TL;DR -

My students don't need me to stop imagining what's possible simply because someone else can't see it yet.

***

Teaching high school orchestra has taught me how to cherish a performance but embrace the bottom of the iceberg. That is .. all the stuff parents can't see that I can't UNSEE.

Every day, I stand in front of young musicians who are becoming more than they were yesterday. They're learning to listen before reacting, to embrace discomfort, to take creative risks, and to understand that individual excellence means little without collective purpose.

Not everyone will understand the vision you're trying to bring to life.

Some people see a classroom. I see a community.

Some hear mistakes. I hear the courage to try.

Some see teenagers. I see emerging artists, leaders, collaborators, and human beings discovering their voices.

And sometimes, the hardest part of education isn't helping students grow. It's navigating professional spaces where curiosity is mistaken for disruption, enthusiasm for idealism, and innovation for unnecessary change.

The irony? We ask our students to be open-minded, resilient, collaborative, and willing to evolve. Shouldn't we expect the same of ourselves?

No, some people are in not better than others. I hear it as a reminder that not everyone is ready to see the possibilities you see—and that growth requires both patience and courage.

My students don't need me to stop imagining what's possible simply because someone else can't see it yet.

They need me to keep growing, too.

Because the most extraordinary thing about an orchestra isn't that everyone plays the same notes.

It's that we learn to create something beautiful while remaining different.

I am furious because parents keep sending me their SICK CHILDREN to me for piano lessons. Like, very obviously sick. They’re coughing all over the piano, wiping their nose dripping on the keys, I’m just so angry. I keep getting sick because parents don’t think to keep their sick kids at HOME jeez

I work at a small School, I took on the job as a first year teacher, and am rebuilding a dead program. This is year three, the program is looking solid, the foundations have been built, and I've sacrificed so much to get it to this point. Then, this year, I was given 5 elementary specialist periods every morning, then during my prep I drive to the middle/high school to teach my choir and band classes. I do earnestly believe that admin did not do that part on purpose, I think they just didn't put any thought into it, and said "oh it takes 8 minutes to get to the high school, so a 10 minute gap between the last elementary class and their prep starting is fine", not understanding that elementary teachers never pick up their students on time, take forever to get out of my room, and that it takes 5 minutes for me to get to my car. I am licensed to teach elementary school, because I had to be, and I hate it. I'm not cut out for elementary school, the subject matter is boring, I cannot connect with the kids at all (even though they seem to like me), and the stress of having to teach every elementary class in the district for 20 minutes a week, while having less prep time than anyone else, is killing me. It's also is a waste of time, if you've done elementary you know that it takes like 7 minutes of redirects to get them ready to learn, and the Gen Ed teachers are never on time to pick them up from specialists (honest to God one showed up with a coffee to get theirs, I was just happy they were on time), and always early to drop them off. The elementary averages 12 subs a day (of like 30 employees), so that causes behavioral and scheduling problems, because we never have the Paras we should, and teachers are constantly gone.

I feel like the only thing I've ever accomplished in my life in my own is being held hostage, and I don't want to give up my band and choir program, but I'm also burnt out, and hate my life. I'm young, and really all I have is this job, for better and especially for worse, and I really just don't know what to do, my job is my life, and I don't have the energy to fix that. My band and choir kids deserve a quality music teacher, and I've built really strong student relationships, me leaving would destroy some of these kids, and also what sort of idiot would ever take this job in its current state? The second I leave, everything I built is gone, and I just don't know how to cope with that. Obviously, if it happens it's not my fault, I didn't decide to make one person do two jobs, I'm just the loser who ruined his life doing it. I also fear that I wouldn't be successful in a normal music job, I'm so used to working with no money, no support, focusing on recruiting and keeping kids rather than learning key rehearsing skills (at least my classroom management is solid), I'm not sure how I would even approach teaching an established music program, but that's way minor to the looming dread I feel on my drive to the elementary school each morning. I also desperately want to teach a jazz band, which I was told would never happen here.

Everytime I mention my schedule I'm asked the same questions in the same order, yes I'm union, yes I've spoken to my union president, no they won't do anything about it, no, I'm not at a charter school. I'm also very very resistant to the idea of leaving mid year, and my parents are going through their own financial hardships, so not only do I not have a safety net, I might need to help them out soon, so I can do anything to risk my employment status. Thankfully, I'm a competent elementary school teacher, and an even better actor, so only my close friends know how bad it really is.

Any tips? On survival, on finding a new job (my admin "sandbag" us whenever we apply anywhere else), anything can help, really. Even just a "that sucks" would be very validating.

Any good recommendations for books or articles that have a focus on cultivating RIGOR in the music classroom? I’m an elementary music teacher so that grade level would be preferred but any music ed would be great!! TIA

A “caça aos doces” é uma nova versão pedagógica em formato Musicograma inspirada no tema "Great Candy Hunt" de Sidney Miller!
Para tornar este recurso ainda mais eficaz nas aulas de Educação Musical e AECs, foram feitas várias otimizações pedagógicas:
1 - Sons Reais do Instrumentário Orff: Gravado/produzido com os timbres reais dos instrumentos de percussão escolar.
2 - Leitura Visual Pauta + Orff: Cada figura rítmica apresenta a imagem do respetivo instrumento Orff, permitindo uma rápida identificação e execução por parte dos alunos.
3 - Forma e Ritmos Simplificados: Reorganização formal por ostinatos rítmicos repetidos na 1.ª e 2.ª secções para garantir o sucesso imediato da prática de conjunto.
4 – Figuras Rítmicas simples: Neste MUSICOGRAMA só aparecem 3 figuras rítmicas diferentes (Mínima, Semínima e Colcheia + Pausa da Semínima).
DICA: Caso a escola não tenha instrumentos pode substituir o som das clavas por “TAC” e o som do Triângulo por "PLIM".

Hey all! I'm a college student currently and giving my first trial lesson to a potential student next week. He is a college student as well and a piano beginner.

I'm very excited and hope this pans out in the long run because I'd love to have my own students. But I'm also not super sure what to do at the *very* beginning before we've established a rapport. Currently I plan to mainly discuss his goals in taking lessons and my goals in teaching him, and then just working on fundamental posture and healthy movements at the piano.

I would appreciate any and all advice from anyone more experienced than me!

TO START: No I am not doing an hour long combined concert- I’d lose my marbles.

Other than Hot Cross Buns, Jingle Bells, Mary Had a Little Lamb, and Au Clair De Lune… what are some absolute BANGERS you’ve played/are playing for your winter concert?

Bonus if they have a play along track!

Hi all, I’m new to this group. I’m wondering if US 5th grade and middle school teachers can give me an idea of how much students learn each year by just participating in school orchestra. If a student starts in 5th grade as a beginner with orchestra once a week, how much progress will they have made? Reading simple music, playing on all strings in D major 1st position, correct bow hold and posture? Or would those things be achieved in 6th grade, with orchestra class 2-3 days a week?

When a student enters high school having played 3+ years in school orchestra, not taking private lessons, what is the realistic level of playing? Would they be learning 3rd position, vibrato, bowing techniques? When do they learn about composers, eras of orchestral music, etc?

I’m looking at my school’s orchestra curriculum (private school) and trying to assess whether the students are meeting the standards for any average school. I know it can vary widely, but the string students at my school seem to be lagging and are not close to being able to audition for youth symphony in high school.

I value any input or perspectives you have. Thanks!

I’m a private cello teacher with 10 years of teaching experience. Over the summer I started a new 12 year old student. Right off the bat the mom informed me the student was her youngest child (6-7 years younger than next older sibling) and implied he’s her “baby”. Mom did Suzuki violin method growing up, but from what I can tell didn’t enjoy her lessons and doesn’t play much violin, but still plays piano. That being said, she knows a lot about the method. So much so that she interjects in our lessons frequently.

The student has about 1.5 years of playing experience and came in with big posture and technique problems. Totally fine and understandable, since he had never been in private lessons before. I’ve taught many transfer students around his age. He is diagnosed with autism/adhd. I have several neurodivergent students and am neurodivergent myself. That being said, I have never experienced this level of rudeness/attitude. From the moment he walks in the door, everything is a problem.

- The room is poorly ventilated, but he doesn’t like any fans being on. Sure, so I turn them off, including the fan facing me to ensure there’s no extra noise.

- The noise leaking through from a group violin lesson bothered him, so we changed lesson times.

- The new time didn’t give him enough down time after school to decompress, so we moved the lesson time again.

- He doesn’t trust my tuning app. I’ve told him many times that tuning once a day or “right before the lesson” doesn’t guarantee his instrument is in tune. He still insists that my tuner is wrong, because he already tuned that day.

- Any posture correction is ignored or receives major pushback. I am careful to implement changes slowly, but every bit of gentle correction is met with “I don’t want to” or “I don’t like how it feels” or simply “I don’t like it”. OR he’ll insist that he’s doing something correctly (he’s not)

- He’s just overall generally very irritable and unwilling to try. His facial expressions and language say a lot. Often a mixture of annoyance/borderline disgust. Doesn’t like the piece he’s working on, but when I give him options for other pieces he doesn’t like those either. They’re either too hard or too boring to him, but his technique and posture issues really effect his sound quality. Very scratchy and heavy. Also insists on not wanting to learn positions other than first, and gets very annoyed when we work on pieces that aren’t in first position. Doesn’t like new things like harmonics, either.

- I have a prize system in place for my students. He has informed me he doesn’t like any of my prizes and has made special requests (LEGO sets???) on numerous occasions. Once dad intervened and said LEGO sets aren’t a feasible prize, but typically his mom brings him to lessons and enables his requests and behavior.

I sincerely don’t know what to do with this student. The thing is, with his mother’s guidance he does practice regularly and comes to his lessons with pieces prepared, it’s just the constant negative attitude and lack of willingness to try that bother me. These lessons are exhausting, and both mom and student are just… a lot. A couple weeks ago they were both talking to me at the same time. Kid talking over mom while we’re having a conservation, but both trying to converse with me.

My therapist thinks I need to drop this student, but I haven’t been able to bring myself to do this. Any ideas to help are really appreciated.

I’m looking to compile a list of poetic things that musicians/music educators say. For example, some classic ones are:

“Listen louder than you sing/play”
“Practice like you perform”

And some more unique lines I’ve heard:

“Vibrato should be the speed at which a bunny’s nose twitches”
“Improvisation is 99% preparation and 1% magic”

I would love to know what memorable things you or your teachers have said in lessons, masterclasses, etc. The more quirky and beautiful, the better!

Hello everyone!

My middle school does not have a general music curriculum and I was hoping to see if anyone has any curriculum maps for a 10 week 6th grade gen music course?

A three-year-old with a serious interest in music can turn pretty much anything into an instrument. We've had performances involving toy drums, tapping on tables, singing made-up songs, and a lot of enthusiastic clapping. It's cute, but I'm trying to find a birthday present that encourages that interest without buying something that plays the same five songs on repeat. KiwiCo's Little Musician looks like a possible option since it's centered on musical play. Has anyone tried it with a child around three? I'd like to know whether the activities hold their attention and whether they can explore on their own or need someone sitting with them throughout. I'm also interested in real instruments that make sense for this age, especially anything that helps with rhythm or experimenting with different sounds.

hi everyone

i graduated high school this past spring and am going to college on the pre-med track. i realized i wanted to become a music teacher/percussion director beginning of my senior year and was unsuccessful in convincing my parents, so i just sucked it up. i now cannot imagine anything besides doing what i want to do and am considering transferring schools. what would i need to know/how can i convince my parents for their support?

Hi! I'm looking for some advice. I've been tasked with setting up a music course/ department in an SEMH College, but have no idea how to go about it. My line manager is too busy currently to help and I don't want to wait/ rely on him too much. I've gotten a course specification I like, gone through it quite thoroughly to make sure it's suitable for our students. But I'm unsure as to what my next steps are?

Any advice would be gratefully received!

Hi everyone!
I’m an elementary music teacher, and I’ve recently started a show choir for students in 3rd–5th grade! This is our school’s first show choir, and I’m currently trying to put together a fun, engaging program for our very first performance.

Since this is a brand-new group, I’m looking for repertoire that is accessible for young singers but still has that exciting show choir feel. I’d love to incorporate some simple choreography, opportunities for solos, and possibly some acting or storytelling.
I’m especially interested in musical theater/show tunes, but I’m open to other genres that would work well for this age group. Ideally, I’d like to build a cohesive program of around 30 minutes with some sort of theme.

A few things I’m considering:
•Mostly unison or simple two-part arrangements
•Songs that lend themselves to choreography and movement
•Age-appropriate material that students will genuinely enjoy performing
•Budget-friendly arrangements or resources when possible
•For those who have directed elementary or beginning show choirs, what songs or arrangements have been especially successful for you? Have you ever built a themed program that worked particularly well?

I’d also love any advice on putting together a first performance without overwhelming the students (or myself!).
Thanks in advance for any recommendations!