After switching 4 students to double bass yesterday afternoon, the balance in my 6th grade orchestra has increased exponentially. I love that we have some low sounds in the group now (even if they still don't really know what they're doing).

So, I have this amazing 6th grader with SO much talent; even from the beginning he'd be able to tell me when his strings didn't sound like they were supposed to (out of tune). His ability to play grows every day. By far, he is the best player in the class. He is one of the students that I switched to bass (which is hilarious to watch because he's maybe 4'8'' so the bass is about double his size). After one afternoon of learning the basics, he is just as good on the bass as the rest of the class, even better than some students who aren't on a new instrument! It is really awesome to see students succeed!

I introduced my GarageBand track that I made for the 7th grade class to the 6th graders. It was awesome because as soon as I turned it on and it clicked off they just sat silently and played. I've gotten them used to playing with accompaniment tracks so when the hear the click off they get quiet. I think they were especially quiet because it was a hip hop beat that they love to listen to.

Overall, a really successful day! Made me really love my students.