So, what now? Wrapping up the year in an online space.

When it comes to music educators and our classes…watch out! It is serious business and we don’t hide it. Every day, we music educators show up and teach with tremendous urgency no matter if we are sick or have serious personal issues at home. This is our passion, our drive and the success of our kiddos rests on our shoulders. We don’t just teach; we perform and get judged along with our kids on stage. We are not just their teacher; we are also their teammate. Coaches can’t play on the field with their players and teachers can’t take the test with their students. We are in a league of our own and the bond between music educators and our students is strong.

But what now? So many of us have been teaching like our hair is on fire in a garage full of gasoline every day to being told overnight to just stay at home. No wonder so many of us are feeling anxious like we are living in some weird limbo world. What about our concert and sight-reading contests, spring concerts, spring trips and performances? Are our students ok? Will we see them again next year? Are they practicing? (Secretly, you know the answer to that.) What about next year? What will my group sound like or look like? How far behind will my beginners be? I bet some of you are already adjusting your fall lesson plans now. Will there be new distance rules that we will have to follow when we get back to our schools, and how will that effect our classes, trips, contests, etc.?

But I am here to assure you that your kids were taught well and that when school starts up again your group and students will be fine. How do I know that? Because you give it your all and then some every day. So much so, that even when a crisis strikes your kids know how to get into their “game face” and know when it’s time to go to work when the time comes. They are your kids and even if months go by without you seeing them, they will return to your class with so much joy to push to the next performance.

In truth, they will be fine, more than fine. Because you have taught them well. You showed up every day, fire in your hair blazing to get them ready for anything. We teach with so much passion that even if a crisis hits, they will still show up great. So, ease your mind of all the “what if” questions and start focusing on you. How you can be more of a focused leader to them in a now digital space?

Take a step back and know that nothing will ever replace an in-person teaching environment, especially in a collaborative creative class like music. But, instead of focusing on the “Us” and “We” factor which we always speak to our kids about in a group setting. It is time to focus on the individual player factor, the “I” and “Me” of the student. This can be a great opportunity to make the individual player stronger. Often many of our students “hide” in our ensembles and do just enough to get by without getting too noticed with their weaknesses. This is where too often we tend to grow “section” players. Section players who tend to stay section players way too long and never quite develop into individual players.

Take this time to develop easy lessons online to encourage and build the individual player. Have these lessons focus on good fundamentals and grow confidence playing individually. Who knows, maybe what you discover in the next couple of weeks or months may change your teaching style for the better. You just may learn several tricks to make your program better in the long run.

Above all, stay positive!

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