7 Tips for New Music Teachers

You’ve just been offered a job at a music institution and you’re thrilled! First things are in order, congratulations! The second thing to do is to truly prepare yourself for the school year so that you will start off on the right foot, but also create a bright career that you will enjoy. As a music teacher, whether private or public school, it’s without a question that you should understand the sounds of notes, basic scales, how notes sound when they are grouped together, and so on.

Technology, among other tools, has become an essential agent that helps teachers and students during their school days. Let’s see if you ready you are to get started. Continue reading to find out some useful tips on what you should be considering for your next steps!

 

1. Make use of technology (technology is your friend, not your enemy)

Technology can help teachers of all subjects and levels, and even more so for music teachers. There are numerous music apps for teachers out there that will help guide you in your teaching and practice. Being that it’s possible to kill two birds with one stone in this case, it’s evident that modern technology is a must for all new music teachers. Plus, once you turn over to the tech world there will be a clear distinction between you and the other music teachers in that area. A great example of technology being a friend and not an enemy is Tonara and its music practice app. Tonara offers teachers business management tools so they can better focus on teaching and makes practice more enjoyable for students.

 

2. Determining your Yoda

Teachers like to collaborate with one another and share little tips and tricks on what teaching methods work best, handling class time, and so on. For the newcomers, it’s always great to find a good partner who you trust, look up to, and value their opinions. In other words, find your virtual Yoda, whether it’s a person or website, and be active! Finding the Yoda where you can speak with a lot of people, ask questions, and actively participate and forums are for your benefit and will always help you in the short and long run.  

 

3. Create a friendly environment in the classroom

It is particularly important for you to be friendly, polite, and respectful to your students which will ensure their maximum participation, learning, and enjoyment. Understand the dynamic of your students on an individual level as well as how they work together, and then you can better understand how you can best teach them. School is about learning, but it’s extremely important to make it fun for the students because then they will enjoy coming to your class and even be looking forward to it all day. Don’t worry about being the ‘cool’ teacher that is down with the times, but rather being the teacher that listens to the students, works hard with them, and also makes for a fun time! If you’re having fun and creating a fun environment then it’s without a doubt that your students are also having a fun time. Remember to always be yourself, stay patient, attentive, and calm. The rest will come on its own.

 

4. Take the time to explain the main goal of the class

Sometimes being the new teacher can create a bit of tension with the students, and no one wants to experience this. During the first class meeting, if not the first week, explain to your students the main goal of the class including the main pieces that they will be playing, the styles of how they might be practicing, and what they will get out of the class. Maybe that includes repeating past lessons for the full month to ensure that all the students are correctly playing their parts. But if you inform the students about your goals and distinctions, your students will certainly know what they should expect.

 

5. Optimization of the teaching space

Sometimes classrooms have specific arrangements, but it’s not always mandatory to stick to that arrangement. If you prefer having the seats set up in a circle with you standing in the middle, go for it! But remember, if you change the arrangement it’s best to keep count of the total number of students that way you have enough room in addition to all the equipment that you’ll need. It’s best if you can give yourself and your students everything they need so they feel confident to grab the equipment as they see fit if the time comes for it. In a way, you can consider it as a rehearsal with the preparation that goes into setting up the class.

 

6. Perfection is a hard expectation

If you expect that things will go perfectly, you are mistaken, there will be a lot of imperfections regardless of your preparations and level of energy you are putting in the class. Some things will deviate from your expectations, and that’s alright. Some students often enter the class with their personal concerns and if effects their playing. In addition, the countdown to summer or spring break is already on its way. So rather than stressing about the perfection give yourself a break and avoid over expectations, but rather settle in the middle.

 

7. Get the media ready

Part of keeping the attention of your students for the complete class session will make the things dynamic. If your students want to listen to a song or any specific pieces, you need to plug in, go through a film clip, or record them playing. It’s crucial that you already have access to all the technology that you might need in any of these cases. While you’re setting up your classroom space that’s the time to see what technology you already have and what will need to be bought. If something is needed, make a list with places to buy it, prices, and then hand it over to your superior so it can be handled.

 

 

The start of any career can be difficult, but when you have a list of what you need to do and what has been done already it makes things a lot easier for you. Always remember to start out on the right foot so that your school year will be great and so will your career!

 

This is a guest post from the creators of Tonara.