Music Room Storage Ideas

Starting with 5-tier metal shelving from Lowes, my music room storage has evolved from stacks of tubs on top of tubs, to created spaces that serve multiple purposes. How? Music Room Storage turned into teachable spaces when I built and attached bulletin board doors to shelving.

Music Room Storage: Tired of waiting

Like most teachers, I grew tired of asking and waiting year after year for the maintenance men to build music room storage. It. never. happened! So I just bought it myself when I found four metal storage racks from Lowes on sale for approximately $70 each (normally $84). Done! I hate waiting on people, don’t you?! It was the best money I’ve ever spent.

Those shelves worked fine for a few years. I organized everything and tried to make it look neat. See this post. For example, I even added extra shelving to accommodate the many teaching posters and thought up the lovely idea to cover the storage with my music rules. . . . . Fail!

Storage in the Music Room Set-Up

Music Room Storage – hide the clutter

In the end, it just looked cluttered to me, and the storage was so……. storage!

Wall after wall, though very organized and beautifully labeled, just looks like a warehouse, not a music room with teachable spaces.

Music Room Storage and Multi-purpose stations

But this year, my wonderful husband helped me convert bulletin board panels that were previously attached to the walls. Instead, he attached the panels as doors to the shelving. Shazam! We have liftoff!! Take a look at these pictures below and “Touch” the Thinglinks for additional information. The doors hide the storage, swing open for easy access, and lock securely when not in use.

Touch these ThingLink images

Music Room Storage Ideas

Music Room Setup Ideas: Storage Doors that teach

These doors work for me, but not in the sense that they function well; they WORK for me in the sense that they serve a higher purpose, they are now tools to use to engage my students daily. They are tools to use to demonstrate mastery or to create interactive walls for the 21^st century classroom. These doors are tools I can easily use to differentiate instruction.

“Follow effective action with quiet reflection.

From the quiet reflection will come even more effective action.” – Peter Drucker

Storage Reflection

Before I begin searching for fresh ideas for my music room set-up next year, and before I act on the feeling that I want to change everything yet again, I need to remember that there are several features of my music room that really worked well all year-long. When I reflect, I realize just how well storage shelves with multi-purpose doors worked, and most importantly, how much potential there is to create even more interaction throughout my music room. There is still too much clutter and too many things to give away because we just don’t teach and learn that way any longer. I’ll work on that this summer. However, when it comes to my music room setup, the one thing I’m definitely keeping and building upon is the storage.

Storage Question

Music Room Setup Ideas

How about you? What discoveries have you made that work in your music room set-up? What great ways have you created to hide your music room storage? Every room has unique challenges. I’d love to hear your thoughts and suggestions. If we all share, we might find ideas that could solve problems elsewhere. What changes can you make that will serve the purpose of storage AND teaching?

Warmly (95^o),

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Cherie Herring

Music/Technology Integration at Hammond School

I teach elementary music, am passionate about integrating technology into my teaching, am obsessed with my SMARTBoard and iPad, and enjoy creating lessons and sharing ideas. I love technology almost as much as I love cheesecake, and with more energy and ideas than I know what to do with, I can't wait for the sun to come up each morning! I'm wife to Prince Charming and mom to three incredible girls who keep me balanced. . . sort of!