NAfME collegiate advisor
to make a list here; anyone mentoring a potential music educator knows them all too well. Teaching is a tough, tough job, and the monetary rewards are far below what they should be.
But we also have to be honest about the rewarding parts of teaching, including shining a light on misconceptions about why we do what we do. Help the potential teachers understand that, yes: it’s nice when students like us, but all the students will not like you all the time – and when your goal is to be popular with students, your results will often go the other way. Help them understand that, if they are going into performance-based teaching (band, choir, orchestra), some years will bring stronger players than others, and that sometimes ratings and rankings can be disappoint- ing… and that there’s only so far chasing championships can fill your heart.
There’s room for various opinions on where the true joy of teaching music is
to be found, but I firmly believe that the only place to find the kind of long-lasting, career-sustaining joy in this profession is in helping our students learn, grow, and suc- ceed – no matter what area or grade level you teach. There will be fantastic highs and gut-wrenching lows, but when we focus on serving our students and the rewards of giving our time, wisdom and skills to help them grow, temporary setbacks are just that – temporary.
The greatest satisfaction I’ve ever found in teaching music has not been in the best per- formances, the highest scores, the adulation of students, the recognition around town, and certainly not in opening a paycheck (although we all have to feed ourselves!). No, the greatest satisfaction has been and continues to be in seeing the progress that my students make and the growth I see in them – sometimes, now, decades after I last taught them. In other words, the joy of teaching music can be found everywhere, if you know what you’re looking for… I hope
that we can help teach our potential music educators where to look. Not only do we need them, but many of them need to find what many of us have already found: the joy of teaching music is actually the joy of teaching people.
Note:
1. I certainly don’t mean to exclude elementary general music teachers! However, students generally aren’t considering majors or careers so much while they are in elementary school, whereas high school students are often having conversations with their teachers as they navigate these choices.
Tobin Shucha is assistant professor of music, director of bands and director of music education at Ripon College.
Email:
shuchat@ripon.edu
4 Get the 21st-century advocacy support and resources you need to protect your music program.
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Wisconsin School Musician 17
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