Reach back into the ghosts of television shows past and conjure up Tony Soprano’s voice asking, “How you doin’?” Seriously, how you doin’? With the fall season solidly behind us and now in the midst of winter, it’s a good time to look back on and savor the accomplishments of the beginning of the school year. It’s a good time to reflect on and take stock of the path that you and your students have walked together since opening day. It’s a good time to remember how much you love what you do. And it’s a good time to look ahead to what comes next. Although the winter months bring colder weather and fewer hours of daylight, they also bring the excitement of ringing in a new year and the continued hum of industry in music rooms and rehearsal spaces across the country. We are now in the thick of it and isn’t it grand? There is also the promise of spring when ice and snow melt away, days get longer, flowers and grass begin to bloom again, and your kiddos seem to explode with learning. With winter in full throttle, turn to the heartening and positive, and let’s set our sights on THRIVING instead of simply SURVIVING!
You Are Not Alone
Some of you might be part of an awesome music teaching team in your school while others are a literal “one-person band,” handling all the duties of one or more schools. Some might work in an area of the country that is geographically distanced from other schools while others might work in bustling towns and cities. Regardless of the number of music teachers on your team and in your workspace, regardless of how distanced you are from the next town over, regardless of the noise and the disconnect that often comes with city life, you are NOT alone! 
We have the best job in the world. We don’t “go to work” in the morning . . . we “go to play”! Remember that there is a huge world of people who share our values about music teaching and learning. We have a wonderful and supportive community. When you are feeling the weight of the world and it seems like no one who “speaks the language” is there, be assured that we are. All we need to do is reach out through district, parish, or state leadership. If you are a new or early career teacher, it can also help to reach back to the alma mater to reconnect and even give back. When you are connected with another music teacher, life quickly gets better, the weight gets lighter, and things start to be a little clearer. As we build our circle of professional friends, remember that you are an important part of the picture. As you connect with others, your role as a giver is critical. To receive is beneficial; to give is beautiful. Be a good steward of the very humanity that sits at the center of this wonderful profession. You are not alone.
A Bit of Dusting and Cleaning
Back in the fall, I suggested creating the work environment that you would want to be in. How’s that working for you? Take a look around your room. Does it look like a tornado barreled through? Is it an inviting space? Are you proud of this space that hosts so many children who love being in the music room? As you pause to reflect and gear up for the next page, take time to give your space a good old-fashioned once over. Are all the lights working? Are the pictures and posters on the walls still in good shape? Are the paper and whiteboard announcements up to date? Is there a layer of dried mud on the floor, remnants of the final football game? Show the pride that you have in your space by sprucing up, closing the chapter on the incredible work of the fall and opening the chapter on what is yet to be. A bit of dusting and cleaning can help to raise spirits and spark a sense of fulfillment (at least that’s what my mother always told me).
Smile, Breathe, and Find the Good
How do you think about your job? Do you say, “It’s almost 10—I HAVE to teach [fill-in-the-blank class name]”? Or do you say, “It’s almost 10—I GET to teach [fill-in-the-blank class name]”? Small word, big difference in attitude. Take inventory of your get-tos. You GET to teach music. You GET to advocate to ensure that music is always a curricular school subject. You GET to watch students learn and grow. You GET to make music EVERY DAY!
Our jobs are often peppered with tough stuff. Maybe you are in a constant battle for budget dollars. Perhaps you have been and continue to lobby hard for a new music teacher position in your school. We see students struggle and we ache for them as we try to help. Days are long. It’s tough.
It’s also amazing and wonderful. There is good in the tough stuff. You will continue to develop your personal tenacity and strength. Often those qualities are supercharged through difficult times. The routine and the arduous marvelously morph into the good. As you GET to go to work each day, remember to breathe and be thankful that you are here. Smile even when it is difficult. And learn to find the good – every day. Find the good.
Seek a Mentor, Be a Mentor
As we strive to thrive, be mindful that each of us should be a consummate learner. By virtue of the fact that we are employed, we know we have skills and are a commodity to the school district responsible for hiring us. We know stuff! We have skills! And yet, there is always more to learn. Even for seasoned professionals who have been around the block more than a few times, seeking out and connecting with a mentor can be an enriching and uplifting experience. Others who are respected in the field can be great resources. They can also be go-to friends who will listen and try to help us through those times that feel really daunting. New and young music teachers can always benefit from the wisdom of great mentors. Often these folks are right in your backyard; look around, in your building, your district, or your immediate region to identify someone you can relate to and connect with.
Each of us has something to give our colleagues. Think about your skills and how you might be a go-to person for someone else. Our vocation is people centric. Students, of course, are at the top of our list but our colleagues rate at a high place as well. What can you give to help someone else go from surviving to thriving? Maybe it’s a self-care tip, or maybe it’s a way to streamline program organization, or a sure-fire way to advocate that captures the attention of your community and administration. You just might find that being a mentor is just as fulfilling to you as seeking a mentor.
See the Humor
We music teachers love music and kids! At this time of year, when we are truly in the thick of it, this conviction sometimes gets tested. If life starts to feel overwhelming, things might start to seem far more serious than they should. Humor to the rescue! Puppies, kittens, kids (and lots of other adorable creatures) all have something in common: they can be amazingly sweet and funny. Relax, look, listen, and observe the innocence of children who are so incredibly happy to be one of your students. Listen for a turn of phrase that ends up in a delightful malapropism, or a wonderfully confident trombone blat that happens in the worst of places in your rehearsal. Watch for your students’ reaction (“sure, sure, I’ve heard that before”) when you say, “last time at 25—no, really, I promise.” Watch and listen as they start singing the main melody to the most awesome band piece on this concert cycle while they are putting their instruments together, not paying any mind to anyone or anything else around them. These are priceless moments illuminating just how special our students and our jobs are. Smile and see the humor! Life is too short to be serious all the time, and seeing the humor might just be what we need to push through, especially during this time of year.
Finally, Keep Humanity at the Center of Who You Are and in All You Do
From this day forward, we begin creating the next storyboard, moving into the winter months with all the get-tos and have-tos of our jobs. This is a good time to remember your center while stepping ahead with confidence, authority, and conviction that YOU, through your daily work, will contribute in ways large and small to the betterment of the human condition. Keep humanity at the center of who you are and in all you do. We owe it to ourselves, families, students, colleagues, and communities to survive thrive today and into our tomorrows.
