series of colorful dividers that contain my Lesson & Payment Chart as well as various forms such as the Student Information Form, Interview forms, and Student Achievements record.
After those dividers, I have alphabet dividers where I file papers all related to my students (filed by first name), such as the filled-in forms mentioned above. I also keep each student’s index card with his/her stickers for the incentive program filed here.
Now it’s your turn – what is your method of organization / record keeping? Share your tips in the comments!
Have you seen Music Teachers Helper? If you have a laptop or iphone it’s a great way to keep track also.
@Atara: Yes, I have seen Music Teachers Helper. I don’t use it extensively yet since most of my teaching right now is done through my university’s community music school. But it is something I definitely plan to use once I’m teaching through my own private studio!
I keep track of lesson assignments and specific details from each lesson in a spiral notebook but would love to have something a little more professional. Do you have any printables for that before I make my own?
Hi Susan! Like you, I use a blank notebook for my student’s written assignments. So sorry, I do not currently have an assignment sheet printable.
Very helpful!! Thank you. I especially love the idea of stickers when they “pass” each song. I usually keep a huge sticker box and each lesson they get 1-3 stickers based on practice, and doing their best. Each time they reach 20 stickers on a chart, I keep a prize box of games and toys. I really love your idea too 🙂
I used to work for a company that dealt with scheduling lessons so I felt pretty organized since I didn’t have to deal with the payment or record keeping. Now that I’m trying to start my own studio it’s been crazy. Your blog is incredibly helpful! Your binder is beautiful, I love organizing things.
As for incentive, I used to have my students compete in what I called “The Match Games.” The Match Games were a series of smaller games of different difficulty to help the students learn terms and match them to symbols. I just laminated index cards with different terms and symbols and they would record their times. They would post their times next to their names on my big board. It was a wonderful way to get them talking to one another and also learning!