Walking the Tightrope of Work-Life Balance 

• Selena Ryan
• Posted 3/14/22
• 0 comments

Maintaining a healthy work-life balance as a music teacher is incredibly difficult. We love our jobs, and it’s hard to know when to take a break. Sometimes the work feels so fun that we can’t imagine stopping it.

Music stopped being my hobby as soon as I started my music education degree. Instead, it became my education, income, and career. Practicing for gigs felt instantly different than practicing for fun, and success became something to measure with chair placements and tips.

The fulfillment never went away, but the “fun” feeling accompanying music had taken a different shape.  I don’t believe there is a one-size-fits-all answer for maintaining a healthy balance as a music teacher or music professional. Here are a few ways my colleagues and I have found life balance in this field. 

Location, Location, Location 

Setting boundaries between work and life can be challenging — the location of your work matters. So, I make a point to leave school work at school. To facilitate this goal, I frequently work during lunch and remain at school a little later or arrive a little early to finish my work.  

At home, I leave my school day behind. Compartmentalization can be very difficult to achieve but can be accomplished by using healthy coping and thinking techniques. After a difficult day, I like to consider the following: 

• What can control at this moment? 
• Are the problems I had during the day solvable?  
• Is focusing on the day going to change the outcome?  
• Is the issue ongoing, or was it a single instance? 
• Can my interaction and influence change the outcome?  

The only control we ever have is how we react to things. Systematically reviewing the day and acknowledging what you can and cannot change helps put the difficult day into perspective. Creating a plan of action will keep your mind from wandering into a downward spiral.  

If you must work at home, designate a space for work. Not your kitchen table, where you are supposed to sit and enjoy a meal. Not in your bed, where you are supposed to enjoy sleep. Not even on your couch while watching TV because that combines work and leisure time. Remember compartmentalizing and boundaries are essential. 

Life & Leisure

Maintaining a social life and hobbies that make you happy outside of work is essential. As an extrovert, my work teaching almost 700 students is hugely energizing, but the energy I receive from my job is very different from when I spend time with my friends and family.  

Crafts, new instruments, physical activities, and cooking are a few of the activities I enjoy in my free time. I advise if you decide to start playing a new instrument, to play it for yourself. Do not take gigs with your new skill or start giving lessons because you are just adding another job, and it will cease to be a hobby. 

Some other healthy activities to do for yourself might include meditation or journaling. Remember maintaining mental health and the amount of activity needed varies from person to person. What is successful for some might not be successful for others. Maintain boundaries between work and life, practice healthy thinking habits, and always take stock of the many accomplishments you make happen every day! 

Contributor

Selena Ryan

Hi there! My name is Selena Ryan and I am an Arizona-based music educator, composer, and performer. I work as a middle school band director, private clarinet instructor, marching band visual head, and freelance composer and performer. I am…

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