Who's on my teaching team?

I personally struggle when I take on too many tasks by myself, and I like to try to do as much as possible on my own. As a music teacher, I’ll have too many responsibilities for that; yet I’ll also have lots of teammates. Students’ parents, private teachers and mentors; music dealers, other music educators, and older students; and of course other staff members at the school.

Parents are the ones who spend the most time with the students, so it would behoove me to check in with them about how the students are doing. Parents are also very often willing to help make the program the best it can be by being part of a Parent-Teacher Association or Organization. By delegating select tasks to parents, I’ll have more time for the specialized tasks that need done as well, which means I can make them the true best that they can be.

Other members of the team that might be more hidden at first glance are those outside the school walls. Houses of worship and community leaders provide venues for the students to play at, music dealers will provide instruments and instrument care, older students could be good role models, private teachers provide valuable skill on the instrument that I can enhance with good teamwork skills and cross-band communication. I should place reminders on my phone or computer background to connect with them so that I can ensure I don’t overlook them.

I’m part of an even larger team of music educators around the entire world. I should join lots of associations: The National Association for Music Education, where I can go to learn better teaching methods from other music educators in the nation as well as share my own successes; the International Society for Music Education, where I can learn about how other countries are approaching music education, and share some insights about how it’s going wherever I am; and loads of other associations and research groups. Keeping up on what my teammates are doing and what they can do will ensure these students get the best education they possibly can get, which is my number one responsibility.