Dr. Emily AronoffThe Songleading for Kiddos Gig Bag: 10 Tools That Make the Job More Manageable
If you songlead for kiddos, your job is about to get a little easier. Over twenty-five years I have figured out which small tools make the biggest difference, the ones that let me walk into any room ready to do my best work. These are the ten I keep in my gig bag, and I am sharing them so you have what you need too.
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Why these tools work: the environment is the teacher
I design my environments precisely and specifically to optimize the experience I have carefully composed. Most behavior in a room of kiddos comes from a simple question, what am I supposed to do right now, and the fastest way to answer it is to make the structure visible before anyone needs correcting. A white dot on the floor tells a child where to stand. A velcro line shows a group where their space begins and ends. The environment does the teaching, and the tools below are how I build it. I think of this as proactive design over reactive management, and it runs through my field guide Behavior Is Communication and the way I treat the environment as its own teacher.
1. A clip-on guitar stand that stays on
This clips onto the body and stays put even when the guitar is in the gig bag, so when I set the guitar down it stands up on its own, no wall or chair required. It fits a full-size guitar, not a three-quarter.
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2. Painter's tape for boundaries
When kiddos present to the congregation, I lay a line on the floor and tell them to put their toes on it. I use it to mark an aisle, or to tape down a wire I will need to pull up later. It is my go-to for the boundaries that do not need to be precise or permanent.
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3. Double-stick sticky notes
These have two adhesive strips, so they actually stay where I put them. I write out my chord progressions for the songs I do not know off book yet and stick them right on the top of my guitar body, where I can see them while I play.
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4. A power bank
I run so much from my phone and my computer that a dead battery is a real problem, and running low is the most common one. This is my backup, for me and for whoever else in the room needs power. It keeps me comfortable, and it keeps things wireless when something like a projector needs a charge.
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5. Floor marking dots
I use these to show children where to sit, and to give them a spot to stand on or aim for during a performance. They stick to the wall as well as the floor, and they are dry erase, so I can write on a dot and wipe it clean for the next group.
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6. Carpet marker strips
These are velcro strips, so they grip carpet where painter's tape will not, and they let me divide a space far more precisely. I can completely reshape how a room expects to move and gather. (I will add a photo of how I use these.)
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7. Band-Aids
Kiddos need Band-Aids constantly, and once in a while so do I. If you want to be every kid's favorite grown up, keep a few on you. They will need one, and you will be the hero who had it.
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8. A Breathe vapor stick
It clears minor congestion, but more often I use it as a sensory reset. When I feel anxious or queasy, or just off, a quick inhale of this gives my nervous system somewhere to land, and I have handed it to plenty of other grown ups who needed the same. The sinus and headache relief is probably the deep breathing doing its work, and I will take it.
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9. A wireless guitar system
I move constantly when I songlead, and a cable means spinning myself into a tangle. This small system plugs in wherever I go and frees me to roam the room. I tuck a small portable headset mic in next to it too, just in case of an emergency.
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10. A clip-on tuner
I love this one because it stays clipped inside the instrument and lets me tune even when the room is loud. My guitar has a built-in tuner, but it has glitched on me enough times that a small backup just makes sense.
Find it on AmazonThese ten are the core, but my full kit has more, from speakers and mics to the little extras that make a long day easier.
The best tool in your bag is a plan
Gear helps, but the real difference is knowing what to do with it. Inside the Songleading for Kiddos Support Squad, you get a developmentally grounded curriculum, coaching, and a community of educators who lead with their whole hearts.
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