In many issues of SBO+ we feature articles about the importance of taking care of yourself physically, emotionally, mentally, and spiritually so when you step into a classroom, you are prepared to give your very best to your students.
In this issue, Dr. Matthew Arau, the author of monthly Leadership Tips, writes about the importance of making joy your tonal center and offers suggestions on how to nurture joy in our lives.
Recently, someone asked me when the last time was that I had taken some time off. At first, I thought it was kind of a dumb question because I love my various “jobs,” so why would I want to take time away from them? Then I reflected on my many years leading military music groups around the world. Those can be all-consuming jobs and one time I realized I had gone eight years (!!!!) without any significant time off. The problem with stress is that it builds up very slowly, so you often don’t really notice its insidious effects until it’s too late.
So, I decided to heed SBO+’s advice and step away for a few days. Okay, taking four days off may not be a major achievement for most people but it allowed me to realize:
– The world will continue to rotate on its axis without my constant attention and my business partner (my daughter, BTW) was totally capable of doing her job without me.
– Although I did check my email (hey, baby steps!) I realized everything there fell into the “it can wait” category.
– I started to notice landscapes more, could revel in a beautiful song without critiquing it, looked at gorgeous art, and took multiple naps each day!
I suspect many of you spend considerable emotional energy caring for your students, particularly those with challenges outside of your classroom. Just be sure you allow yourself to “bank” the resources to care for others.
Prior to my brief respite, I attended the Colorado Bandmasters Association convention where we had a new music reading session combined with a conducting workshop. All the pieces were conducted by directors attending the convention and between selections I gave coaching that everyone could hear, and hopefully learn from. All of us must grab every opportunity we have to practice and improve our conducting! The new music selections were provided by Alfred, Excelcia, Hal Leonard, and Randall Standridge (all SBO+ advertisers) and the consensus of the directors was that the quality of music, even at Grades .5-2 was uniformly high and the composers were producing good music with real educational value. Well done!
Next month’s issue of SBO+ will be one of our largest in quite a while and will have lots of great stuff to get you off to a fast start in the new school year.
This month’s UpClose comes from Barry Bernhardt who will oversee the marching band articles for SBO+. Barry provides a terrific step-by-step approach to ensure you are preparing your marching band students for long-term healthy success. Just in time for band camp!
