As I’ve talked to hundreds of music educators over the past few months, it’s been exciting to see how many of you recognize the positive impact that intentionally teaching students how to focus and pay attention has on their individual success and for the entire class.
When I knew it was time for me to write a book, I struggled with how to do it. Should I start with a title, or do I write the chapters first? Do I write them in order? How do I decide what’s important to include and what not to include? I had SO many questions that I became paralyzed and almost didn’t move forward.
I knew that if I was going to be successful in writing a book, I needed help from someone who had successfully done that before AND who had taught other people to do it before, so I found a mentor. That was the best investment I could have made.
I signed up to work with Angela Lauria on August 17, 2018. With the guidance of someone who had plenty of experience doing what I wanted to do, I not only wrote a book, but I’ve published TWO #1 International Bestsellers – and in just two short years, I have gone from dreaming of writing a book to publishing two of them and teaching the contents of the books at conferences, webinars, podcasts, and through the groups I coach.
My ability to achieve this dream in such a short amount of time came because I had the support of a mentor and a tribe of other authors who supported one another through the process. We were all writing different books, but we faced many of the same challenges, and by hearing one another share our victories and difficulties, we all learned how to become successful authors.
If you know that incorporating SEL activities will help your students be more prepared to be engaged and focused but you aren’t sure how to set it up, introduce it, and successfully implement it when it gets hard, then I’d love to talk to you.
If you watched my webinar and are ready to take your students to new heights and would like to find out more about the support I offer, I invite you to set up a call with me to see if we’d be a good fit to work together. Just click the button at the bottom of this email to set up an appointment.
Here’s a little info – Let me know if I can be of service. Lesley
Now that bookstores are opening, I’m thrilled to have my book available in print nationwide!
THANK YOU to all of you who have already read the book, sent me notes about the changes you’ve made in your own life as the result of what you’ve learned, and helped make this a #1 International Bestseller in multiple categories!! đđȘ
Teachers have always dealt with stress, that is nothing new.
Over the past several months, I have spoken to hundreds of educators.
The anxiety they are experiencing with not knowing what to expect in the coming months and year are showing up as insomnia, worry, fear, and depression as we see all of the obstacles we are facing magnified as the level of stressors we are experiencing seems to be skyrocketing.
There are a lot of things we cannot control.
But what if you could take a little more control of a few things and therefore at least reduce your stress and all the negative impacts it has on your health? Wouldn’t NOW be the time to start so you have the stamina you need for whatever the upcoming year brings?
Good news, just in time for a new school year (whether that’s in-person, virtually, or in a hybrid situation), my book and is available in print!
My signature mPower Method helps you identify and then make changes in the areas of your life that are no longer serving you so you can be the best possible version of yourself. Thousands of people have used this book to jumpstart their personal wellness journey. Are you next?
Join me in celebrating the bookstore launch THIS FRIDAY. There will be lots of great giveaways from the publisher, so register today to get the scoop on all the good stuff.
We talk about professional development all the time. But what about the PERSONAL development of teachers? When do we give educators the tools they need to have the stamina to do the hard work that they do?
There is no doubt that this coming school year will be like no other.
From how we deliver instruction to handling all the new stressors that have been added to our plates (like raising your own kids while teaching a Zoom lesson to your students, having to plan for at least six different ways to deliver instruction, and not even knowing if your subject will be offered, for example), teachers will be under even more stress than ever.
The administrators who are keeping their staff members’ well-being in mind as they talk through the possible scenarios are demonstrating that they understand the connection between healthy teachers (physically, mentally, and emotionally) and student success.
What if YOU could be the hero who provides your staff with the gift of personal development? Do you think they might be able to serve students better if they weren’t so overwhelmed, overworked, and overstressed?
Teachers and administrators are notorious for planning ahead and having backup plans for our backup plans, but nothing truly prepared any of us for the uncertainty, anxiety, and stressors we are dealing with now that there’s a pandemic sweeping the globe and there is so much unrest.
Somehow, staff members across the country are going to meet our students either virtually or in person and support them in a learning environment that will be new, difficult to manage, and full of challenges that go way beyond what we’ve been trained to do.
There are so many unknowns and it has teachers from coast to coast reeling.
In my interviews with dozens of educators over the past few months, they keep asking questions like:
Why am I so sad, anxious, and unable to sleep?
Now that I’m working from home, my work and personal lives are so intertwined. How can I get a reasonable balance between my professional and personal lives?
I’m so overwhelmed, I don’t even know what to do first to wrap my head around all this. What can I do to feel a sense of control again?
How are teachers who are struggling with our own emotions supposed to also support students, parents, and their own families when getting through each day is so difficult?
From book clubs and wellness groups to individuals and private clients, thousands of educators have used my signature mPower Method to help them identify the biggest challenges that keep them from being the most effective teacher they can be and what they can do to overcome them. Through the self-assessments and homework, readers are able to pinpoint the areas where they’re struggling, what the possible root causes for their problems are, and concrete steps they can take to finding sustainable solutions that help them function at their best.
Education is the key to success.
And that’s why administrators who recognize the important role teacher wellness plays in the success of students, schools, and communities, invest in the very people who are responsible for the welfare of others. The realize that if the teachers are not healthy and happy, it is very diffiult for them to be fully present for their students.
Supporting teachers in their personal development has never been easier or more effective – or more important!
For a short time only, administrators are eligible for a fantastic offer from my publisher and me because you have enough on your plates to worry about you know this is important to address, so let us help you.
If you are an administrator, I can help you provide staff members with the tool they need to:
Identify their biggest stressors and what they can do to reduce the impact of the stress on their health
Learn how to effectively balance work and personal lives, whether that’s in-person or virtual teaching
Use simple and practical techniques to help them create habits that support them based on their personal and professional situation so they can serve their students and stay healthier
Find ways to stay mentally and physically fit for a school year that will require more stamina than ever before
If you purchase print copies of I Love My Job but It’s Killing Me in bulk before July 31, you’ll receive a discount off the list price of $14.95 AND get some pretty cool bonuses. Check it out:
July 2020 Bundle Bonuses
You can reserve your books now (no payment required at this time). As soon as you submit your request, I will be notified and will contact you about delivery and payment. We DO accept POs and credit cards.
Act NOW because my publisher has big changes coming in August, so these offers can’t last.
You will get a link for an immediate download of ebook to share with your staff so they can start any time!
All bonuses can be scheduled upon receipt of payment.
Print books will be delivered from publisher as soon as they are available.
My books are #1 International Best Sellers in a variety of categories because the techniques I teach are practical, effective, and sustainable:
Work-Related Health
Education
Classroom Management
Injury Prevention
Holistic Medicine
Administrators have important roles to play in the well-being of their staff. The benefits of having teachers who have the stamina to make it through all the challenges that come with the new school year make this an investment that will impact your staff, students, and community…and make your job a little easier, too!
THANK YOU for the important work you do through your countless hours and dedication. I look forward to working with you and your staff!
With all the things you have to do to prepare to teach next year, you may not have the time, energy, or desire to read a book to help yourself get healthy while you’re also figuring out how to do things in education without a playbook or the training you need. It might seem like too much work.
But what if you don’t invest in your own personal well-being? How in the heck are you supposed to be there to support struggling students, colleagues, your own family, and yourself when you’re dealing with all kinds of stressors and so many things you can’t control?
GREAT NEWS: All the strategies I wrote about in my books are now available in an online coursewhere I guide you through the nuggets you need to manage the never-ending stressors that come with teaching and parenting. This course cuts to the chase with real and practical solutions you implement to get you the results you need so you can weather this storm.
I’ve had thousands of people use the methods I teach in my books to help them conquer the chronic stress and exhaustion that comes with teaching, and now that information is more needed than ever.
Now that summer is here and there’s a limited amount of time for you to spend on getting your own stamina built up so you can be successful next year in spite of all the challenges we’re facing, I’ve reimagined my curriculum (my books) and put them in a format that can better serve busy stressed-out teachers during these unusual times. You can work at your own pace, easily completing the activities in a matter of a few weeks and then you’ll benefit from the changes you make from now on!
In this self-directed course, you will develop the skills you need to:
      Find a better balance between your work and personal lives
       Get your mental and physical health to a place where you are able to handle all of your responsibilities without crashing
       Identify your biggest stressors and take the necessary steps to reduce their impact on your health
       Spend less time spinning your wheels and more time getting results
       Get yourself ready to handle the 2020-2021 school yearâŠno matter what happens next
I know first-hand what happens to our minds and bodies when we are exposed to constant stress and impossible expectations. It sucks. It doesn’t have to be that way. I’d like to show you how you can build your resilience and not just make it through some unprecedented times, but how to do it without burning out.
Click the button below to find out how you can get this course at 90% off the regular tuition. As a special offer, I am introducing this online program at this rate as a way for a very limited time in order to make it accessible to every educator who recognizes the need to keep ourselves mentally and physically fit for the jobs we were born to do.
The course, which you’ll have access to for life, is available for $250 this week. As a FREE BONUS, I will include a 30-minute one-on-one strategy session to help you get the most out of this course for you if you download the class in the next seven days.
After you sign up, I will send you everything you need to get started on your road to better health now.
Why would I offer this program at a fraction of the regular tuition? I’ve been an educator for over 30 years. My parents and grandparents were teachers. My three children have all taught. I have a vested interest in the health and well-being of educators. Our future depends on us being able to do our jobs. This is my contribution to helping make it a sustainable profession.
We’ve got some serious work to do to be ready for whatever comes next. With you on this bumpy ride – Lesley
You’ve spent the last three months learning all kinds of new ways to deliver instruction and teach in a distance learning environment, despite never having experienced this as a learner or having been trained how to deliver all your content in new ways – and you made these changes overnight.
While you somehow got through the most surreal educational (and life) experience, you may be looking back at what you’ve learned and now have more questions than answers as we move forward.
Now that school has ended for this year and you’ve had a moment to take a breath, you may be wondering, “What in the hell am I going to do next year?”
How am I going to teach? Will I even have a job? How do I deliver content and realistically meet all the guidelines and expectations without spending 10 hours a day this summer rewriting my curriculum and planning for multiple types of teaching platforms and situations? How can I balance my family and professional lives when I don’t even know how classes will be structured? I’ve never been trained for distance teaching, and I’m not sure how to adapt my performance-based classes… there’s so much to worry about!
As educators, we tend to be organized with plans for every contingency that could come up. But in a pandemic and during a time when there’s so much anxiety about what school will look like in the fall, the time we normally take during the summer to relax and recharge can easily be hijacked by stress and fear of how to teach and support your own family in a sustainable way.
Are you going to spend all summer worrying about next year or would you rather spend it making sure you’re ready to face whatever comes at you without the stress, anxiety, and exhaustion taking over?
It’s possible to use the next few weeks as a time to rebuild your own toolbox with skills you can use to keep yourself in the best mental and physical space possible so you have the stamina to do this important work.
Don’t waste all summer trying to figure out where to start. Jump to the front of the line by figuring out how to recharge by identifying your own current mental and physical health status so you can determine what you can do to take care of your own needs so you can support your students, family, and yourself in the upcoming year.
Where do you even start when it comes to figuring out what is creating the most stress for you so you can begin to figure out how to address it?
I’ve designed an assessment to help you do just that!
Check out Moffat’s Mojo Meter for Educators. This quiz will help you identify the very things that are keeping you from being able to truly relax and recharge this summer.
I hope you find the few minutes you invest in taking this assessment to be helpful in identifying what you need to do for yourself in order to support everyone else through this journey.
The challenge of not knowing what to prepare for when school starts in the fall is stressful. Stress contributes to all kinds of health problems, both physically and mentally. I know this from first-hand experience.
Are you prepared for whatever comes your way or are you already envisioning the 14-hour work days that involve Plans A, B, C, D and more? Will you have the energy for your own family while teaching in person and/or remotely while also monitoring students’ health and safety?
How will you keep yourself mentally and physically fit so that you can handle all of your responsibilities at school and at home without collapsing?
If you aren’t sure if you’re prepared for the challenges of having a healthy work/life balance come September, check out my Music Teacher Mojo Meter. This quick self assessment lets you get a snapshot of your readiness for teaching during a pandemic.
By asking yourself these questions, you can easily identify where your strengths have been and what your biggest obstacles will be moving forward. You can’t fix what you can’t identify.
Summer is the perfect time to invest in YOU – and this summer is the most important summer to put habits in place that will support you in the upcoming school year. We’ve got important work to do – and we must have the stamina to be able to do it!
I hope my Music Teacher Mojo Meter is a helpful tool in helping you figure out what you can do to support yourself through this stressful time.
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: âŠWe 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 inâŠ
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!
Join veteran band director and author Lesley Moffat as she discusses how to assess your readiness to return to teaching music in the fall. Lesley will present strategies to help you define your core values as a teacher, set goals for teaching to those values, outline strategies to achieve them, and design a 4-Minute Protocol to help students focus their minds and make rehearsals the best part of their day.
Lesley Moffat has taught high school band for over thirty years in the Pacific Northwest. Following decades of chronic illness and exhaustion that were the result of the stress that comes with running a band program, she revamped her teaching strategies to support a healthier balance and lifestyle. Now on a mission to help other music teachers navigate the responsibilities of teaching music in a post-pandemic educational system, she founded the mPowered Music Educator Academy, where she runs the Band Director Boot Camp â a program that gives the music teacher tools to build a successful program without burning out.
Lesley is the author of I Love My Job but Itâs Killing Me as well as the upcoming Love the Job, Lose the Stress.
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. đ
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!
Lesley Moffatâs newest book, Love the Job, Lose the Stress, redefines the term âself-help.â Her first best seller, I Love My Job, but Itâs 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 oneâs mental, emotional and physical health. Spot on! Bullâs eye!
What is uniquely wonderful about Lesleyâs writing is based on her own teaching journey. Her wisdom reflects reality rather than hypothesis. She has âbeen to the well,â she âwalks 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:
Hereâs 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 Lesleyâs 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: âYou canât lead others until you lead yourself.â 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.
Weâve all heard the familiar teacher outcry, âIâm tired. Iâm frustrated. My health is suffering. I live in stress. I donât have a life. I donât know what to do. I want to give-up. Iâm just plain burnt out!â It truly is âa sad state of affairsâ 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!
Helping your students and program thrive after this long school shutdown and months without in-person instruction is going to be incredibly challenging, even for the most experienced teachers among us.
And supporting your students while you are grieving the loss of this school year, missed opportunities, and proper goodbyes will be emotionally draining.
What’s your plan for maintaining your own sanity and stamina so you can serve your students without experiencing the emotional drain of secondary trauma? And how will you engage students who will experience increased anxiety, depression, distractions, and trauma of their own that will make learning even harder for them?
I’ve thought about this a LOT, and in week three of Music Ed Mondays with Moffat, I go through some concrete steps you can take to help you prepare to teach in a post-COVID world.
I can’t make your situation change, but I can share proven strategies for coping with the emotional and physical toll it takes to effectively connect with students and reach them when they are struggling with difficult issues that make it challenging for them to settle down and focus on learning.
I invite you to check out this link for all of the webinars and slide decks, which include links to tons of FREE resources I’ve created in my mission to help music teachers combine their passion for music education with a lifestyle that keeps them healthy enough to have the stamina to stay in the job for a very long time.
Please join me on my webinars every Monday in April for Music Ed Mondays and use the time you are away from school to prepare for the new kind of educational environment in which we will all be immersed. You can be a leader in the transformation or wait and see what happens then figure out what to do. I prefer to be proactive and prepared, and I hope you’ll come on this journey with me.
