An Open Letter to Music Teachers

• Kelsey Helton
• Posted 8/12/22
• 0 comments

Dear Music Teachers,

As we get ready to step back into the hustle and bustle of the music teacher life after our amazing “summer off”, I would like to take a moment to focus on the good and spread a little positivity during this back-to-school season.

This year will be my eighth year of teaching. In one way, it seems like I was just a baby undergrad wanting to be a high school band director, ready to take on marching band and everything that went with it.  In another way, it seems like I have been a teacher forever and FINALLY feel like I know what is going on.

My career has been one of many changes. I wanted to be a high school band director, but here I am going into my 6th year in elementary. Many of us came out of school and were focused on one thing and, while we weren’t looking, something else graced our lives and messed up our 5-year plan. For me, I moved from Kansas to Texas. Big change. I went from middle school choir and theater to elementary. Big change. I went from an hour commute to a five-minute commute. Great change. I went from fine administration to an amazing administration. Another great change.

Teaching is going with the flow. Teaching is unpredictable. Teaching is a blessing and sometimes a curse. We must be ready to do what is best for our professional and personal lives, even if it means changing with the tides. From schedule changes to curriculum edits to student turnover, we are the kings and queens of making it work.

Whether you are excited to start a new school year and have already made your plans, or you run screaming from the Target Back-to-School aisle that pops up earlier and earlier every year, you are doing the right thing. Whether you love to work in your classroom as soon as they open again in the fall, or you would rather be sitting by the pool on your last days of freedom, you are doing the right thing.

We hope that this year will return to more normalcy than we have seen in previous years. We know that we have a lot of work to do when it comes to “catching kids up” to “normal,” but I invite you to think of it in a positive light. If you are a general music teacher, we have a few precious years with our kids. We get to see them grow up from the crazy littles rolling on the floor the first day of Kindergarten to the impressive young recorder players and singers that leave us in third or fourth grade. We get the chance to see these children transform in a few short years and it is amazing to see the process come to fruition.

My philosophy of music education has changed over the years, as I’m sure yours has too. I want children to become life-long music makers and patrons of the arts. I want them to sing to their future children, to attend live music, and to recommend songs and bands to their friends.

Do I want them to be in band, choir, or orchestra and become music majors? That would be great, but we all know that life doesn’t always happen that way.

Do we want our kids to be excited about our class? Yes.

Do we want our kids to be musical? You betcha.

Do we want our kids to remember their elementary (or junior high) years fondly? Yes, we do.

It’s about the experience for the kids.  It is also about the experience for the teachers.

As music teachers, we are educators. We are storytellers. We are counselors, cheerleaders, and content creators. We are technology experts, musical guides, and travel agents. We are librarians, movement coaches, and set designers. We are parent communicators, principal pleasers, inventory managers, and add a bright light to the school staff. You can do anything you put your mind to and we are proud of you as part of the musical community.

Think about what is best for your kids. What is best for your community? What is best for you? What topic do you love to teach? Do you love reading stories in class? Do you love playing piano with your kids? Make this the year that you focus on your passion and what brought you to education in the first place. Everyone says teaching is a calling; what called you?

Perhaps you are excited about a new game or lesson you have prepared or you have an awesome class coming up or you get to start something new. Remember that feeling and put a fun spin on your planning. Will everything be perfect all year? Probably not, but that is ok. Teachers make it work and make school more fun for our fabulous students. To quote one of my favorite non-music YouTubers @shelbizleee, “You cannot do all the good that the world needs, but the world needs all the good that you can do.”

Have a fantastic school year; you got this!