Back-to-school season is an exciting time! Here are some things that might help your students have a great start to their year in music.
PLACES
Warm, Safe, Clean, Inviting, and Welcoming
Dig in and spruce up! Roll your sleeves up and give your space a good cleaning. While school custodial services will do a nice job of this, you know all the hidden nooks and crannies where musical “gunk” lurks—storage rooms, practice rooms, cubbies, and cubicles. Involve your leadership. This will help you and elevate their sense of ownership in the program. Check on your HVAC system and lighting so the environment is comfortable and safe before students arrive. Connect with your building specialists if things aren’t in working order.
Does it make you happy to walk into your workspace? Select some inspirational posters that can send a positive message about the importance of school music to your students and anyone who enters the room. On the first and subsequent days, how about some entry music? Make it a practice, if you can, to have music playing as students come through the door—their music!
Inventory and Update your Classroom/Rehearsal Space Set Up
Maybe you reviewed inventory at the end of last school year. Now it’s time to determine if all equipment is ready to go. Visual and performance inspections will help, and you can get competent and eager students to assist.
PARAPHERNALIA
Equipment
Did you leave your equipment in an “as is” state at the end of last year? Check out your stuff—clean things up and do what is needed to get instruments in working condition.
Review your tech! Is everything up and running? What are your needs, and does your current tech situation meet your needs? Don’t forget about the peripherals that go hand-in-hand with technology—wall warts, power strips, cables, and adapters. What about AI? Are you using it to help with your work efficiency? Now is the time to check it out if you haven’t already.
Consumables
Being ready with consumables means you have prepped for situations that sometimes cause undue headaches and take time away from instruction, which can help all your students to have a complete and positive experience.
Look around to see what is needed. This might include paper towels, facial tissue, water, first aid kit, reeds, rosin, slide and valve oil, cork grease, repair equipment, nail clippers, wastebaskets, sanitizing spray and hand wash, strings, mutes, sticks, brushes, mallets, drumheads, neck straps, cleaning cloths, paper, pencils, paper music copies, folders, lesson/method books, and other music materials.
PRACTICALITIES
Policy Updates
Your handbooks, policies on participation, budget, and expenses—everything that creates operational viability—should be in good shape. Nothing is forever; maybe some policies have changed or need to change. Reflect changes in your documents and communications so parents, students, and administrators receive current information.
Curriculum Implementation Updates
Determine what has changed in your curriculum (by you, your department colleagues, or curriculum supervisor) and what has remained. Use that information in planning. Be as complete as possible with information regarding new projects and performance plans.
Yearly Calendar
What lies ahead this year? Some things might not be ready for calendar placement, but many things will be. Create and share your calendar as soon as possible so that everyone can plan.
PROCESSES
Curriculum Content Updates
With the end in mind, prep your daily lesson and rehearsal plans using curriculum content updates. Think about the materials and time that will be needed to support your curricular goals. Are you good to go? Do you anticipate obstacles?
Daily Life in Your Classes and Rehearsals
How will you involve your students this year? In addition to learning and engaging in music making, how else will they be a part of your program? Encouraging ownership can take all forms—setting up the room, keeping the room(s) clean, passing out information if in paper form, or helping with other leadership responsibilities.
This is the time to confirm how you will make this year even better than last year for your students. What is it about you, your spaces, your processes, and your materials that you can shape to keep moving your program in the best possible direction?
Plan—a lot! One plan, one rehearsal possibility—that is a good start. But to be completely prepared, learn to think five “what ifs” and “then whats” down the line.
Pledge to always make music learning fun!
PEOPLE
Students
Reach out to new students; make them feel a part of the family. Meet with them individually if you have time. If not, meet with them as a group so that they know who else, besides themselves, is new. You’ll help them to create a group of friends to whom they can turn and on whom they can rely.
Reach out to your returning faithful, those who simply can’t imagine school without you and their ensembles. Make sure they know how happy you are that they are back and how excited you are to see what this new year will bring with them as an important part.
Reach out to those who are not on your list this year but were last year. Find out why they have chosen not to participate. Learn from them and stay in touch should there be a way to bring them back into the fold.
Be on their agenda. Our priority is our students. Listen to them, ask them questions, engage with them, look them in the eye, and demonstrate that you’re happy they are there.
Parents
Reach out to welcome them to the school music support family. Let them know about your awesome plans for this new school year. Engage them by inviting them to be part of the program in all sorts of ways.
Building and District Colleagues
Give them a hearty welcome back with a musical greeting. Gather a small group to sing/play at a back-to-school event, perhaps a professional development day. Be sure to connect with your administration to get permission and determine logistics.
Administration
Share good news stories about you or your students that happened over the summer. Offer brief ideas on what you have planned for the upcoming year and invite them to participate—get creative!
YOU!
Create an environment that you want to be in (since you will be there a lot)—flowers, pictures of friends/family, inspirational sayings, favorite coffee/flavored water/tea, soft lighting in your office—little things that can make a difference.
There is no virtue in working at your job 24/7. Be a person! Find time for things that are fulfilling to you. You will be a better music teacher if you do.
Remember the sense of accomplishment you and the students felt at the end of the last academic year. Bring some of that to the first day of school. Let the beginning of a new year be filled with excitement, positivity, and possibilities.
Know whom to contact when you need advice, or you need the ear of a friend. It’s okay to ask for help.
Finally, remember your WHY. Why we do this goes before everything. What kind of reminder tool will work for you? For me, it’s a candid photo of me smiling at a bunch of elementary band kids who were eagerly waiting to take the stage in a side-by-side concert with my campus-community band. That photo shows a twinkle in my eye and a warm smile on my face that constantly reminds me that I love teaching, I love music, and I love kids. What’s YOUR WHY?
Happy Back-to-School to all!
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