Every day, music educators teach one of life’s greatest lessons: No ensemble succeeds because of one person. The most memorable performances happen when individuals learn to listen, trust one another, contribute their unique gifts, and become part of something greater than themselves.
I taught that lesson for years before realizing I needed to practice it in my profession.
Like many young teachers, I believed building a great music program depended almost entirely on me. If I worked harder, planned better lessons, rehearsed more effectively, and gave my students everything I had, success would follow, and, for the most part, it did. Hard work mattered. It still does. But eventually I realized I had made one important mistake.
I was trying to build an ensemble as though I were a soloist.
Looking back, the programs that inspired me most were built by communities of people who believed in the work: students, families, colleagues, principals, support staff, community partners, mentors, and, in some districts, music supervisors or Fine Arts leaders working quietly behind the scenes.
Great music programs are never built alone.
As a classroom teacher, I didn’t always understand the role music supervisors and Fine Arts leaders played. Only later did I realize how much of their work happened behind the scenes—advocating for staffing, securing resources, removing barriers, protecting instructional time, and creating opportunities for teachers and students to flourish.
Later, after serving in one of those roles myself, I realized something that changed my perspective. The best music program leaders are not trying to stand in front of great teachers. They stand beside them. To me, that is the heart of leading the profession. It isn’t about having the loudest voice or a certain title. It’s about using whatever influence we have to help someone else do their very best work.
Not every district has a dedicated music supervisor or Fine Arts administrator. Many music educators are the only teacher in their building or even their district. Yet every one of us can name someone who stood beside us: a mentor who answered a frantic phone call, a colleague who freely shared music, a principal who believed in our students, or someone who simply said, “I see you. You’re doing great. Thank you for what you do.”
Perhaps the most important lesson I’ve learned is this: While supportive music supervisors and Fine Arts leaders can be extraordinary allies, none of us has to wait for a title before choosing to lead. Every teacher can encourage a colleague, mentor someone new, build partnerships, solve problems, open doors, and create opportunities for others.
Leadership is not something we are given. It is something we practice.
The longer I remain in this profession, the more convinced I become that our greatest strength has never been found in organizational charts. It has always been found in people who quietly choose to do what is right for students, make someone else’s work a little easier, and make someone else’s success a little more possible.
So where do we begin?
First, don’t build your program alone. Invite others into your classroom before you need their help. Let them experience an ordinary rehearsal. To those outside music education, what happens in your classroom often feels like magic. Introduce your students to the people who make music education possible, and share your successes more often than your challenges.
Second, invest in relationships with the same intentionality you invest in instruction. Identify the people in your “ensemble.” Every conversation either builds trust or slowly erodes it. Say “thank you” often. Celebrate others generously. Assume positive intent. Ask how you can help before asking for help yourself.
Finally, become someone else’s ally. Mentor a new teacher. Share a rehearsal strategy. Encourage a colleague after a difficult day. Attend another school’s concert. Open a door that someone once opened for you. The strongest music programs are built by educators who understand that leadership is not reserved for a position, it is demonstrated through service.
There is no mystery to building a great music program. There is no hidden playbook that only a fortunate few possess. There is simply hard work, the next right invitation, the next act of generosity, the next relationship worth investing in, and the next opportunity to help someone else succeed.
Every day we remind our students that the most beautiful music is never made alone. The same is true of our profession. Remarkable leaders don’t create remarkable teachers; they help them flourish. Flourishing teachers inspire students. And when each of us chooses to listen, trust, and contribute our unique gifts to something greater than ourselves, we become the ensemble beyond the classroom. Together, through trust, service, and shared purpose, we accomplish what none of us could ever accomplish alone.
Never alone. Always together.
Joseph is NAfME Southwestern Division President-Elect.
