Do your students use music bags?

When the children at Musicalia begin their full-year programs I prepare sturdy long-lasting carry bags for them. 

Most of the children receiving their new blue bags this year are age 4 or 5 have already been with me 2 or 3 years and now will be with me for another 3-6 years.   Some even longer!  Making each bag personal, interesting and beautiful is a joy for me.

They start out as a plain blue bag with "Musicalia" printed on the front and then I add each child's name like this...

...and then I go crazy with the fabric paints like this...

...and this...

...and this...

When the bags are hanging in the room during our classes they look like this...

Decorating these bags is a classroom management tool for me!
Some of the children can not read when they begin their programs so the illustrations provide a beautiful way for each child to recognize which bag is theirs in a sea of 8 or 9 other bags. 

It does take many hours to complete all the bags, especially in those years where there is more than one class for 4 and 5 year olds.  This year I have 17 little guys graduating to year long programs. 

Branding benefits of the blue bag!

The other unforeseen benefit to having my own studio bags is that they have become a kind of branding item.  Parents (and kids) can be heard saying..."Where's your Musicalia bag?"  And each child in the family has their own.  Some families continue to use their Musicalia bag for music lessons even when they leave Musicalia for new horizons.

I don't charge for the bag.  It's just part of being a Musicalia student.  I've even had my older, adult students after initially saying they didn't really need a bag...several lessons in ask for their own Musicalia bag!