Elementary Music/Music Technology Blog

I often read the MENC general music discussion board because those posts contain a wealth of knowledge. Ones that really catch my eyes are the ones from first year teachers. I read a lot of posts from 1st and 2nd year teachers and I recall feeling all of their frustrations and fears during my first three years of teaching.

As I begin year 12 at the school that I currently teach, I remember the problems I had with classroom management the first few years; trying to follow a beloved teacher who had been there for 18 years; feelings of being extremely unprepared though I had spent 5 years as an undergraduate earning my music education and music performance degrees; and finally, questioning if this is the right profession and did I just waste 5 years of education…

If you speak with any teacher in the field, they will all tell you that at one point in their careers, they have had these feelings. During the first three years, you stumble, experiment with what works and what does not work, have no social life, and feel that your classroom consumes you. And, that is OK because it does get better. When you get to that fourth year, you begin to see your teaching paying off. The students are progressing because they have had your curriculum for three years. Those students who used to tell you “Mr or Mrs so-and-so never did it THAT way” have moved on to other grades. The students now know what to expect of you and you have grown some to know what to expect of certain age groups. Your concerts are growing on the parents so that you do not have to justify and validate every song anymore. In addition, I hope that your salary is also progressing. Your time management skills have improved and you have a bank of good lesson plans. Therefore, your social life is improving. Finally, you are probably required to fulfill professional development hours and you hopefully can now pick and choose workshops that are worthwhile to your teaching situation.

None of this occurs overnight. It takes time. The first year is purely for survival. And as you progress through the years you begin to see where your strengths and weaknesses are and you begin to see if there are other teaching positions that might fit your needs better or if the job you currently have is one that you can commit to for many years.

One final thought: When I began teaching at my current school, I had no music technology experience. None. It was not required for my undergraduate degree. When my colleague found a grant to turn her music classroom into a keyboard lab, I thought of ways to not use her lab. When she left a few months later, I was challenged to figure out how to use music technology in an elementary musical setting. I have enjoyed the challenge and in the process have learned many other methodologies (Kodaly, Orff, Gordon, etc) and have experienced some of the best “a ha!” teaching moments.

If you are a first year teacher, please do not give up. Email me if you ever need a pep talk. And if you are going to begin year 5, 10, 12, 20, 25, or 30+ at the same school (or not at the same school), congratulations!