Two Mindsets in Teaching- Annual and Perennial

The other night a massive storm launched itself from the sea onto the land around where I was staying. The place was situated amongst many trees and, because the winds were so huge, I was sure that the scope of the damage would be terrible. However, the next morning, though there was some damage and some trees had been uprooted, there wasn’t nearly as much damage as I had originally imagined. It started me thinking about the insane strength of these trees’ roots. For them to be able to withstand the massive stress and pressure that the weather put upon them was astounding.

Loving nature, gardening and going down weird rabbit holes of knowledge, I did some research on the roots of trees and it led me to the difference between annuals and perennials. I got to thinking about these different types of root systems and how we as teachers have the incredible responsibility to create strong roots (or foundations) in our students’ music educations so that they, like these amazing coastal trees, can weather big storms and times of stress without being uprooted, calmly using great inner strength and compassion for themselves and others.

For the non-gardener, annuals are fast growing with a shallow and narrow root system. The plants are designed to flower or fruit quickly then die off, mostly within the space of a year.*

Perennials, on the other hand, can live for hundreds of years. They are designed to grow gradually and give many years of beauty. They have the opportunity to develop a deep and broad root system and if started correctly with the right soils and climate conditions, can grow even stronger. For instance, the root system of an oak tree can, over many many years and in the right conditions, cover the area 8 times the size of the canopy!

As I was thinking about these two types of root systems I ended up relating it back to the two types of teaching mindsets I see through my own intake of new students and the accompaniment that I do.

I could absolutely call these two teaching mindsets annual and perennial.

The Annual Mindset —  thinking only about the short term in a shallow and narrow way

The annual mindset, or teaching only thinking for the short term, is unfortunately what a lot of teachers use. It can be incredibly harmful, can develop in many different ways and can even be disguised quite well under the pretence of care and passion.

I can think of 4 main ways this annual mindset can take shape.

1- The passion and care can come from a teacher not wanting what is best for the student and their family, but themselves and their own reputation. Perhaps it is in regards to measurable results like exams and competitions. This is a teacher putting their wants and needs above the student’s. This is a teacher superimposing the role that music should have in a student’s life.

2- This teaching mindset can also come from laziness, where a teacher can’t be bothered teaching each student in the different and flexible way that is required to change with the student growing from year to year, dealing with life’s pressures.

3- It can also come from the generation before- how the teachers were themselves taught as kids. Unfortunately so many of these teachers, from annual mindset teachers themselves, carry on the tradition of vicious and negative teaching practices that continue to promote the generational cycle of bitterness, cynicism, defeat, and institutionalised thought processes. This mindset ruins the music hopes of many many students.

4- This mindset can also develop after many years of simply being in the music industry which, as I have discussed in a previous post here, can be enough to make the strongest of teachers crumble into bitterness and cynicism about their world. This immense negativity seeps into students’ music and gradually east away at their original interest in the art form.

This push push rush rush attitude to music education is a shallow and narrow way of approaching an art form that requires time, thought and patience — and, like the root system of an annual plant, has simply not the foundations to survive more than a short period.

A great example of short term teaching mindset was described to me just the other day when a parent summed up her daughter’s music education with a well known teacher. She said that this teacher had believed that the best way to get her daughter to play well was through making her angry. This happened through the student’s younger years in high school and, because she was young, she accepted this behaviour and couldn’t stand up to a teacher who shouted and pushed and bullied. The teacher did care in their selfish ego-driven way and these most vigilant and caring parents were led to believe that this was genuine care for the student. Having some understanding of the situation myself, it was definitely a combination of points 1 and 4 above- having been in an institution for many years, the teacher was feeling much pressure to provide good exam results and, as a result, forgot entirely that this student was a human, not a way to look good on paper.

In the end, this teaching mindset almost broke this young girl and the parents saw what was happening. Now, over a year after leaving this poisonous environment, she is still slowly unravelling this extremely damaging way of teaching music. She now needs to learn to associate music with love, joy and self discipline rather than anger, shouting and external pushiness and hopefully it isn’t too late.

From this story and countless other examples I have come across I can say that this annual mindset is present far too often in teachers- in fact it happened to me as a child with two of my teachers. This push push rush rush attitude to music education is a shallow and narrow way of approaching an art form that requires time, thought and patience — and, like the root system of an annual plant, has simply not the foundations to survive more than a short period.

Teaching Perennially — thinking about keeping the love for music going throughout life and teaching broad and deep

The perennial mindset is aiming for longevity in a student’s music education. It takes into account the different sets of ideas, strengths and weaknesses, personalities, inspirations, expectations, key words, practice habits, boundaries, peccadillos and approaches that occur in each student. This mindset happens only when the teacher can look at their students without being clouded by their own egos. It can be challenging but over time this mindset reaps wonderful rewards for the whole team involved- parent, teacher and student. Watching a student flourish in their own way, using music as a tool to grow and become a better person, is a beautiful thing. Using this mindset, music is a way to celebrate the student’s individuality and unique intelligence.

Here I would like to quote the wonderful music director and educator Richard Gill. He says: “Every child should have access to properly taught music in the hands of properly taught teachers.” I agree whole heartedly and then some with this statement and wonder if by “properly taught” he might mean accessing a more perennial mindset when it comes to introducing our next generation to the wonderful world of music.

In this (perennial) mindset a music education may seem to start more slowly than an annual mindset but, like the great oak tree, it then has years to gain strength, character and beauty long after the annuals have died off.

Using a perennial mindset may seem more time and energy consuming than using an annual mindset but it’s not. Exploring a perennial mindset over an annual one is more economical as the initial investment of energy and curiosity from the teacher creates it’s own snowball of positive energy, individual thought, creativity, and self-imposed discipline that in time ends up coming more from the student than the parents and teacher. In this mindset a music education may seem to start more slowly than an annual mindset but, like the great oak tree, it then has years to gain strength, character and beauty long after the annuals have died off.

What joy is created through the perennial mindset! As a teacher who is always striving to teach in this way, I can say that it makes my teaching much more interesting, challenges me on a daily basis, gives me more scope for creativity, gets me exercising my imagination no end, deepens my love for the practice of teaching daily and accumulates positivity in my business. As far as students and their families go, here is where strong life foundations are put in place. Here is where music becomes the food to produce strong students able to weather life’s storms and stresses. With this mindset we see a healthy and abundant environment created around a student in which they can thrive and flourish for many many years with music an important part of their entire life.

*Of course I am aware that there are many beauties and benefits to be gotten from growing and admiring annual plants but in the metaphor I am using I don’t take these into account.

Opening the Door to Life’s Weirds and Wonderfuls

The value of educating through exploring off-the-topic questions

The other day, a colleague of mine said to me that when she gets the “big life questions” randomly from her piano students she doesn’t answer the questions but glances over to the parent with a “this is your job” look.

Imagine if teachers saw this a bit differently? What if these questions were treated as the rare golden nuggets of opportunity that they may actually be? For myself, I see that answering these questions can create an enormous amount of positivity that can flow into the student’s life and their music, their family’s life and the teacher’s life. Starting a discussion from a student’s ‘what’s it all about’ question can get them sharing information about their world in a way that perhaps they haven’t had the opportunity to do before and these conversations can be the fuel for wonderful ideas not only from students but also parents. Instead of dreading them or glossing over them, I cherish these moments and I do all I can to allow my students the space to ask these questions in the first place.

These questions are the most brilliant way to develop the student-teacher relationship. They open the door just a crack to untapped potential and, as a teacher, you have a choice here- to close the door and seal yourself away or let the door swing wide, take a chance and see where the discussion leads!

There aren’t many people outside family that kids can ask the weird and wonderful life questions to and, even if they do have people they can ask, they rarely get a chance what with life being so busy. Also, with a school system that discourages questioning and encourages compliancy and parroting back information, these moments get even rarer. The brilliant thing about one-on-one music lessons is that they can relax students to a point where they feel like asking all sorts of questions regarding the world and discussing them keeps their imagination and indiviual thought process alive.

What better way is there to help students grow as people than to discuss their life around their music?

These young people will have to face up to these questions themselves at different points in their lives and what better way to prepare them for these times than having a go at answering them yourself and being honest? What better way is there to help students grow as people than to discuss their life around their music? Music then becomes the most amazing tool by which students get to know more about the world and themselves.

Attempting to answer off-the-topic questions shows a student that the teacher is there for them as a person, not just as a music student.

Even though some may seem off topic, answering these questions (or at least attempting to) starts a dialogue that is outside the realm of simply learning notes and it deepens understanding between two people. It gets a teacher learning more about the student and vice versa. Having a go (however brief) at patiently answering questions shows a student that their words are valued and this demonstration of care will, in turn, enable that student to value a teacher’s words. Attempting to answer off-the-topic questions shows a student that the teacher is there for them as a person, not just as a music student. This is exactly the rapport a teacher needs with their students, especially for the times when students are asked to take risks, accept challenges or expected to practice things they don’t particularly want to practice. These discussions are literally building up a Trust Fund one little bit of trust at a time, saving for the more uncomfortable, riskier times.

Of course there are questions that come up at inopportune moments so, if it is not the time to answer, make sure they know that their question is loved and valued and then arrange to discuss it another time. Sometimes I will write down the comment in front of a student to show that it does matter to me and that I genuinely love it.

I have had questions asked innocently but could be taken as very blunt or even rude. For example, I have had a lot regarding how much money I earn and the size of my house. I have heard teachers take offence to these questions and reprimand their students. But you know what? I answer these questions too! — and then patiently explain that the question is fine with me (because they didn’t say it to cause harm) but with other people it might be taken a different way.

As a teacher, the best part of being asked these questions is being able to ask them right back and the answers I have received have ranged from being gob-smackingly beautiful to completely hilarious! I definitely learn so much about my student (and myself) in these times.

So the next moment you get caught off guard with a question from way left field perhaps, instead of brushing it to one side, what about you jump in and have a go at answering? You might be surprised as to what can be learnt about this human sitting next to you.

Reflection in Teaching — the forgotten and underestimated skill (Part 2)

Make the implicit in your teaching explicit through reflection

Bouncing off my last post on reflection I would like to talk a little about reflecting in specific situations with the team (teacher parent student). As I mentioned, the most successful reflection needs to be done with everyone in the team in various combinations: parent and teacher; teacher and student; parent and student and, lastly, the whole team.

In any of these combinations, the perfect times for the team to start learning how to reflect together are after the highs and during (and after) the lows. This is where you can intentionally squeeze the most value from any situation.

Reflecting on the Highs

It’s so important that teachers don’t forget to look back on the good times to energise the future. As a teacher, I take a lot of time to reflect on successes with my students and their families- and why shouldn’t I? Everyone in the team has worked so hard! Often these amazing times are fleeting, with a long, long build up of hard work, sacrifice, dedication and discipline. It’s fun to spin them out a bit and enjoy them!

It’s so important that teachers don’t forget to look back on the good times to energise the future.

Successes obviously can encourage parents and students- so allow these times of reflection to do this! I constantly ask my students in lessons what they think they did well in (at least 3 things). Then I ask them what they think they could improve on for next time (again at least 3 things). Doing it in this order is incredibly powerful as most students have an almost impossible time coming up with things that they do well in (I will talk more about this in a later post). 
It takes time (and practice) to convince students that they are not being boastful or over-confident with these positives. Successful times are fantastic for students to start learning how to honestly appraise themselves, and we can all agree that this is an invaluable skill for them to take into their future!

Reflecting on the Lows

I have found that lows often go on longer than highs and that moving through these times cannot be done successfully without reflection. This is hard because reflecting on the lows is much more challenging. Here are 8 things I have noticed working with students and parents through rough patches:

1- It is imperative that students understand that it’s completely normal to go through rough patches. That’s life and what is most important is how and what you learn from it!

2- Movement through the lows is done through positive momentum. Stringing even a few of the smallest positives in a row gets this going. You only need the tiniest of sparks to get a fire going! Make a big deal of these successes to parents, students, and yourself — and do it out loud, acknowledging everyone in the team.

3- Involve the student as much as possible in conversations. Of course during these lows there will be times where you need to have frank and to-the-point conversations with just the parents. Do it. This is really important, but it is equally important to include the student so that they feel like they are being talked to not talked about.

4- Create a safe place for everyone to talk openly- this is so important. Keep in mind that this is a very sensitive time for everyone and one small situation can be taken entirely differently by everyone in the room, no matter what the age. In this safe place you can get everyone’s views out into the open and the Heavy Grey Cloud of Misinterpretation and Assumptions that was overhead can pass, bringing back the Clear Skies of Understanding!

5- Celebrate the student’s strengths! Now is the time to discuss their awesome points and keep stress to a minimum with goals. Get students to write down good points about themselves and their music.

6- When bringing up the sensitive topics, talk with and listen to the student. Do it calmly, genuinely, positively and with understanding. Even if students and parents aren’t comfortable bringing up uncomfortable topics I have found that as a teacher you must. If you don’t understand where someone is coming from stay calm and seek more information. Reality is created between the team, not held in any one person alone. Show them that these topics are ok to talk about, that no one is going to judge them for what they have to say and that different views are encouraged (in fact, they’re normal).

7- After the lows have passed, you can turn these times into something majorly positive for students and their families. Point out how much progress has been made as individuals, as a family, as a team. Talk about how awesome they are and how proud they deserve to be of themselves.

8- The above takes time. That is all. Be patient with yourself!

Reflecting on those tricky moments where not everyone agrees on whether it is a success…

The tricky events to reflect on are the ones where you, as a teacher, think differently to the student. Perhaps a student could have done better but they are happy with themselves or perhaps a student is unhappy with a great performance- the second, sadly, happens so much more often. The most important thing here is to give the student space to feel what they are feeling.

If the student is proud of themselves, don’t rain on their parade if you think they could have improved with, say, a better lead up or more character in their playing. Let their happiness, pride in themselves, and confidence have some space. Pouncing on a student’s emotions when they feel good and giving them a rant about how it wasn’t good enough will, without doubt, completely shatter confidences and bring much self-doubt into the situation and future.

The most important thing […] is to give the student space to feel what they are feeling.

If a student is shattered by their performance, this is where the trust that you have developed with them over time will come into play- big time. Take the time to go over everything with them calmly, the good and not so good things, put it in some perspective and, again, give them space to feel what they are feeling. Telling them to ‘get over it’ or ‘stop crying in public’ or giving them a serving for not practising hard enough (I have seen all of these happen) is simply not helpful.
There is a time and a place for a good ‘what have we learned’ talk and that time is not when a student is really upset in public, no matter how embarrassed you feel as a parent and/or teacher.
Interestingly, I have found that if a student is provided the space to reflect on a situation in the same way as above (3 good things first followed by 3 things to improve on) and is given as few prompts as possible from the parent or teacher, then they most often come up with what you were going to say anyway. And the fact that they have come up with it themselves is more powerful than anything you could ever say to them!

Allowing a student to come up with these improvements themselves in their own time is vital to empowering them with honest self-awareness, inner confidence and the love of music.

What reflecting affords me personally…

I know I have talked A LOT about reflection in my last 2 posts but it is highly undervalued and completely underestimated.

Taking the time to constantly reflect brings so much more value into my teaching and, therefore, my life. I watch proudly as my students turn their massive amounts of positive momentum into increased motivation to strive for their goals. I notice them focussing harder for longer periods of time in their lessons. I see them improving in self awareness- not only in their playing but also in their behaviour. I see students and their parents become more trusting with me which I absolutely do not take for granted and feel so grateful for. I can hear that my students and parents feel empowered through positive discussions where successes are given space. I see them grow stronger emotionally and guide themselves more smoothly through rough patches. Discussions get more interesting as they have more to say because they feel safe, listened to, and can practice stringing thoughts together out loud. Parents and students get on better in and out of lessons as everyone has a voice that is listened to.

I see my teaching doing exactly what I want it to do — -and that is to make them not depend on me to move forward in the world and be awesome people and musicians. They can do it themselves.

Reflection in Teaching— the forgotten and underestimated skill (Part 1)

Reflect Constantly

Reflection is often forgotten by teachers rushing rushing rushing in busy mode all day long. However, by slowing down in the now to look back at what has happened you can create an incredible positive momentum moving into the future- much more than any stern talk or rush rush attitude can create.

It is vital to reflect with the student by themselves and also with the parents present so that all three parts of the team can celebrate together, build positivity together, move forward together with the same expectations and goals, learn to take time to acknowledge one another’s efforts, and strengthen relationship foundations through talking about what the team has accomplished.

Taking time to reflect for me as a teacher (and a person!) is a no brainer!

I have noticed that lack of reflection in the team (teacher, parent and student) is the main cause of many blocks in communication from teachers, students and parents alike. These blocks are then made stronger over time and, if not knocked down through reflection and open communication, miscommunications happen which then lead to complete breakdowns in communication, which sadly leads often to giving up on music.

Having reflected with so many students and parents here is what I have found: as long as a reflection is discussed genuinely with thought, care and love for that person, any type of reflection (whether it be an improvement made or a need for improvement) can be given to a person and the person’s energy can shift for the better.

I think it is also important to learn this distinction as a teacher- that the smallest most insignificant positive reflection to a teacher can mean something HUGE to a student and/or parent. It is so important to keep looking at music through the eyes of each individual student and their parent.

At every lesson I reflect with my students- what they have improved in and what they need to focus more on. This can be from the beginning to the end of the lesson, performance to performance, week to week, month to month, term to term, year to year. Sometimes when I mention their improvement they won’t have noticed it- they will then think about it for a bit and sit a little taller with a small smile on their face. I love that reaction. Often I find that reflecting on improvements when students (and parents!) are tired, or having a little trouble focussing, completely turns the lesson around energy-wise. Again, it is a wonderful thing to be a part of and a ‘power’ not to be underestimated as a teacher.

Reflection has to come from the teacher, sure, but it also has to be encouraged from parents and (most importantly) students have to learn to reflect for themselves.

I am often prompting my students through conversation, asking them many different types of questions- if they have noticed a difference with their playing, attitude, skills, practice, focus etc. However, visual tools as well as verbal tools are vital to awesome reflection. It is important for teachers and parents to realise that for some students you can talk all you want about their improvement but it’s only if they see it for themselves that it becomes powerful. Some of my students have invented their own rubrics for assessment and reflection (which are just amazing!) and I am in the middle of creating and trialling my own rubric to help structure my teaching reflective practices (which I’ll share in a later post).

Through learning how to reflect in their music, students can then take this priceless skill into the rest of their life.

Create intentional value in your teaching (Part 1)

Make the implicit in your teaching explicit

Now that the year has well and truly warmed up, there are many values in my teaching that my wonderful students are making me aware of on a daily basis. But awareness is just the first important step! To even hope to be at my best (and beyond!) I can’t just be aware of these values, I have to action them. Only then can I bring these values intentionally into each of my students’ music educations, and, in turn, make my teaching more valuable to myself, my students, and their families.

Over the next few posts I would love to share some of these values with you and how I have actioned them.

Here we go!

Celebrate the Highs

There is no greater reward for your teaching effort than seeing your student smile, skip, run around like a mad thing with glee, stand proud, or jump around straight after achieving a big goal. All I can say is that you want to make sure you are present to see this! Go to their exams, go to their performances. Make it a priority. Because being there smiling and supporting calmly will not only help your student, but will help deepen your relationship with them and their family and in turn will make you love and value your work so much more. Miss out on these moments and it’s like being in a relationship where you are there for the bill paying but miss all the birthdays, anniversaries, and all other great celebrations - and what kind of relationship will stand the test of time if you miss all of the awesome stuff?

Support the Lows

All of my students have, at one time or another, gone through rocky patches. These patches can be for so many reasons - I have seen my students retreat into themselves from bullying at school, watched their confidence shatter due to low grades, seen numerous kids completely drained from school and its pressure, and of course there are the emotional challenges of simply growing up, maturing and learning to work positively with their family.

All I can say is expect these times - they will happen and communicating with the parents is vital. For parents, to know someone outside their family is helping them and looking out for the best interests of their child is gold as they are themselves are worried sick about their child. You will be giving a little extra time during this period but I can say it is definitely worth it.

As for the student, talk to them about the situation and allow them to have a big say in what they want to do with their music during this time. It gives them some control and choice in their life - and it often means changing their music goals completely. As a teacher, this is the time to set aside your own expectations and ego. It can be a real challenge, however, I have found that allowing the student to take more time to achieve smaller (or no) goals in the short term will, in the long term, make their music more meaningful to them, deepen the trust they have in you as a teacher, and their inner confidence will skyrocket along with their playing.

As a teacher in this situation it can be very hard staying supportive but patience, encouragement, empathy, compassion and elasticity are key. However, boundaries for certain behaviour must still be clearly in place and adhered to. Remember that these are beautiful people going through a rough patch and that, by staying by their side, you can build such incredible strength in the relationship that it will stand any other test. This is where the power of music can be at its greatest and it really is the most incredible reward to a teacher (and of course the parents!) to see students back on their feet, loving their music even more, and soaring through goals with more ease than ever as they are empowered with the understanding that their music enabled them to heal.

That’s it for this post — more of my values will come in the near future!

Reaching: Turning Knowledge into Change How CFS is helping me approach change in the music industry

I was talking with one of my students last night about how she had improved so much with her music basics over the past year (note reading, rhythm and fingering). I pointed out how learning those skills used to make her extremely uncomfortable and now she was comfortable with giving these a go on her own using a few practice and thinking tools from her imaginary toolbox. I said that it was now time we moved to a new level of uncomfortableness with her playing- putting character, feeling- a part of her self- into her playing.

She observed that the thought of this made her feel very uncomfortable. I said that this area right between comfortable and uncomfortable is where she needed to be in music- and in life- in order to improve and make change happen. I then went through a few different ways she could practice feeling a little more comfortable in this uncharted territory.

What I realised later was that I was asking her to Reach. To move from Knowing (that she had to put feeling into her music) to Changing (actually putting feeling into her Music). Now, if I am asking my beautiful and courageous students to put themselves in a vulnerable position and take risks then I need to as well. What kind of a teacher would I be if I expected my students to take risks themselves but couldn’t- or wouldn’t- do it myself?

My intention with the blogs that I write, and anything I do in this world actually, can be boiled down to working out how I can change things for the better and then rolling up my sleeves and having a go at making that change happen.

I have only recently been able to have the energy to do this as I had Chronic Fatigue Syndrome for 11 years from the ages of 23 to 34. Though I learnt a lot of life lessons during that time and managed to kick CFS’s sorry arse in early 2016, it is only now that I feel I can start putting those lessons to good use and see bigger projects from start to finish without the dreaded fear that the effort will land me in bed with chronic pain for days at a time.

I have been inside one unhealthy system for so many years (my poor body!) and in the first few years many many doctors told me that I was fine. In fact there is still no known cure for CFS. But I was determined, worked out some things about health along the way and, little by little with an awesome health team around me, got myself better.

So, after all my hard work getting myself healthy, no one is going to put me in another unhealthy system (the school music system and the music industry in general) and tell me that there is no cure. I will do my utmost to make it healthy.

I want to help other music teachers feel more valued and supported by their colleagues and employers. I want to, at the very least, speak up about how school systems need to change to suit students, their families and the needs of the future. I want to help parents understand the effect that a deep and broad music education can have on their child’s entire life. And last but definitely not least I want to help my amazing students become better humans through music.

I have gained some weird and wonderful experiences through my time in and out of music and am now determined to use them and put my effort into Reaching for something more. I am determined to not be part of the problem and rather be part of the Change. I just can’t sit back and resign myself to this system which is so broken without trying to make it amazing!

Unfortunately, many music teachers are unknowingly (and otherwise) part of the problem. They have lived their professional lives in the problem and can’t see their way out. I find that they are aware of the problems that lie in the school system. They talk about it frequently. Constantly. However, for various reasons, they can’t do any more than just talk in back rooms. I wonder if they simply can’t see their situation changing no matter what they do? I wonder if they feel trapped? I wonder how many have tried to speak up and lost work from it? I wonder if they have tried to speak up and been bullied to be quiet?

I think the general situation of teachers creates a silent feeling of helplessness within them and being unable to change their work situation for the better turns them to resignation, bitterness, defensiveness and even aggression.

It is very sad for me to see because I know, having had CFS, what it feels like to be trapped, helpless, trying and trying again with nothing working, defeated, resigned, bitter and aggressive.

What I do also Know is that Change needs to happen in the school music system and in the music industry. I also know that I am Reaching for the Change myself. I have done it within myself and, though it took a long time, it has worked. Now I am going to ask the people in this broken system to Reach for Change themselves. Like our students, we can move from Knowing, and through Reaching, Change.

With our Reaching to Change the role and experience of music education in Australia we may upset a few people along the way, we may feel a little uncomfortable about it at times, and we may lose some work from it. But I am sure that we will inspire our students to Reach further and that, in time, we ourselves will be able to Reach and get a good grip on some fantastic, healthy, living, breathing, flowing Change.

Reaching for change in the Music School System in Australia

Just now I was watching Jane Caro on ABC The Drum talking about the morale of school teachers. She was saying, “...if politicians 30 years ago had set about to systematically destroy the morale of the teaching profession they couldn’t have done a better job."

I agree wholeheartedly with this statement. It dovetails beautifully with what I have been thinking regarding music teachers that teach in schools. If school teachers have been dealt a bad hand then surely music teachers are right with them regarding morale, if not in a worse position.

First of all in Australia music teachers come across the problem of attitude towards music. Music is generally seen as a subject that is expendable, not necessary. Why this is is another story completely and an often told one but it does come from the government itself leading by example, cutting music and arts in schools and in general. And it does come from schools proudly and constantly talking about STEM. It also comes from schools actually bullying kids out of choosing music for Year 12 as it brings down the schools’ ATAR scores and makes the school less money.

Music is the first thing society clings to in times of trouble or celebration, but the first subject to be dropped in school when the new sports pavilion needs to be built, homework gets too much, or parents are too busy.

So music teachers at schools have to deal first with this underdog, "you-are-expendable" attitude towards what they choose to do with their lives. It’s not a great start.
 

Add on that the fact that most music teachers are part-timers or short-contractors—and therefore are seen as outsiders. Even music teachers who have been at schools for years and years on a part time basis aren’t acknowledged by principals and school teachers alike.

Classroom teachers’ attitudes to taking students out of class range from: outright hostility and refusal to let the music teachers take their students; passive aggressiveness regarding students missing classes going to parents first not music teachers themselves; to polite but unthoughtful requests like “can you come back later?”

I need to say here that I don’t think this is the school teachers fault- not at all. Apart from any open hostility (such as what happened to me when a teacher raised her voice at me in front of her class of 6 years olds, lost control of herself and shouted her refusal at me to let me take my student at his regular time) I can completely understand why teachers do this. It isn’t their fault—they have their own set of problems. But the way the school system is set up pits these two amazing types of teachers against each other.

So now the music teacher knows that their choice of profession is looked down upon by their government and other school teachers themselves have their own issues and are protecting their turf.

Add on to this the fact that music teachers who are employed directly by the school are worked to the bone. Directors have no time to think about leading or supporting with any real intention as they teach full time themselves, classroom music teachers barely have time to scratch themselves, are given bigger and bigger workloads as costs are cut and slashed, are always working by themselves and rarely, if ever, get a chance to work in a team. 

Okay, and now add on that it is a very lonely profession and support is practically nil. If a teacher doesn’t initiate Reaching (for personal and professional development) then there is no support that will help them Reach. Reaching for something better in life and work takes time, effort, curiosity, determination, confusion, being in it for the long haul, and grit. 

Like Jane was saying, teachers are "human” and not all teachers will do this. Not all teachers will have the strength, when faced with a broken school music system and a thankless job, to Reach. They might ask, why should we? It’s completely understandable that the big Reach isn’t done. As Jane was saying they also might be going through a tough time personally, like a divorce, when it gets even harder to Reach, let alone on your own.

So after years of parents seemingly not caring, barely acknowledging any extra effort, and other teachers complaining loudly about everything including the students themselves, even the most resilient teachers fall into the trap of negativity- the “dark side” which goes hand in hand with bitterness, cynicism and frustration.

Music teachers have no leader in the government looking out for them, school teachers are pitted against the part-time music teacher taking their students away, directors aren’t able to lead and support change, and the music teacher, working by and for themselves, thinks that trying to be better is simply a waste of their own limited time and effort.

It goes on. Now add on to this that music teachers are pitted against other music teachers. They desperately feel the need to look after their own turf, perceiving threats in new faces and ways of thinking and doing. They backstab each other relentlessly, say the most horrible and poisonous things about one another, and bullying happens often. What is even more scary, however, is that this can happen in the open- they often don’t care who hears them say these things.

Also, unpaid expectations on top of music teaching are growing. Expectations around parents are murky at best and any communication has to happen in unpaid time. Reports are expected to be completed in unpaid time, domestic violence awareness and first aid modules are now expected to be completed in unpaid time. Staying back to support student concerts is often expected in unpaid time, and meetings with other teachers and directors are expected in unpaid time.

Now add this onto the Mountain of Horribleness: the hourly rate for teachers doesn’t go up each year. Forget inflation, bonuses for doing exceptional work, overtime. Since I started teaching at schools 5 years ago the hourly rate has barely moved.

So as a music teacher your government is against you, other school teachers are protecting their turf, directors of music can’t care, music teachers don’t have the care and energy to Reach for positive change, music teachers themselves are protecting their own turf from other music teachers, and this whole thing is underpaid without much hope of it getting any better.

To run with Jane Caro’s statement above, I am going to say that the music school system couldn’t be designed any better to ruin music teachers' morale and their love for music and education. 

But here is the question that I now ask. How long can we, as teachers, keep blaming the system and not do anything about it?

This is where I am at. If we keep blaming the system, nothing will happen. This minefield of invisible political and emotional walls which makes up this system can’t change itself, it can’t hear our pleas, and won't do anything unless we Reach for the change ourselves.

I have been pondering all of this with my husband lately, saying that if I start (and keep) speaking out about this that I will probably not be able to continue to work in, or ever be able to work in, a school again.

But I feel that this might be just worth it if my poking and prodding can help Reach for something different to what is happening at the moment in music education.