Vision Boards, Lin-Manuel Miranda, and a Surprise

When One Teacher Didn’t Throw Away Her Shot

Featured NAfME Member Spotlight | Lesley Moffat

Online band is hard.

In an environment where students and teachers normally collaborate and work toward shared goals through the work we do in our ensembles, I was struggling with how to teach those important skills in a virtual environment, and I knew that if I didn’t find a way to help students nurture those skills now, then it would make our work harder when we eventually return to the classroom.

Enter—vision boards.

One of the activities my students and I did is create vision boards that identify one goal we want to accomplish by the end of the school year. When we were making the boards, students asked me what my goal is, and I replied, “I want to have Lin-Manuel Miranda as a guest co-host for You, Me, & A Cup of Tea” (which is the new daily routine we do at the beginning of each class: I spotlight a different student each day with an interview, and they share some music with the class). We’ve been studying Hamilton, and I saw the opportunity for him to not only inspire my own students who are desperately missing making music with their friends but also to speak to music teachers and students with whom I could share this video.

My purpose in doing so was to 1) show my students the power of having a vision, taking steps to reach the goal, and reaching out for help when they need help, and 2) creating a video that can be shared with music educators and students around the world who could use some uplifting words from Lin-Manuel to remind them of the power of the arts—and not to give up when circumstances become difficult.

Fast-forward a few weeks—a short video I posted on Facebook was viewed tens of thousands of times and shared by hundreds of people. I received countless messages with email addresses and other ways to contact Lin-Manuel. I followed up with all of the leads.

But it was William who got Lin to respond.

I awoke early one morning to find a package on my front porch with a note that said, “DO NOT OPEN UNTIL DIRECTED BY Honors Wind Ensemble.” A few hours later during our online class, I was instructed to open the mystery box.

Inside the box was an envelope. When Will said, “Ms. Moffat, who’s it from?”, I looked at the return address, and my jaw fell to the floor when I saw Lin-Manuel Miranda’s name in the top left-hand corner of the envelope!

As I opened the envelope and I realized what Will had done, the tears started flowing.

In my hands was a handwritten note thanking me for my work with my students. And on my computer screen I saw the dozens of kiddos I’ve been with for years share in the joy and excitement of this moment.

Excerpt from Will’s email to me about how this happened:

“I was pretty excited too because less than 24 hours after sending an email to Lin-Manuel, I got a response back from his wife! I was amazed out of my mind that I was talking to Lin-Manuel’s wife! She said that Lin-Manuel would write you a handwritten letter, and I got so excited! I didn’t think it would arrive because of the valiant efforts you have been making to meet him. When I got the letter in the mail, I started jumping up and down! I was not only excited that I was holding something touched by THE Lin-Manuel Miranda, but I was also excited to see your reaction. I have experienced a lot of troubles throughout this pandemic that a lot of other people have as well. It made me so happy to see your reaction and feel the joy coming through the screen. It also made me happy that we can still enjoy these experiences through zoom and still make everyone happy.
I am beyond honored to have received a handwritten letter from Lin-Manuel. Sharing that joy with the kids was really a powerful bonding moment—much like when we all have a performance that required a lot of hard work to make happen, but the payoff is grand when it all comes together.”

Since we couldn’t have a winter concert this year, I created a special video for my students to summarize our Online Band experience. The letter from Lin-Manuel made the video. (Disclaimer: My first day ever rapping was 36 hours before recording this . . . just sayin’!)

I have not given up on having Lin-Manuel as a co-host for You, Me & A Cup of Tea. I have put together a handful of questions to ask him to inspire teachers and students who are struggling with missing making music with their peers and questions for his advice to decision-makers about the importance of keeping the arts alive and well in spite of financial challenges. Our kids have never needed the arts like they do now during these challenging times.

About the author:

NAfME member Lesley Moffat has taught high school band for more than thirty years and is currently the Director of Bands at Jackson High School in Mill Creek, Washington. She is the author of I Love My Job But It’s Killing Me: The Teacher’s Guide to Conquering Chronic Stress and Sickness and Love the Job, Lose the Stress. Moffat has been a presenter at multiple NAfME conferences and participated in conferences and webinars for Washington, Illinois, and Pennsylvania as well as being a guest on podcasts and serving as a guest conductor and adjudicator throughout the Pacific Northwest.

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The National Association for Music Education (NAfME) provides a number of forums for the sharing of information and opinion, including blogs and postings on our website, articles and columns in our magazines and journals, and postings to our Amplify member portal. Unless specifically noted, the views expressed in these media do not necessarily represent the policy or views of the Association, its officers, or its employees.

January 8, 2021. © National Association for Music Education (NAfME.org)Tags: arts education, band, Hamilton, Lin-Manuel Miranda, online class, virtual learning, vision board, zoom

What’s the Secret for Music Teachers Who Don’t Feel Anxiety on Sunday Night When They Think about School?

They have a plan – and I’m not talking about a lesson plan for delivering content. I’m talking about a plan for intentionally creating a space where their students and they feel connected, supported, and at-ease.

But what does that look like?

I invite you to grab a cup of coffee or tea (or put something stronger in your mug, no one needs to know) and join me to tacet for a few minutes and experience how you can help ease your own (and your students’) anxiety so you can spend more time making music together and less time feeling overwhelmed.

I hope this short video gives you a much-needed opportunity to pause and take a breath before heading into the rest of the school year.

We’ve got a long road ahead of us. With a little attention to intention, we can make the journey better for everyone.

2021 – Let’s do this!

Lesley

Music Educator Mindful Intention Setting 2021 Replay

Here We Go Into A New Year. Are You Ready?

With all we’ve dealt with in the past 10 months, it’s not surprising that many music teachers are at their wits end as they struggle with student engagement and worry about how they’ll keep their programs alive for next year.

We had zero training for what we’ve endured, and it’s been one heck of a ride to try and figure all of this out. And as we head into spring, we’ll be dealing with registration for next year. That can be scary enough during “normal” times. It’s down right frightening for many music educators right now who are seeing students fall away the further we get into the pandemic.

Are your students eager to show up for your classes? Are they going to continue signing up for your classes? In spite of the way you are teaching (virtual, hybrid or in-person), are they showing up and participating with enthusiasm or has all that amazing momentum you usually experience through ensembles evaporating and leaving you all frustrated and worried?

While many music teachers were masterful at finding apps and activities for students to do in their classes, building the sense of community that is normally such an inherent part of our ensemble classes during a pandemic was incredibly challenging. For many, it was an impossible task and they are now seeing what happens when our normally tight-knit classes are turned upside down.

We all know that the sense of community we create in our ensembles is the backbone of the success our students experience as musicians, but knowing how to create it while also trying to figure out how to pivot to online instruction overnight and all the other stuff we had to do was just too overwhelming for a lot of teachers. The result of that has been many music teachers and students becoming disengaged and frustrated at all they’ve lost during this time.

The stress on students and teachers has been pretty rough. And that has had a negative effect on many aspects of everyone’s music education experiences this year.
When teachers are in a healthy place emotionally and physically, they are much more equipped to lead their students through this hard stuff.

Music teachers who are part of the mPowered Music Educator Academy have been practicing the secret I’ve used for years in my high school band classes – in person and virtually – and they (and their students) are reporting feeling connected and are managing many of the stressors their colleagues and friends are experiencing.

What’s the secret?

mPowered Music Educators have learned that the best way to support their students’ social and emotional needs is by supporting their own social and emotional needs so they can model the benefits of building the skills to navigate hard things. They do this by implementing my mPower Method I designed especially for music educators who want to do this important work without burning out.

What kind of example are you for your students when you are exhausted, worried, full of anxiety, and sad about everything that’s happened to your program and all the work you have to do to hold things together?

Think about it – when you learned to be a music teacher, you had to master your instrument and learn other skills so you could model for your students. Social and emotional health is the same way.

What does this mean?

It means that the teachers who have been intentionally addressing their own and their students’ social and emotional needs are better able to support themselves and their students (and the longevity of their programs) through the challenges we’re facing.

It is easy to spend all our time finding ways to teach content. But the bigger payoff comes in finding ways to reach our students so we can teach our students.

Building a classroom culture that supports healthy and engaged students and teachers starts with two questions:

1) What do my students need?

2) How can I use music to meet those needs?

When those two questions become the driving force in your planning and serving as a music educator, everything becomes easier for you and your students.
Your responses to these questions may require you to think outside the box as you design (or redesign) how you teach.

THIS is where you start and then everything else falls into place.

I’ve been 100% virtual since March 13. In spite of that, student engagement has been 95.5% as measured by submission of assignments and daily MoffatGrams. Attendance is even higher. And that’s because the “band room” is still a place where students’ social and emotional needs are being met.

Don’t take my word for it. On December 18, I surveyed my high school band students.
Here’s what they said:

83.5 % of my students rate their “online band’ experience as SATISFYING or VERY SATISFYING.

82.4% of my students say there is a 75% or greater chance they’ll sign up for band again next year.

Our band classes look a lot different than they used to. But my students are growing as musicians and connecting to one another through their music activities in spite of the challenges.

Band is still a place where they can come and be with their friends, explore their art, and express themselves freely. They just do it in different ways than we did when we had in-person ensembles.

This is why they will return to classes next year.

Are you confident your students will be back next year?

Would you like support in making sure you and your students have the mPowered Advantage as you move into 2021 but you just aren’t sure where to start?

Moffat’s Music Ed Masterclass begins on January 4!
# Weekly live calls
# Lessons and templates you can copy and use for SEL and music lessons for your students
# Connections in a community of music educators to turn to and share ideas with
# Support from me – over 30 years of experience as a high school band director, author, mom of three, and coach – as you face unprecedented challenges
# Much, much more!

If you want to know more about this opportunity for exceptional music teachers, please complete the Music Ed Masterclass Application. If your responses indicate you’d be a good fit, I’ll reach out to set up a quick interview so we can chat.

Start 2021 with a decision that supports YOU in making a positive difference for your students without burning out! You are worth it.

With you on this journey-Lesley

Music Ed Masterclass Application

A Tribute to “Online Band” in 2020!

At my age, the only wrapping I should be doing this time of the year is wrapping gifts. But it’s 2020 – and here I am at the age of 55 making my rapping debut for my students!

We just finished a month-long study of Hamilton, so this seemed appropriate.

Most of them had their cameras on today and their faces were priceless. It was worth risking my dignity to see all the smiles and laughter.

I share this in hopes of reminding you what we CAN do to keep kids engaged and growing as artists and musicians no matter what circumstances we find ourselves in.

Watch at your own risk. 🙂

Cheers to a safe and healthy new year!

Will Your Music Program Survive the Pandemic?

For a FREE sneak peek at my latest book, go to mPoweredEducator.com/contact

Music teachers across the country are struggling with engagement and are worried about retention as they teach under stressful circumstances brought about by the pandemic.

I’ve talked to thousands of music educators, and their fears about students enrolling for their classes next year and their program longevity have them anxious as they worry that their life’s work as a music educator is in jeopardy.

Add to that the challenges they’re having engaging students in a virtual, hybrid, or in-person-but-wearing-masks-and-social-distancing scenario and it’s no wonder there is wide-spread panic among so many music teachers.

The past ten months have turned many thriving music programs upside down. In schools where kids were able to experience active music programs, students and teachers are now facing the harsh reality of not being able to make music together and it’s devastating to students, teachers, and the music programs.

The biggest frustrations I’m hearing from music teachers include:

A lot of students are not engaging in activities
Students who usually thrive in ensembles seem lost in our new environment
Students are expressing sadness at not having “normal” ensembles and are dropping out
Delivering important content and using all the latest apps aren’t enough to keep students actively engaged in making music and collaborating with their peers
The honeymoon period is over and kids (and teachers) are burning out
The love of teaching music that propels music teachers during challenging times isn’t present in this pandemic teaching environment and many are depressed and at their wit’s end
If we don’t meet our students’ social and emotional needs, they will find other electives where those needs can be met

What if I told you it doesn’t have to be this way?

What if you could change things?

How would your life be different right now if you could:

Get over 90% of your students engaged on a daily basis
Spend less time planning lessons but have more engaging activities that draw your students in
Have students who actively participate in a variety of activities that support them as musicians in addition to supporting a collaborative environment no matter what kind of teaching situation you face
Meet yours and your students’ social and emotional needs so your classroom returns to being a place of refuge, community, and creativity – and the stress levels for you and your students are reduced while engagement and a sense of belonging are increased
Feel energized and excited again as a music teacher instead of feeling like your world is falling apart

Well I have some very GOOD NEWS for you!

Since the moment our schools were closed on March 13, I’ve been obsessed with helping music students and teachers thrive during and after the pandemic and now I’m opening up my private coaching group for a few more music teachers who recognize the opportunity we have in this moment to either reimagine music education or face some major losses.

My newest book, Love the Job, Lose the Stress: Successful Social and Emotional Learning in the Modern Music Classroom, is all about the steps I’ve taken with my own students and the strategies I use with my clients that have helped us to thrive in spite of the circumstances in which we find ourselves.

Even though their situations vary widely, their feedback about what they’ve learned through our work together is consistent. Here are a few comments from some of the directors I work with.

“I feel so supported, and inspired, and Lesley makes me feel confident that I can tackle this “new normal” with a good plan, and some stillness! I look forward to the class every week, and am excited when rolling out these new lessons, and seeing my students progress each week! She’s able to respectfully coach and talk more specifically about what my students need in my teaching situation, and she does this for each student in her class.”
Lindsey – Band Teacher and Client

“What I’ve learned has been invaluable and has made me a calmer teacher who has been more present with my students, and has made me actually enjoy teaching during a global pandemic. I look forward to learning more from her in the future.”
L.O. – Music Teacher in Music Ed Masterclass

“Teaching during a pandemic has been crazy–I think everyone can agree with that. However, I haven’t felt the same kind of stress that I had in the spring and I attribute that largely to what I have learned from Lesley. Taking the time to address students’ social emotional needs first, and then proceeding with content has allowed us to grow together, and to have successful experiences in the classroom regardless of the pandemic.”
Evonne G – Middle School Music Teacher and Client since June, 2020

Here’s the good news for YOU … I am opening up a few spots in my Music Ed Masterclass starting in January!

I’m taking all the best nuggets I’ve shared with my clients in our weekly classes and creating a course where you will:

Have access to SEL lessons I’ve designed specifically with the intent of keeping students actively engaged in the music-making process during virtual, hybrid, or in-person teaching

Meet weekly with the Music Ed Masterclass where you will learn additional tips, share ideas, and get hands-on experience with implementing successful SEL activities in your classroom

Get personalized coaching with me to talk about you, your students, and your program so we can come up with ways to meet their needs so your program survives
A group of highly motivated music educators from all over who will become your support system and accountability buddies – an absolute MUST if you are to survive this with your program and sanity in-tact!

I’m looking for a few music teachers to join the Music Ed Masterclass beginning in January.

If you are looking for support in meeting the social and emotional needs of your students so they’ll continue to engage and enroll in your classes, complete this quick application to see if we’d be a good fit to work together.

This class is geared toward music teachers who know the power of music education and who are looking for innovative and proven ways to engage and retain students through challenging situations so the long-term survival of their programs as well as the immediate needs of their students can be met – all without burning out the already overworked music educator!

Apply Now

BONUS for registering by December 31 = 50% off your first month tuition!

Hurry – limited spots are available. If your responses indicate we could be a good fit to work together, I will reach out and set up a call with you.

How different will the rest of your school year be if you’ve got a support system in place to help you serve your students and keep your program alive during and after the pandemic? The peace of mind alone is priceless.

Here’s to a renewed 2021!

Lesley

Today Was My Final Evaluation, and I Ended Up In Tears.

It’s my 32nd year of teaching, so this shouldn’t have been a big deal. I’ve been through dozens of these and had no reason to believe this would be any different other than the fact that it was taking place online due to the pandemic.

Mr. Peters and I met on Zoom, and after exchanging pleasantries, he screen-shared my evaluation form.

There on page six he had a running narrative of what was going on in the classroom:

T askes Ss to raise their hands if they had a trill at the end.
T: …We don’t breathe before the deedle-eedle-eet – that would sound silly… I want you to hear the melody and realize how hard it is at this speed, because they have to take in gigantic amounts of air in…
T: Keeping a beautiful tone at all times, you’re doing a nice job keeping long phrases – keep doing that.
T stopped Ss playing just after a measure.
T: I’m going to show you what I heard and then I’m going to show you what I want.
T demonstrated the measure using the piano, tune with different fingers coming in at slightly different times vs. all simultaneously. Told Ss to “Lock in even better… nice and together.” Acknowledged when she heard the improvement she was looking for.
S took responsibility – “I know what I did.” T thanked him, moved on.
T: I loved that we didn’t all start our articulations the same and that you eventually came together!

As he scrolled through a couple more pages of that narrative, I saw in front of me what an ordinary day used to be like in the band room at our school. Oh, the things I took for granted.

I was reminded of the sense of accomplishment we’d feel when we’d woodshed a passage and finally master it. Or the wave of emotion that would sweep over all of us when we’d executed a passage with exceptional passion. Or the simple thrill of watching that third clarinet player finally get over the break without alarming the rest of the band with horrible squeaking.

All of the seemingly ordinary things we did every single day at school seem so much more significant now that we have been away from our kids for a couple of months. I long for the days when we could high-five ’em as they walked in our classrooms and then settle them in for 55 minutes of music and memory-making.

As I read the narrative of what happened in my classroom during wind ensemble on that ordinary day in November, tears poured from my eyes as it finally sunk in just how precious that time together had been. Those days in our classrooms did so much more than just teach kids how to play songs. Through the process of developing as musicians, I watched them grow up. I watched them overcome personal struggles and challenges. I grew to love them not just as music students, but as humans. We’d become a family and suddenly the pain of being ripped from my band family was really raw and all I could do was cry.

I am sad for so many things that we’ve lost as a school, community, nation, and world. I worry about the future of everything from education to survival and more. And I wonder how I can continue to be a band director and serve my students in a post-pandemic world.

I don’t have all the answers, but I know it’s up to me to do a few things:

Identify the core values and concepts I am charged with teaching my students
Figure out how to deliver that content in a safe and meaningful way
Implement strategies that will help me sustain my own mental and physical health so I can support my students for the long-haul

If you are a music teacher who is looking for strategies to support the long-term survival of your music program and sustainable ways for you to balance work and family lives while you do this important work, then I invite you to do a self-assessment that can help you identify your readiness for what lies ahead. It will help you ask yourself the questions you need to face as you plan for what’s next.

We have important work to do, and I, for one, plan to be ready to serve my students in spite of the obstacles that will arise as we get closer to September. Budget cuts, loss of performance and trip opportunities, and the fear of the unknown can be crippling – but our kids are counting on us to be brave, step up, and be there for them.

Take five minutes and check-in with yourself using this self-assessment. The peace of mind that comes when you get the clarity you need to take the next step can make the difference between stepping into the next few months in fear or with purpose. I choose purpose!

Self-Assessment for Music Teacher Readiness-for-September

How Will We Sustain Ourselves, Our Students, and Our Programs During and After This Pandemic?

Are you a “Type-A, super-organized, ultra-planner” who is used to being in control kind of teacher and now feels like a fish out of water as you undo all of your spring events, plan new activities for distance learning, and try to figure out what next year might look like for you and your program?

This is a pretty unnerving place to be, especially for those of us who like to plan in advance and be prepared. How can we possibly do that for our programs when we have no idea what next year might look like? How can we offer music classes to students and grow our ensembles when being socially distant might mean limited in-person classes and activities next year?

Now that the initial shock and disbelief that our in-person school year ended in March has worn off, many of us are beginning to wonder how we are possibly going to be able to do our jobs when school finally does resume. There are so many unknowns about what education will look like that it can be paralyzing, frightening, and extremely overwhelming to think about. And when we consider the impact all this can potentially have on our music programs, well, it can be downright discouraging.

I remember the same kind of feeling after 9/11.

I was just starting my 14th year of teaching. As a parent, I was scared about what this tragic event meant for my own kids’ future. My girls were 4, 8, and 12 at the time, and in order for my husband to remain employed, he had to transfer to a different work location, making his commute three or more hours per day. I found myself with very long days that started with zero period jazz band classes and ended with evening activities, trying to balance the extra parenting responsibilities I had while my husband was commuting. As a teacher in the changing landscape of education after that event and the stressors that came with it, I really struggled to keep it all together.

Fast-forward 19 years. Ready or not, as a result of this pandemic, we are at another major changing point in education. Having experienced teaching and parenting after a major event that impacted life as we had known it before, I am prepared to share what I learned through my personal story so other teachers can skip a lot of the growing pains and be the teachers, parents, and partners they want to be and come out stronger on the other side.

Educators are natural leaders. Being a leader at a time like this requires vision, passion, and stamina. Being a leader during distance learning while juggling your own family, limited access to resources, and sketchy internet can be incredibly challenging. But as music teachers, we are not intimidated by challenges. In fact, we often thrive in situations that seem impossible to mere mortals.

If you are a music teacher with a vision of helping your students be the best version of themselves through the magic of music education and you want to be a leader who does that in spite of the circumstances, then I want to invite you to check out my new book.

In my latest book, I share all kinds of strategies and resources that will help you do this important work efficiently, with greater ease, and with less of a drain on your energy. Having taught more than 30,000 classes in my career while raising a family of my own, I’ve walked the walk and am delighted to be able to pass on what I’ve learned.

The book will be published next month, but YOU can get a FREE advanced copy of the ebook NOW and get started on tapping into strategies for your long-term stamina as a music teacher!

If you read it and find it helpful, I’d love to know. In fact, if you send me any feedback before May 4, I can include it in the eBook that will be published next month on Amazon! I would be really grateful for any reviews because that will help me get it into more people’s hands, and that was the whole reason for writing it in the first place. 🙂

I’m really grateful to Dr. Tim for his enthusiastic support. I put a sneak peek of his foreword below so you can see for yourself if this information will be helpful for you.

In-person teaching will one day resume. It will look different than what we’ve known it to be. We can either wait and see what happens, or we can be the leaders and visionaries who use our platforms as music educators to shape the future of music education.

Our students are counting on us, so let’s do this!

FREE Advanced Copy eBook!

Foreword

by Dr. Tim Lautzenheiser

Lesley Moffat’s newest book, Love the Job, Lose the Stress, redefines the term “self-help.” Her first best seller, I Love My Job, but It’s Killing Me, awakened us to a new landscape of personal and professional sanity. 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. Spot on! Bull’s eye!

What is uniquely wonderful about Lesley’s writing is based on her own teaching journey. Her wisdom reflects reality rather than hypothesis. She has “been to the well,” she “walks her talk,” and she does it with a sense of understanding unknown in common hours. Rather than simply focusing on the obvious, she delves into the why, what, and how of the given situations:

Here’s why you need to take stock of this concern or breakdown.
This is what you can do to reset your compass to achieve resolution.
… and this is how you can do it to reach your destination.

A bit of history: By all standards, Lesley Moffat was at the top of her teaching (band directing) career. She developed a program-of-excellence recognized (and envied) by her colleagues. The numbers grew, the quality soared, and the awards continued to spotlight this one-of-a-kind culture-of-artistic-excellence being driven by her ongoing desire to serve the students, the school, and the community. However, all of this manifested at the expense of Lesley’s health and well-being. To attain these high, self-appointed educational standards, she was short-changing the most important part of her program: Lesley Moffat. Let us be reminded of this cornerstone truth: “You can’t lead others until you lead yourself.” Fortunately, she recognized her plight and executed a massive course-correction. Now, we are the benefactors of her self-explored research via her trademark writing talents.

This manuscript is an endless treasure chest of immeasurable value. From the self-reflection templates to proven time-management skills, each page reveals yet another golden nugget you can integrate into your own daily agenda. This is not a book you read and then put on the shelf; rather it is a file cabinet of priceless data certain to bolster the health, happiness and good fortune of every (music) educator.

We’ve all heard the familiar teacher outcry, “I’m tired. I’m frustrated. My health is suffering. I live in stress. I don’t have a life. I don’t know what to do. I want to give-up. I’m just plain burnt out!” It truly is “a sad state of affairs” when one experiences this kind of desperation. Might I suggest that reading Love the Job, Lose the Stress offers-up a powerful prescription availing us to a personal/professional avenue arriving at one’s desired contentment and fulfillment.

Lesley, thank you! We know the master teachers are also keystone role models. That being said, you are an exemplar for all of us!

As If Our Jobs Weren’t Already Stressful Enough … How Will You Serve Your Students In This New Normal? And How Do You Do It Without Becoming Even More Emotionally Exhausted As You Help Kids Cope with Stress, Anxiety, and Uncertainty?

Maybe you’re so overwhelmed right now that you haven’t thought very far beyond how to survive and function as the whole world is transitioning from what we’ve always done and known into a completely different reality.

I’m 54 years old – I was set to retire this year, and for the final few months of this school year, it looks like I’ll have the opportunity to completely revamp everything I’ve ever done!

I understand your stress. And I also know what you can do right now to protect yourself from going to those dark places where you feel so overwhelmed that you just want to give up.

Filtering through all the information that is coming at us and changing by the minute can put us in survival mode, which makes it impossible to access the parts of our brain where creativity and planning and functioning are regulated. It feels chaotic as everything we’ve ever done has completely been upended. And on top of making sure we and our families are okay, we are now thrust into a world where we must figure out how to teach band, choir, orchestra, and other music classes online.

Online. Seriously.

When I was at Indiana University in the early 1980s, computers weren’t really a thing for most of us. For the first seven years of my teaching career, I didn’t even have a computer at school. Everything I taught was done with me in front of my class delivering instruction and interacting with my students in real time.

Teaching face-to-face was how we learned and how we learned to teach. But in light of COVID 19, everything I’ve been doing in person with my students for the past 32 years has come to a grinding halt and, like you, I must figure out how to connect with my students and their families and somehow deliver meaningful experiences for them in spite of not being able to be physically present with them.

Even though I am a pretty chill woman who has been there and done that, I, too, am experiencing anxiety about how I can serve my students in a situation and future that are unpredictable.

I figured that I’m probably not the only one who needs to have coping mechanisms in order to not just survive but actually thrive, so I wanted to be on the forefront in talking about how music teachers can minimize the stress and maximize the opportunities that are arising.

Dr. Matthew Arau and I teamed up on Monday to share what we’ve learned in our combined nearly six decades of music education experience to help you cope with the stress that comes in the moment as you are trying to figure out how to get through each day as well as what you can do to prepare for a smooth re-entry when you and your students return to school.

Things will be very different. We can help you prepare now so your new normal will be one where you and your students can thrive. I hope you’ll check out our webinar and tons of free resources we’ve put together for you.

You are not alone in this. Reach out to people like us rather than spinning your wheels and trying to figure it out on your own.

Music educators have always changed the world through the magic of music education – and we’re gonna keep doing it no matter what obstacles arise.

Together we rise.

With you on the journey –
Lesley

FREE Resources

WEBINAR with Lesley & Matthew 1-Click Replay

PS – Join me next Monday at 9:00 am pacific time to talk about what you can start doing NOW to make returning to your classroom as smooth as possible for you and your students.

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

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