Author: Lesley Moffat

Music Educator Mondays – Let’s Prepare for the Future of Music Education Together!

I am STOKED to have Dr. Matthew Arau of #upbeatglobal joining me on a webinar for Music Educator Monday this week at 9:00 AM pacific / noon eastern time, where we will talk about the realities of what our roles as music educators are during school closures and what we should be prepared for when we return to our classrooms, whenever that may be.

Matthew and I will be sharing our thoughts about the critical role music teachers play in helping our students and communities cope during this crisis.

We’ll also be sharing tools you can use to keep your own stress levels managed so you have the stamina to do this for the long haul.

If you can’t make it to the webinar, register anyway and I’ll send you the replay.

Together we rise!

Webinar Registration

https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_sX3udf6DSqW3EvW7kIlz_A

How Do I Nurture My Students Through These Uncertain Times?

We have been called to do more than teach music.

Every music teacher I know believes we have the responsibility of teaching kids the life skills they need to function in the world, like collaboration, goal setting, grit, artistry, and a million other skills. We just happen to do it through the magic of music education.

How do we nurture our students and continue this important work through the shut down of schools and everything else we all have come to depend on?

Are you prepared for the significant changes that will inevitably take place when your students return to your classroom?

When we return to our classrooms, this world will be a different place and our students will be looking to us to help them navigate it because they will be different, too. The fears, anxieties, and other emotions they experience during this epidemic will change them, and we must be ready to meet them wherever they are and help them heal.

We will need to do a lot more than just deliver content. Our students will be looking to us for leadership and as an example for how they should react to our new normal.

There are so many things to consider during this time – but it can be overwhelming to know where to begin when you start trying to figure it out.

Don’t do it alone.

Music teachers are the ultimate collaborators. Let’s use our collective power to up-level this world by leading the healing. Now more than ever, the world needs what we offer.

We must be ready!

Join me for Music Mondays with Moffat as we “band” together to help our kiddos navigate this new territory with as much grace and love as possible.

Together we rise!

Webinar Registration

HELP! What Do I Do Now?!

So many questions in light of COVID-19 and how we serve our music students during this challenging time

I teach at the first school in the US that was shut down for a confirmed case of coronavirus at the end of February, so I’ve had a little bit of time to think about this and start asking a bunch of questions.

In case you missed it, here’s a replay of the webinar from Saturday morning where I share some ideas for music teachers who find themselves with all their major concerts, festivals, trips, activities, and recruiting up-in-the-air.

If you’re wondering what you’re going to do next, join Elisa Janson Jones, Shannon Shaker and me for resources, ideas, and practical advice.

We are with you on this journey, because together we rise!

WEBINAR LINK
BANDing-Together-for-Success Supplemental Material and LinksDownload

Concerts, Festivals, Trips, and COVID 19 – They Didn’t Teach Us This in College! What Do I Do Now?

Just in case you weren’t busy and stressed enough at this time of year, now you have a whole new set of variables to deal with as the coronavirus spreads across the planet and everyone is figuring out this new scenario.

And you don’t get to stop and take time to figure out how to solve the problems of lost rehearsal time, missed performances, cancelled trips, and non-refundable money that the families in your community will lose if trips are cancelled because you have the undaunting task of continuing to teach the students who show up (if you’re still in school), create online content to replace what you would normally teach in person (I bet you can’t wait to try those on-line ensemble rehearsals), and keep your students safe and calm amongst all the confusion.

You have to continue offering a quality music experience for your students in spite of the circumstances, but figuring out how to do that while you’re spending six or more hours a day teaching is a bit overwhelming.

Since these circumstances are so new and unique and things are changing by the minute, it’s really hard to know what to do.

A situation like this can cause strain on individuals and on your program. It’s that time of year when our students are selecting classes for next year, and if they are feeling let down about cancelled events and we as teachers don’t handle it properly, it will impact their willingness to sign up for future trips and maybe even determine if they want to sign up for your class again next year. I’m not saying that’s the right response, but it’s one that could occur and impact your program long after the virus is gone.

Instead of lying awake at night wondering how you’re going to navigate all this, I invite you to join me on Saturday, March 14 at 9:00 am PST for a webinar where I will share ideas to help you:


* Communicate with parents and students about changes for activities and events

* Ensure you have a plan so your recruiting numbers thrive even if your recruiting activities are cancelled

* Come up with ideas for teaching music when attendance is unpredictable and you don’t even know if you’ll have a chance for kids to perform what they learn

* Make sure you have the tools you need to stay healthy in spite of being exposed to a cesspool of germs every day!

I don’t have all the answers, but I do have a lot of ideas based on what I’ve learned in over 30 years as a high school band director. I’d like to share those ideas and offer to help with some concrete suggestions that will help you do things like get your recruiting done even if your tours to middle schools are cancelled and share ideas for ways to communicate with families so you maintain their trust even if you have to deal with difficult situations that include nonrefundable trip fees.

As music teachers, we are natural leaders. We can step up and lead our students, schools, and communities through this crisis by remaining calm and being the force for sensibility and stability. Our students are looking to us for more than just musical instruction – they are counting on us to keep them safe and to tell them the truth. Let’s be the leaders they need so they don’t need to live in fear. We can be prepared to show them they can trust us to provide them with the best outcome possible.

If you can’t attend the webinar live, register anyway and I’ll send you a recording.

Together we rise!

Register for Webinar

BANDing Together for Solutions

In the wake of the coronavirus, we music teachers have unique challenges we are facing. In addition to delivering content (i.e. teaching) in new and innovative ways, we likely are facing uncertainty with our upcoming spring performances, festivals, recruiting activities, and trips.

I teach north of Seattle. My school was one of the first in the US to close for a confirmed case of the virus last Monday, so the realities of what we need to think about and plan for have been at the forefront of my mind.

The long-term ramifications on our programs both financially and with future enrollment as this hits while kids are registering for next year’s classes could be devastating – unless we are proactive in how we are handle this with them.

Whether it’s the prospect of losing tens of thousands of dollars that have been invested in upcoming festivals and trips or spending hundreds of hours preparing for concerts and other performances that may or may not happen, it’s all up in the air right now.

Right now is the time we should be approaching the peak opportunities of our year, enjoying the activities we’ve planned where we take our music on the road, play for school concerts, graduations, trips, and other events.

Instead, we are in limbo.

We don’t know if events are going to be cancelled or if our schools will even allow us to take the trips. And we won’t know until we see how things develop over the next few weeks. 

But we must be prepared, both musically and financially, in the event that we’ll still be able to do these activities.

You may be wondering – How am I supposed to teach my students when they can’t or don’t come to school. Am I equipped to teach ensembles remotely or do I have another plan? What about logistics for preparing our ensembles if school’s closed for a few weeks but we end up being able to go on a trip in a month or two?

There’s a lot of money at stake.

If you’re in a situation like I am, you’ve signed contracts with vendors that are not refundable and your community has rallied behind your kids and program to raise hundreds of thousands of dollars that may never get to be used as intended.

How will you handle this and how will you navigate the legal and personal challenges this will bring?

There’s a lot of momentum and energy at stake as you’ve been building up to these culminating experiences.

And what will happen as your students select courses for next year? Some of them may feel like the rug’s being pulled out from under them and be hesitant to sign up for your class (or at least future trips) again next year.

There’s a lot of fear around all the unknowns, for kids, for teachers, for parents, for administrators, for our communities, and beyond.

What are we supposed to do when the momentum that we’ve been building suddenly comes crashing to a confusing halt? Students and their families will be looking to us for answers. We may not have them all, but we need to be prepared to ask the questions and have the difficult conversations.

If you are planning a trip for future years, what are you learning from this situation that changes how you proceed? How does this situation inform you when it comes to trip insurance, contingency plans, and other preparatory activities? Will your community have enough faith to sign up for future trips if they end up losing a lot of money due to unavoidable cancellations this year?

What are you doing to ensure your students don’t make any rash decisions about enrolling next year based on what will likely be a couple of emotional months, no matter how things pan out? And why is it important that you have a vision for how you are going to lead the conversations and handle the questions from kids and parents? Are you aware of what you can and can’t decide vs what you need to run by an administrator?

If you don’t even know where to start or what questions to ask, you’re not alone. This is new territory for all of us.

I was supposed to adjudicate a festival next SATURDAY but due to cancellations, I’ll no longer be doing that, so I am going to host a FREE WEBINAR for music teachers who want a little help navigating the complexities of the fallout on our music programs as a result of the impact from coronavirus. I don’t have all the answers, but since I’ve been teaching and traveling with group for over 30 years, I do have a very good idea of where to start asking questions.

I hope you’ll join me in two ways:

1) Fill out this short survey to let me know how the coronavirus is impacting you and your program.

BANDing Together SURVEY

2) REGISTER for the webinar and join me LIVE on Saturday, March 14 at 9:00 am PST.

Registration for Next Year’s Classes Can Be Challenging: Here’s a Possible Solution

It’s that time of year again when kids sign up for elective classes for next year, and it can be hard to navigate all of the things you need to do to communicate with the middle school teachers, students, parents, administrators, counselors, and others who are involved in the scheduling process.

If you forget a step, if students or parents aren’t clear about what to do, or if you don’t have a plan at all, then kids who should be in your program will fall through the cracks and you won’t get to have them in your band. That defeats the purpose of building a music program!

Students have lots of choices when it comes to the classes they are going to take. They will have opportunities to hear about your program from their current teachers, friends, family members, you, and in lots of other ways. Your program has a reputation that can go a long way in influencing their decision as to whether or not to sign up for band.

But ultimately kids need to know what you offer, how they can sign up, what the appropriate class is for them to sign up for, and how they can be a part of your program. The easier you can make it for them to understand what you have to offer and what they need to do to register for the correct ensemble, the more likely you are to have a robust program with the numbers you desire.

Clear communication is key to helping everyone navigate this process seamlessly and with the best results. After all, isn’t everyone going to be happiest when students are in the level-appropriate classes with good instrumentation? So why not build that in starting NOW so that when school starts in the fall, you have all your kiddos in the right place and you can hit the ground running!?

In my 32 years as a high school band director, I’ve learned a few things about what does and doesn’t work in terms of recruiting. This year I’ve put together a 10-minute video that will be shared with incoming students. The video, along with a short letter to parents, gives everyone the information they need to make the best decision about which class is right for them as the next step in their musical journey.

You don’t need to reinvent anything. If what you’ve been doing isn’t getting you the results you want, give this a try. Feel free to steal any of the ideas and try them with your students and see what happens.

I’ve been fortunate to have lots of great mentors who shared their tools with me in the past, so it’s my turn to pay-it-forward with this resource.

If you’d like me to email you a copy of the letter I send to parents of incoming ninth graders, shoot me an email with “Recruiting Letter” in the subject line and I’ll send you my document which you can edit and reuse yourself.

Let me know how it goes!

Lesley

RECRUITING VIDEO

😳 My school will be closed on Monday because we’ve had a confirmed case of coronavirus.

As a band director, I want to take the opportunity to be proactive in helping our kiddos stay healthy while playing wind instruments. 🎷🎺 💪 One way to do that is to share information with their families that helps them make choices that minimize their exposure to bugs that could potentially make them sick.

I created a poster to hang in the classroom and a letter to send home to parents as reminders about how to keep their horns healthy so their kids stay healthy.

Feel free to steal and use these. We can band together to lead the way to make sure families have the information they need so their kids can keep playing music without being unnecessarily exposed to unhealthy germs.

You can download pdf versions to share in your community here:

FREE POSTER/LETTER

Love the Job, Lose the Stress


When I was at the end of my third decade of teaching, I found myself saying, “I love my job, but for the love of God, it is literally killing me.” My body and mind were worn out from the sheer numbers of students and events I managed every day. Decision-making was becoming too taxing because my brain was being overstimulated all the time. I nearly walked away from my life’s work in order to keep from losing my battle with chronic health issues that were exacerbated by the sheer exhaustion that came from my job.

In what turned out to be a very smart decision on my part, I decided to do whatever it took to figure out a way to balance my professional and personal lives in a way that let me be the mom and band director I wanted to be and that my children and students needed me to be.

Luckily, in that process, I discovered some strategies that helped me overcome the health issues and fatigue that had become my new normal and made it so teaching is now not the stressor it had been.

I have just finished writing the book that is literally the answer to the problem I’d struggled with for so many decades. In it, I share the secrets of how I’ve been able to up my game as a badass band director and regain control of my health in the process.

The changes I’ve made have impacted me in a million ways. Here are just a few:

  • I haven’t gotten sick from being over-exhausted this year
  • Teaching has become much less taxing, going from requiring my active management to students monitoring their own behaviors
  • I no longer require medication for anxiety, depression, or ADHD
  • I’ve lost 75 pounds
  • My classes are SO easy to run – and that’s with 60 kids per hour, with instruments
  • Students remember and retain what we work on in class
  • Parental involvement supports the program in ways that free me up to spend more time with students and less time managing the program
  • Classroom management is a breeze
  • My stress levels are so low that it helps ground my students in my presence

In my second book, I teach you how you can take your high-stress job and restructure a few things in order to make it more manageable – so you’ll have the energy to do the things you love so much.

Let me know if you’d like to be on my list to receive an advanced reader copy of the manuscript draft. I’ve completed my rough draft and will have a high-level edit ready in a few weeks, so be on the lookout!

If this sounds like you a book that speaks to you, just click this link and you’ll automatically be put on my “Book 2” list to get it as soon as it’s ready to go!

Book 2 Advanced Reader Copy Request

Wishing you a joyous spring. May you rekindle that spark that lights you up with joy in your classroom and at home. You really can be living the dream!

With you on the journey!

Lesley

What is Band Director Boot Camp?

People keep asking me, “What is Band Director Boot Camp?”

Band Director Boot Camp is the program I designed for the band director who wants to:

  • Up-level your program now
  • Build a successful and sustainable music program that is respected in your school and community
  • Serve students by helping them become awesome human beings through the magic of music education
  • Make band a place where every student feels welcome and safe to be themselves
  • Spend more time teaching music and less time on all of the other stuff
  • Find a better balance between work and family life
  • Build a tribe with other like-minded band directors for support, encouragement, and masterminding
  • Cut through a lot of the pain and time that go with building a program with practical advice from someone with over 30 years of experience as a high school band director and mother of three

It’s true that between zero period jazz band, evening concerts, pep band events, trips, fundraising, and meetings, the life of a high school band director is never dull! There’s great joy to be had as you shape young musicians into awesome human beings, but there’s also a price to pay when you love doing it so much that your life’s work becomes all-consuming. How do you meet your students’ needs and still have a life of your own – without being so exhausted that you can’t enjoy it?

I found that when it came time for me to actually write the book I’d been thinking about for years, I was successful when I found someone to coach me through the process. It wasn’t about having someone else do the work – I did all the writing, but I did it with someone who has successfully published thousands of books, so I got it done in three months. Not only did I get it done in a much shorter time than if I’d tried doing it on my own, but my book reached Best Seller status and has launched me into coaching, teaching professional development, presenting at conferences, being a guest for webinars, podcasts and radio shows, and mentoring other music teachers. I was far more successful at writing a book and so much more because I worked with a mentor instead of trying to figure it out on my own.

Band Director Boot Camp is the same concept. I’ve taught over 30,000 classes in my teaching career, so I’ll teach you how to sidestep common pitfalls and energy-suckers and spend more time teaching music. I will be your resource and help you identify and reach your milestones, whether that involves starting a booster program or setting up your first big trip, while saving you hours and hours of time – and lots of headaches and stress!

After reading I Love My Job but It’s Killing Me, Dr. Tim Lautzenheiser said, “Most of us have learned many of these lessons [overworking and burning out] THE HARD WAY. We are convinced we can “push a bit harder” each time around…but – alas – we do burn up the engine in doing so. I want all the young teachers to read the book so they can avoid learning some of these lessons through self-abuse. This is a profound contribution to the entire educational profession.”

Band Director Boot Camp takes the principles of my first book and applies them to the life of a busy band director, giving you practical and proven strategies for being the badass band director you always dreamed of being!

If you’d like to learn more, check out this self-assessment to get a clearer picture of your goals and what is keeping you from reaching them.

Band Director Self-Assessment

I’m Looking for a Couple of Badass Band Directors

THANK YOU for submitting Moffat’s Music Teacher Mojo Meter.

If you are a band director who loves your job, knows what you’re doing makes a difference in kids’ lives, and you want to build a successful music program, then I want to meet you!

Check out my video if you want to find out how you can get more done in less time and have a sustainable music program for decades to come!

https://LesleyMoffatCalendar.as.me/

With you on the journey – Lesley