From the Desk

       of Tim Lautzenheiser

WHERE ARE THE MUSIC EDUCATORS OF TOMORROW?
they are in your rehearsal rooms today...

We have more music teaching positions available than we have music educators.  With the increased focus on the benefits of music learning combined with the anticipated increase in school population, we are facing a professional crisis.  We need qualified music educators, and we need them now.  The national emphasis on music advocacy has created a ground-swell of interest in music-making.  We cannot turn our backs on the need to recruit the best possible candidates to join our ranks as we develop the music teachers of tomorrow. 

Perhaps the following will offers some suggestions to insure the welfare of music education for our children, our grandchildren, and many generations to follow.

How do you respond when one of your students says to you, “I want to be a music teacher.  I think it would be exciting to spend my life working with young musicians.  Do you think it is a good idea for me to pursue music education as a career?”  What is your reaction to this all-important inquiry?

First and foremost, we must be thrilled with the fact we, as music teachers, have such a lasting impact on our students, perhaps more than any other educator in their lives.  The student’s message in the above paragraph is quite clear; “I want to be just like YOU when I grow up.”  Isn’t it the greatest compliment you could possibly receive?  Secondly, it provides a forum of extended-confidence demonstrating an individual’s complete trust in you as more than a classroom teacher, but rather as a mentor, a confidant, and a valued guide along life’s journey.  Your response can-and-will make a significance difference in the direction of the individual’s future.

Herein lies an opportunity to graciously thank the student for considering the field of music as a career option.  Again, your influence has been a key to creating this professional preference. It also offers the opportunity to explain the various aspects of the occupation rarely seen by the participant; it is time to be boldly honest as you describe what lies ahead.  Ask the student, “Are you willing to:”

1.  Prepare yourself NOW to meet the requirements for your upcoming college music program?
2.  Fulfill the rigorous curriculum requisites for an undergraduate degree?
3.  Embrace the added pressure of an expanded music-major schedule?
4.  Deal with the demands of extended rehearsals, demanding performances, extra duties, etc.?
5.  Thrive and grow in a competitive environment?
6.  Set and attain high levels of personal commitment and dedication?
7.  Master the people skills necessary for teaching success?
8.  Understand the trade-off of revenue intake for life-mission satisfaction?
9.  Find the balance of a personal and professional life?
10. Stay fresh and enthusiastic avoiding professional burnout?

If the student is still eager to explore the “study of music,” then it is time to have the heart-to-heart conversation about the often-forgotten essential elements of a successful music educator such as:

1. A positive attitude.
2.  The willingness to meet and accept extreme challenges.
3.  An endless supply of energy stretching from early morning until late at night.
4.  A need to control one’s temper in emotionally charged situations.
5.  An ongoing effort to be genuinely fair to everyone connected with the program.
6.  An affable personality designed to work with all types of people.
7.  Highly developed communication skills.
8.  The ability to make tough decisions under challenging circumstances.
9.  A basic love of music.
10. An insatiable desire and a genuine passion to teach children the art of music-making.   

After all this exchange, if the student looks straight into your eyes and says, “Yes, I want to be a music teacher,” then put your arm around him/her and promise to help in every way possible to select the right school to make this dream come true.  It will be one of the most gratifying moments of your teaching career.

Might I suggest many of us are music teachers because of our music teachers?  We have dedicated our lives to helping others experience and understand the universal language of music, much as our mentors did for us.  May we do the same for our students in the spirit of giving, sharing, knowing, and becoming.  As they say, “It is a gift that lasts a lifetime.” 

Let the music begin!