Every music teacher I’ve ever met has had a horrible-day experience where they thought something like: I love my career but I hate my job. I love my students, but I hate teaching. I love music, but my administration is driving me crazy. There’s always a “but” in there somewhere.
Today my guest is Leslie Moffat, author of I Love My Job But It’s Killing Me.
Leslie and I discuss how you can easily turn things around. It’s possible to shift your life and your teaching to create a better experience for yourself, and for your students. Best of all, it’s simpler than you think. Leslie has some great suggestions, and she speaks from profound experience. Your jaw will drop as you hear the struggles she’s been through and the simple things she’s done to completely transform her life, all without leaving her career teaching high school band.
This episode is a gift, especially to all of our high school band colleagues who are juggling so much, especially with marching band season in full force.
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Key Takeaways
- Teaching is hard work. Being responsible for hundreds of children every day takes a lot of physical and mental stamina. If teachers are going to build successful music programs without burning out, they need to have resources and strategies to sustain themselves so they can thrive and help their students do the same in the classroom.
- What happens during the first four minutes of your class sets the tone for how productive the rest of the class will be. This episode includes a few key strategies for setting your rehearsals up for success before you even play a note.
Bonus Material
This podcast is full of free resources. You can get Leslie’s book I Love My Job but It’s Killing Me here and you can download my book The Music Educator’s Guide to Thrive in Episode 57.
We’ve also created a Morning Meditation Checklist to help guide and encourage you. Simply share your email with me below and you can download it for free.
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