The music program leader holds a unique role in the support and development of early career music teachers. While serving as Chair of the Council of Music Program Leaders, I was fortunate to lead many discussions on this topic. Much of our discussion focused around the NAfME Music Teacher Profession Initiative (MTPI) and the document A Blueprint for Strengthening the Music Teacher Profession.
The Blueprint separates the time of an early career music teacher into three segments: before the degree program, during the degree program, and during the first five years in the profession. To be truly effective, I think it’s important music program leaders find ways to support early career music teachers during all these times in their development.
Let’s consider students who are looking at possibly becoming music teachers first. I developed an event in Arizona that coincided with our state music educators conference. I called the event “FAME,” which stands for Future Arizona Music Educators. This event provided an opportunity for any Arizona high school student to come to our conference and attend special sessions geared toward music education as a career. I invited guest speakers, including veteran teachers currently in the trenches, to share their teaching experience. I also invited our state colleges and universities to send representatives to the event. Students were able to meet all of them and learn about what it might be like to major in music at each school. I shared with attendees the importance of building a support network, and I was happy to see that process taking root during this event. This coming year, I will be organizing our fifth annual FAME event, and I’m excited to continue to expand opportunities for students to confidently and knowledgeably choose music education as a career path.
It is more challenging to get involved with early career music teachers while they are in college, but it is possible. I intentionally look for ways to encourage interns and student teachers to seek out internship experiences in my school district. I help the colleges place these students with strong cooperating teachers who are skilled and have positive attitudes toward the career and kids. If you can, take the time to visit the student teachers now and then to observe their teaching, providing helpful feedback and support. Anytime I can interact with college music education students, I do. This includes participating in mock interview panels and presenting helpful job-hunting tips to university practicum classes. Build the relationships early on so the college students will want to consider your district for employment when the time comes. If they already know you, they will feel more comfortable coming to your district.
I believe the time in which music program leaders can be most effective at making an impact is during their teachers’ first five years in the profession. This is often when teachers decide whether teaching is really for them. Support from every direction is imperative. I pair each new teacher with a veteran mentor teacher in a similar teaching assignment. In conjunction with our district music content specialist, I built a mentoring program that focused on classroom management (one of the biggest reasons teachers leave the profession) during the first year, and on a variety of topics such as lesson planning and working with administrators during the second and third years. I was also given the opportunity to provide monthly professional development for all my music teachers. I work diligently to make sure the content is meaningful and directly related to what they are doing as music teachers.
In addition to providing professional development opportunities, I think it’s important music program leaders find a way to be involved in the evaluations of their early career music teachers. In most cases, I was the primary evaluator of first-year elementary music teachers in our district. This allows them to receive feedback not only on general teaching skills and practices but also on more specific music-related feedback that building administrators can’t always provide. If you are in a large district with many teachers, it may not be possible to evaluate them all but do what you can.
The goal of this is to keep teachers in the profession. Recognizing the demands that come with being a teacher at any level, I feel it is one of my responsibilities to help my music teachers thrive and try to remove any blockades to their success. Many times, this means just making them feel valued and respected. Never lose sight of what it was like when you were in the classroom. Hopefully we can make a difference and keep these teachers in the game for many years to come.
Scott Burgener is the recently retired K–12 Music Education Specialist for the Mesa Public Schools in Mesa, AZ, where he served in this capacity for 9 years. He is currently the immediate past chair of the NAfME Council of Music Program Leaders and is a past president of the Arizona Music Educators Association and Arizona Band and Orchestra Directors Association. He was recognized as the Arizona Music Educator of the Year in 2025.
