In spite of what the stupid title of my book claims, stress is inevitable.
Your response to stress, however, is what determines how you (and your students) ultimately get through the year.
As we head into a third school year being impacted by the pandemic, we have so much more to do than just teach kids how to play music.
For many of us, we lost the opportunity to have our students play music together in ensembles because we were teaching remotely or had other obstacles that prevented us from doing the very thing our classes are intended to do. It’s tempting to want to jump right back to doing things just like we used to now that we’re going back to full-time face-to-face teaching. But after 18 months of non-traditional learning, our students (and we) need more than that.
How we step into “Music Ed 2.0” is important. It’s all about building a safe and strong community for our artists.
Things are different now. That doesn’t mean they are worse, but they are different.
Where to you even begin when it comes to reestablishing routines, traditions, and all of the other things that are the foundation of our music programs after losing those opportunities and experiences for the past year and a half?
It’s going to take a lot of intentional planning to do this work. Are YOU ready to step into next year with your own mental and physical health in tact?
Are you prepared to identify and support your students’ social and emotional needs so they can express themselves as artists in your classroom?
Not sure where to start? No problem. I’ve got your back.
Check out my latest book, where I share the strategies I teach my students and clients to support a holistic and healthy approach to music education.
As Dr. Tim said about this book,
“This latest-greatest contribution offers a tried-and-true blueprint for vocational success while embracing the critical importance of fueling one’s mental, emotional, and physical health.”
Dr. Tim Lautzenheiser, Foreword, “Love the Job, Lose the Stress”
