Popsicle Sticks, Prizes, and the Power of Novelty
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By Tamara Nozik - Posted: 1/17/26
Many years ago, my school attended a professional development session (I apologise—the name escapes me now, as it’s been some time) where the speaker discussed the importance of novelty in young people’s lives. That idea stayed with me. I kept returning to it, wondering how novelty might increase student motivation or classroom engagement, and how I could meaningfully implement it in my own teaching.
Eventually, I decided to put the idea into action.
My first experiment took place in Chamber Chorale, an academic curricular class made up of Grade XI and XII students who are serious about singing. What’s unique about this ensemble is that it spans multiple grades, and I noticed that many students didn’t truly know one another. So, I introduced a game—my own version of Secret Student—during the five-minute halftime break in our 65-minute class.
Each week, two to three students were secretly selected. The group’s task was to guess who they were based on a shared clue connecting them. Every student would be chosen once by the end of the semester—never more than once—and each person was allowed only one guess. Students who guessed correctly won a small prize, and once revealed, the “secret students” also received a tiny gift. At the end of the semester, students were given a final riddle to determine the correct order of the remaining three students (since they already knew who was left), which turned into a fun and memorable challenge.
To make this work, I planned everything at the beginning of the semester. I knew that once midterm arrived, the calendar would explode and time would disappear. I also stocked a prize box with items teens would find funny or delightful. Along the way, I learned fun facts about each student—not only helping me know them better, but also allowing students to learn about one another. It quickly became something we all looked forward to each class. While it had nothing directly to do with singing, it strengthened relationships and created a strong sense of team within the ensemble.
This semester, I decided to trial novelty again—this time with my middle school choirs.
After an incredible December performance, kicking off the year with Grade VIII was rough. Students returned from break unmotivated to sing, and there was some challenging (and age-appropriate!) behavior. After three somewhat tiring lessons, I sat down to strategize how to re-engage them.
That’s when I introduced the Daily Lottery.
In the past, students participated in an end-of-semester lottery, but some groups struggled with the wait and often lost interest in collecting tickets. To avoid this, the lottery now happens every class.
“Wait—every class?” the girls asked.
Yes. Every class.
Each class, students have two opportunities to earn an entry into the end-of-class lottery. The first is by arriving on time. After feeling like a constant nag during attendance—trying to track 40 tweens and their many requests to leave the room (bathroom, nurse, tissue, etc.)—I hoped this might help. Students can earn a second entry if they wow me. “Wowing” includes anything that demonstrates courage, thoughtfulness, kindness, musicianship, or collaboration. Greatness comes in many forms.
Once the instructions were set, we gave it a try.
At 12:55 p.m., students literally stampeded into the classroom, eager to grab the popsicle stick with their name on it and place it in the lottery box. The lesson was filled with thoughtful questions, students competing to find measures, teamwork, and laughter. Some of the least enthusiastic students were thrilled just to earn a popsicle stick for handing out music or helping with a classroom task. At the end of class, I was especially happy to see a student—who had struggled with focus the previous lesson but was fully engaged this time—win the day’s lottery.
It was awesome.
Even better, because the students made the effort to try, they ended up singing beautifully in two-part harmony—an absolute 180 from the week before, when they sounded like church mice. It was exciting to hear students comment on how good they sounded together.
Now, will the lottery work forever? Probably not. But for now, I’m grateful it’s working. Writing every student’s name on popsicle sticks, ordering “mystery” prizes, and justifying to my husband why I ordered 20 hair clips, 500 stickers, and gel pens has been completely worth the time.
I’m excited to gather student feedback and continue exploring how novelty—and a little fun—can motivate learners in the future.
An example clue for senior students. The 3 chosen students each had 14 letters in their first and last name. The students had a lot of fun with this riddle, and did indeed solve it together before the end of class!
This was a tough one. The Birthday Paradox is a veridical paradox, meaning it's a statement that seems counterintuitive or false at first glance but is proven to be true through logic and mathematics. This paradox specifies that in a group of just 23 people, there's over a 50% chance two people share a birthday, a result explained by the large number of pairwise comparisons possible. So two students in the class had the same birthday!
The Daily Lotto set including a hamper of small prizes (lucky dip!). 2 sets of popsticles with students names. Blue are entry tockens, Purple are the 'wow' entries. The box is an amazon box I repurpised to use as a draw box. I might change to something ridiculous like a top hat, or something that makes us laugh in the future.
From Young Teacher to Host: A Meaningful December Reunion
By Tamara Nozik - Posted: 1/11/26
December was such a gift. There were so many performances and wonderful experiences shared with students and our school community. What made the season even more touching was welcoming so many global visitors. This year, students and staff from Loreto College Coorparoo visited us for a day, and I am so glad we made space for the visit, allowing our students to share meaningful experiences together.
Loreto College Coorparoo is a very special school to me. It was the first place where I secured a full-time position as a young teacher. Some of the happiest teaching moments I hold dear came from my time working as an early-career educator on its beautiful campus. Unlike the 13-storey high-rise where I currently work, the school is made up of a series of buildings nestled into the hills of Coorparoo. I miss the birds singing in the morning, the green grass, the outdoor playtime (even though I am strictly an indoor gal), and the old brick buildings. It was such a safe space for me to grow as an educator, and I hold deep gratitude for the school—so I was thrilled to welcome them, even during December, which is always a wonderfully chaotic time.
When the students arrived on a chilly December morning, I was filled with emotion seeing several former colleagues I hadn’t seen in almost a decade. It was so special to show them our school and beautiful building, and I felt a strong sense of pride in a place that I have helped develop, even in a small way. After the tour, the Loreto students joined the Marymount students for lunch and enjoyed an American-style meal provided by the school—very different from the BYO lunches common in Australia. Later, the students joined us for our Christmas assembly, which showcased our musical events. We finished our time at the 97th Street campus with a special guest talk-back session with Antonio Rodriguez, a Broadway star best known for playing Orpheus in Hadestown. To conclude the day, the Loreto students and I walked to Fifth Avenue, where they enjoyed a short tour of our flagship campus, home to Nursery through Grade 5.
In case anyone is interested in how I organised the day, I've included a screen shot of the visit structure. I was careful to make sure it aligned with the school day and utilized the class time and breaks that were already built into our day. Perhaps it will inspire you to organise a collaboration with another school or group in the future.
It was such a magical day, and I am so grateful that I made space in the schedule for both schools to enjoy shared musical experiences. The students had so much fun talking, connecting, and learning about one another and where they come from. It was a powerful reminder to me that opening your doors and welcoming others—even when it doesn’t feel like the perfect time—is always worth the effort.
When Paths Cross Again: Hosting an Exchange Teacher
By Tamara Nozik - Posted: 1/08/26
Just last month, I had the absolute pleasure of hosting my first exchange teacher—and it turned out to be such a rewarding and joyful experience.
Earlier in the year, I received an email from Sabrina, who lives in my old hometown of Brisbane. Funnily enough, over the course of our lives, fate has brought us together more than once. Sabrina’s father, Vince, was a teacher at All Hallows when I was a senior student there. Years later, Sabrina attended the same school, and I was assigned as her voice teacher during her senior year. We not only went to the same school, but also studied our Bachelor of Music at the same Conservatorium.
We’ve stayed connected through social media, and Sabrina—now a full-time performing arts teacher—reached out to ask if she could visit me in New York City. My natural response was, “Of course—come for as long as you like!” We quickly set up a full week where she would shadow me in my work teaching music at Marymount School, where I currently work.
There is truly nothing like Christmas in New York, and teaching in December is a wild ride. Our school spends months preparing for a celebratory, high-energy, performance-filled month, and while it’s incredibly fun, it can also feel like a lot—which I warned her about. Sabrina arrived on the second Monday of the month and immediately stepped into the whirlwind: an all-school Mass at Saint Ignatius Loyola, followed by the Middle School Christmas Concert at the Church of the Heavenly Rest that evening. Both breathtaking venues, filled with students performing beautiful repertoire.
The rest of the week unfolded with even more musical events, lessons, workshops, school visits, and tours. I’ve always loved that time of year, but experiencing it alongside another educator made it even more special. It gave me a renewed sense of gratitude for the work my team and I do, and I loved hearing how other schools approach similar challenges and opportunities.
I can’t wait to welcome Sabrina back—or to host another exchange teacher, or perhaps even take part in an exchange myself. The experience gave me a burst of pride in my school and its programs, while also encouraging reflection on our current practices and how they might evolve. As a lifelong learner, this experience gave me exactly the boost I needed during a very busy time and helped me think more intentionally about the semester ahead. I highly recommend collaborating with educators outside your own school community—it’s a powerful way to grow.
Doing Whatever It Takes In Challenging Times: A Choral Reflection
By Tamara Nozik - Posted: 1/02/26
Just recently, I came across some photos of me teaching choir during the 2022 school year, and I found myself saying out loud, “Oh, that was a time.” When the pandemic first hit in 2020, I had no idea what lay ahead—especially as a teacher—or how deeply my programs would be affected.
At the time, I was working as a middle school choir teacher. Almost immediately, we were moved to online-only music lessons for the semester. When we returned to in-person teaching in September 2020, music remained remote on Mondays, and I became the in-person science proctor for a science teacher who was working from home. Thankfully, I had the foresight to begin my master’s degree, so at least that time felt personally productive. Like so many music teachers across the world, I suddenly had to figure out how to teach music through a screen. Through trial and error—and the purchase of a piano keyboard and a decent microphone for my home setup—I somehow made it work.
By 2021, when we returned to a full in-school week, I vividly remember asking how music class would be structured. My administration wasn’t sure. How could it be safe? How could students play instruments? Did we even have enough space? It became my personal mission to ensure that music returned to the in-person school day and that all middle school students once again had access to music instruction. I am deeply grateful that my school trusted our team, and in the fall we were able to roll out in-person music again.
That year, I taught in the school’s basement kitchen and eating hall—lovingly referred to as “the Lion’s Den.” In choir, students were spaced six feet apart, masked, and grouped in classes of 20–30 at a time. They weren’t loud (how could they be with masks on?), but they sang, and we did our best. I also became very comfortable with teaching observations, as many staff members ate lunch while my class was taking place.
Looking back, I am so relieved we have moved on from that incredibly difficult period. At the same time, the experience made me a much better teacher. It gave me a strong sense of purpose and a renewed understanding of why I teach music. During an intensely challenging time, students were able to gather and do something calming and joyful in their day—something that offered a break from rigorous academic demands. Even six feet apart, we were connected through song, exploring repertoire that brought us together.
Piloting Progams To Help Students Soar
By Tamara Nozik - Posted: 12/30/25
Like many millennials, I grew up inspired by the television show Glee. Having been raised in a fairly traditional learning environment, I was completely captivated by the idea that a school class could be a group of teenagers singing and dancing to pop and musical theatre hits. Not to mention that you can all become besties and celebrate in performing together. The sparkle and spectacle of it all blew my teenage, music-loving mind. I later learned that this kind of class existed mainly in American schools, and I quickly decided that I *needed* to live in the United States so I could somehow be part of a Glee-style club. My teenage brain couldn’t even comprehend how difficult that journey might be. However, as fate would have it, I did make it to the U.S., and years later, in my role as a department leader, that long-held vision of a show choir resurfaced.
The beginnings of our school’s show choir came together very organically. Our school has a strong and rigorous musical theatre program: students commit to the spring show and attend four after-school rehearsals a week. It’s intense, but the results are world-class. What we were missing, however, was a daytime, curricular program open to all students—one that combined singing and dancing. We had a choir, an auditioned chorale, and a dance program, but they all existed separately. I wrote a proposal to our headmistress, only to discover that our dance teacher had independently pitched the same idea. We joined forces, and in 2024 we launched our first show choir class for students in our upper school.
We were thrilled. We selected repertoire we thought students would love and secured performance opportunities. Then reality hit: only seven students signed up, and three dropped out when they realized how small the group would be. While we were disheartened, our administration encouraged us to move forward anyway.
Those four students worked incredibly hard. I was able to give them one-on-one vocal attention, and they grew rapidly in both confidence and skill, while continuing to develop their dancing. They felt seen, supported, and inspired. Gradually, two more students joined, bringing us to six. On October 31, they performed "I Put a Spell on You" for students in Grades 3–5 and were beaming with pride. They followed that with a standout performance of "Underneath the Tree" at the Upper School Christmas assembly, cheered on by their peers. With careful preparation for each performance, they truly shone on stage—and word began to spread.
Just over a year later, we now have 14 students in our Senior Show Choir and 7 in our Junior Show Choir. In May of the pilot year, the group performed at the universally known venue The Cutting Room, which was exciting and a real world experience for our students. Student voice is central to the program: they help choose repertoire and costumes, taking real ownership of their work. I’m incredibly grateful that, despite initial low enrollment, my colleague and I didn’t let discouragement stop us from creating something special. My dream of bringing teenagers together to sing pop and musical theatre, and to build lasting friendships through performance, did come true—it simply required patience, determination, and passion.
Congratulations! You Are Now the Writer, Director and Producer.
By Tamara Nozik - Posted: 12/22/25
In my first year working in an American school, I was lucky enough to land a job as the middle school Speech and Religion teacher. At that point, I was thrilled to be employed — a job that allowed me to immigrate across the world and earn a steady income. I already had several years of experience teaching religion from a Catholic perspective; however, I hadn’t touched a script since my high school play. Suddenly, I was introduced to my new colleagues with, “This is Tamara, and she is a wonderful actress.” Needless to say, I had never really acted on stage or on screen. In my mind, acting always seemed far easier than singing, and I had never seriously considered it something worth pursuing.
When I arrived, I was informed that I would be preparing students in each grade—6, 7, and 8—for their speech shows in the spring semester. During the handover, the teacher who was moving on gave me a single-page document for each show and said, “That’s it.” Each document contained a list of requirements and a short paragraph summary describing what had been done in the past. The students needed to sing, dance, and act, and I was told these productions were a long-standing school tradition that needed to continue. In that moment, I became the director and producer of three productions—with no script, score, resources, or video footage. Needless to say, I felt completely out of my element.
Over the year, I attended every drama workshop I could find. I took acting classes downtown, worked as an extra on television shows and films, and collaborated with experts around me to construct three scripts appropriate for middle school students. Additionally, I chose songs that paired well with the story of the script, measured and ordered costumes for every single student in the school, and hired professional musicians to play the score. Over the course of the school year, I produced the Grade 6 Medieval Festival, the Grade 7 America Speaks, and a middle school version of A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Every student had a line, a costume, and opportunities to sing and dance. It was exhausting work, but I learned so much and felt a deep sense of achievement watching the students shine on stage.
A decade later, I still attend each speech show each year. Although the productions have evolved over time, I still feel a small thrill when I hear a line I wrote or a song I chose included in the performance. At the time, the work was completely outside my comfort zone, and although I eventually returned to teaching music, the skills I gained have made me a far better musician and teaching artist. The experience really taught me to grasp every opportunity with energy and an open mind - you never know what you can learn along the way.
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