I have been teaching for a long time—45 years. My parents have always been completely supportive of my decision to teach music. What they knew about the school teaching profession was it was a 9-month job that provided security and a summer “off.” It wasn’t until long into my career when realized teachers rarely take summers “off” and often pack their summers with a crazy amount of stuff, some job-related and some not.
Now that we are nearly into summer, most of us have already made plans. Among those, I hope you have set aside some YOU time, to relax, breathe, and wind down. Among the things you do this summer might be working with beginners who are eager to start an instrument or working on curriculum development or revision. Maybe you are creating a new marching band show or writing new music. Music educators are busy in the summer.
Summer can also be a time when we consider our tools with a discerning eye. Some of the stuff in that toolkit might be in great shape, while other stuff might need reinvigoration. Summer can afford us time to restore, polish, and adjust. What might this entail? Let’s take a look.
Short Workshops
If you don’t have a lot of time but want a quick refresher, a short workshop might be exactly what you need. Scour the professional resources—magazines, journals, and email blasts—for opportunities near you. One-day clinics are abundant, and you might find there is something in your vicinity. While on-site and in-person are terrific, online and remote are helpful, too. It’s likely these short workshops are not too expensive, don’t take too much time, and you could be learning at the hands of some of the best experts in the field.
Short workshops could also include weekend programs, making them a bit more robust compared to one-day options. If you can afford the time and cost, a few more days on task will offer great benefits and won’t take a huge chunk out of your summer days.
Bigger Investments
Beyond the one-dayers or weekenders, there are plenty of lengthier clinics that probably have your name written all over them. Universities often provide these opportunities for graduate students and non-matriculated students as well. These not only provide you with a wealth of knowledge and experience but will put you in the company of like-minded others who also want to refresh and recharge. Good community helps to bolster happiness. None of us should be an island; we all need partners.
Clinics such as these cover a gamut of ideas and topics. Some are more academic, with a focus on issues concentrated on the growth and development of the profession. Others are more application focused, with an eye toward helping participants sharpen current skills or build new ones. This could be a good time to be brave and try something you have always wanted to do but could never find the time. Maybe you want to gain some skills on guitar, ukelele, DAWs, or AI. Maybe you want to be a better conductor. Perhaps you want to try your hand at songwriting. Do it! Summer is an excellent time to shine the spotlight on us.
Professional Learning Communities (PLCs)
Keep reading!! “Professional Learning Communities” might sound like the epitome of “education-ese,” but really, these are groups you probably already belong to but just haven’t looked at them as PLCs. For us, a PLC is a group of music teachers who gather to learn from and with each other. There really are no rules; a PLC is often what you make it. The parameters are set by participants, and the composition of the group reflects your personal motivation. It might be a group of middle school string teachers who want to spend time working on effective ways of teaching expression. Maybe it’s a group of music teachers from your district representing elementary, middle, and high school levels who want to develop a plan for implementing creativity in all aspects of their music curriculum. Or perhaps it’s a group of new and early-career music teachers who get together to support each other as they move through the critical first five years of professional life.
Remember What We Love
One more thing I’ll share should be a source of joy for all music teachers. We have a lot on our plates, and while we may have had a few hours a day to practice during college (along with the time spent in ensembles), that time seems to evaporate once we begin to teach. Our “major instrument,” once in the field, truly is our teaching. That is something to be celebrated! While we love teaching, remember we also love making music ourselves. Find time to make music! Maybe summer is a good time to pick up that trumpet a little more often than you did this past school year. Maybe you can join that church or community choir you have been meaning to check out. Pick up the phone and call a few friends to get together to play clarinet quartets once a week. Maybe you can find a few moments in each day to sit down at the piano. Pound, bang, and tickle the ivories as if no one is watching (or listening)! Remember what we love—WE LOVE MAKING MUSIC!
Sharpening the tools in our toolbox can be inspiring and cathartic. Summer is here. Take care of you! Breathe, sleep, vacation, laugh, run, jump, sit, dance, eat, drink. Take care of that toolbox, too, and feel better for having done it. Happy summer, music teachers!
