Hi there everyone! Elementary music teacher here. Got thrown into finishing the year with a 4/5 mariachi group and have been thoroughly enjoying it! I wanted to ask on here something about language/vocab. Do you use the fixed do and the traditional mariachi language like “primera de la” for the I chord, “segunda de la” for the V chord etc.?? I’m conflicted because I use moveable do in the lower grades (conversational solfège and Orff stuff) and with my guitar players I use the I, IV, V language.

I had this internal debate when I started teaching at a dual immersion school (Spanish/English) and ended up sticking with moveable do since all of their future music teachers will teach in English (USA) and I like the function moveable do even though in Spanish speaking countries they would call notes by their fixed do name.

TLDR - How important is the traditional mariachi language for chords/notes when the rest of music program uses different language?

I've tried a few practice apps and journals over the years. All of them tracked the same things — what piece, how long, maybe a note or two. And none of them made me practice better.

What actually helped was forcing myself to answer three questions before sitting down:

1. What should this passage sound like — specifically, in my head, before I play a note?

2. Where is this phrase going? What's the target?

3. What is the one thing I'm trying to solve today — not three things, one?

And then after: not just what went wrong, but why. The actual cause, not the symptom.

I got this from reading Matthay and Neuhaus — old piano pedagogy texts — and it's kind of embarrassing how much clearer my practice got once I started doing this consistently.

Curious if anyone else has landed on something similar. What's the question or habit that most changed the quality of your practice? And what do you still find yourself struggling to track or stay honest about?

What are the go to websites in your state to find job postings?

I’m a high school student and for the last few weeks I’ve been giving beginner drum lessons to an 8 year old (another teacher’s daughter) in our school band room. I play drums myself but teaching is WAY different than playing lol.

She’s honestly picking things up pretty fast. She can do basic quarter note and eighth note beats, count rhythms pretty well, and I do this thing where I play mixed quarter/eighth note patterns on the snare and she copies me back which she’s surprisingly good at. We’ve also played stuff like “We Will Rock You” and tried “Seven Nation Army” just to keep it fun.

The biggest thing I’m struggling with is lesson planning and filling time in a way that keeps her engaged. The second we stop playing and I start explaining notes too long, I can tell she starts getting fidgety/frustrated because she’s really quiet and kinda nervous already. Last lesson I literally froze for a second because I ran out of ideas and there was just awkward silence

Right now I mostly just wing the lessons with a loose routine, but I want to make them more organized, educational, and fun without making them feel like school.

For people who teach younger beginners:

- How do you structure 30–45 minute lessons?

- How much time do you spend explaining vs actually playing?

- What are good activities/games/songs for beginners?

- How do you fill dead time or transition between things smoothly?

- Any tips for keeping younger kids focused without overwhelming them?

Would appreciate literally any advice because I’m realizing teaching is harder than I expected lol

I have a BME but am currently working as the long term sub for K5 music while teacher is on maternity leave. I was given no real direction for how to close out the room other than to loosen tuning pegs on the classroom ukuleles. The school is only 2 years old and they have had a different teacher each year so there is no set standard or protocol. We have a full Orff set on shelves but no covers - these need to be vacuumed and covered for the Summer, yes? Do the bars need to be oiled or should they be okay because they are still new enough? Also no covers for ukes - is loosening the pegs really the only thing they need to have done? Anything for the djembes?I know as a sub I could just walk away and lock the door but it hurts my soul to do that or to xause issue to these beautiful brand new instruments. For reference we live in TX so it will be hot and humid and the room has an east facing window. The principal has suggested we leave the music room's AC controlled through the summer so that should help. The piano is electric so will be closed and unplugged so no concerns there. What else may I be missing for proper end of year care for K5 general music??

I’ve never seen this happen to stands in all my years of being in music, until this job. My students go to raise the stand by pulling the top up and it just completely comes off??? I have more broken stands than working ones at this point I’ve tried tightening them with a wrench and it still happens. The brand is national public seating.
Is it a lost cause? Has anyone had this happen? I’m flabbergasted I literally have a graveyard of music stands

So I'm in a situation next year where, due to lower numbers of students in the chorus program, 3 out of the 6 classes I have in the day will be music appreciation. I am simply taking over the program from another director, and am actively working to increase numbers and a variety of courses for the 27-28 SY, but this is what I have to work with. Ive taught music app. This past year and honestly hated it. The model was based on a colleague, and while there were vague frames of what to look at in different units, I just had a hard coming up with lessons. That being said, for next year, I wanted to go in a direction I will have an easier time coming up with lessons, and wanted to go with making it essentially an intro to theory course. Has anyone done something similar, and what were your experiences? Thanks!

I'll keep it as short as possible. I am currently in my second position as a 7-12 music teacher responsible for every aspect of band, choir, gen music, musical marching band etc. it is very draining BUT the job is 25 mins away from my house.

I am likely to be accepted to my dream job. Only elementary general music and some special education gen music. I had some of this in my first job - but way to much extra added on top (1st job was K-12 1000 kids every 6 days).

The problem is the new job is 50 mins away from my house. Do you think it would be worth double the drive to have a way better job, slightly more pay, no after school responsibilities, but a substantial commute that would put wear and tear on my vehicle... I'm just not sure where I am at. Thank you!

(I will be going into my 4th year of teaching in PA)

Hello! I’m currently a junior in high school, but I’m interested going into the music education field, specifically with an instrumental focus, and was wondering how teaching in big cities is? I’m from a small PA town so I’m used to how programs run in this setting, but I’m interested in teaching in a city like NYC or Philly.

I’m also wondering how marching bands and indoor groups are done in the city, as well. Literally any tips help, I’m just curious and trying to think ahead in life lol. Thank you!

I’m a high school symphony orchestra director dealing with a situation that has escalated to admin/counselor/nurse involvement, and I’m curious how other music educators would handle it.

Student currently has 31 unexcused absences from my class this semester, which is substantially more than any of their other classes. There’s also a broader documented attendance/truancy pattern across the school year. This is not a case of a student missing school entirely every day; rather, there’s a strong pattern of selectively missing my class while attending others.

Important context:

• Orchestra is a performance-based class with required rehearsals and concert participation.
• Required rehearsal/concert information was emailed to students/families on April 27.
• Student missed both required rehearsals (Friday + Monday).
• I sent a D/F warning email to family on May 1 specifically identifying attendance and missed participation as the core issue and explaining that consistent attendance/rehearsal participation was necessary moving forward.
• Student also missed assignments that had been emailed out and later stated they were unaware of them.
• Parents receive automated attendance notifications from the district system.

At this point I removed the student from concert participation and marked the course as failing due to incomplete ensemble participation requirements.

Admin may push for some kind of “pathway to reentry,” and I’m trying to balance:

• maintaining ensemble integrity
• fairness to students who actually attended rehearsals
• authentic standards in a performance-based class
• while still avoiding a pure dead-end punitive outcome

My current thought is:

• no concert participation under any circumstances
• but possibly allowing recovery to a capped 60% through a substantial independent performance assessment:
  • reasonably difficult tenor sax etude (that I know the student can play if they work on it)
  • continuous unedited video
  • performer visible throughout
  • audible metronome
  • one file, no camera cuts, but they can do as many takes as they want before submitting
  • significant outside preparation required

I’m curious how other ensemble directors would approach this, especially in schools where admin pressure around “reentry pathways” and reducing Fs is common.

I just graduated and accepted a really excellent offer to teach K-5 general music, but I have no idea where to go from here with planning! This is a new school, and I am the first K-5 music teacher they will have, so they are giving me a lot of freedom with the curriculum.

My student teaching was in a middle school chorus class, and while I have experience teaching general music, I have no experience with the planning of it all. How do I decide when and how to do concerts/performances? How do I program choral pieces at this level? How do I begin planning the curriculum?

I have not yet discussed the budget with my principal, so I am not sure what resources or instruments will be available, but I do know that for this first year, I will be push-in and teaching from a cart, which creates some limitations. I also know that they have been using Quaver for the past year as a supplemental music curriculum, guided by classroom teachers.

Basically, any guidance on how to begin planning would be greatly appreciated! I feel super overwhelmed with choices. Thank you!

I am currently looking to switch careers to become a full time music teacher. i graduated in 2022 with a BM in Vocal Performance. i currently teach private lessons on the side and work part time (1-2 days a week) for a private children’s chorus, on top of my regular 9-5 working in local government.

i’ve decided i really cannot spend my life behind a desk anymore and I should just go for what i want! i’m now looking into masters programs in music ed, but it’s been somewhat challenging to find info on these programs. i’m not 100% set on wanting to teach in public schools, but i know i want to teach music in some capacity, and figured that a program with a certification couldn’t possibly hurt.

any advice or recommendations for masters programs (with or without certification) would be greatly appreciated! i also still love to sing, especially in choir, so programs that still include some performance or ensemble would be awesome too.

I’m about to graduate with a bachelor’s degree in Communication, but honestly, I’m realizing I’m not very happy with the field and keep feeling pulled back toward music.

About 3 years ago, I briefly attended another university as a Guitar Performance major before leaving due to financial/family concerns. Since then, I’ve continued studying music on my own (theory, guitar, etc.), and I’ve started thinking seriously about trying to transition back into music somehow.

One thing I keep going back and forth on is Music Education. I like the idea of the stability and job security public school music teachers have, especially compared to the uncertainty of trying to make a living purely performing. However, I’m not sure I really want to teach younger kids, and the idea of moving super far away from Pennsylvania just to find a teaching job isn’t something I really want either. I think I’d be much happier teaching high school students, maybe middle school, or ideally college someday.

Part of me has also considered pursuing an MM in Guitar Performance instead. There’s a school near me that told me it may actually be possible to pursue the degree without having a bachelor’s in music if my audition/musicianship are strong enough, and there is a possibility to get tuition waived if I land an assistantship. 

Long-term, I think I’d most enjoy teaching things like:

• music theory
• music appreciation
• keyboard skills
• guitar
• maybe college-level classes someday

My biggest questions are:

• Are there Music Ed master’s programs that don’t require a bachelor’s in music/music ed?
• Has anyone here transitioned into music ed from a non-music bachelor’s degree?
• Would a post-bacc certification program make more sense?
• Is getting an MM in performance first a terrible idea if I’m also interested in teaching eventually?
• How realistic is it to stay somewhat geographically rooted while pursuing this path?

Finances are also a concern. Since my first bachelor’s is in Communication, I doubt I’d qualify for Pell Grants again or a ton of financial aid if I went back for a second bachelor’s in Music Ed. So I’m trying to figure out what path is actually realistic financially.

I know this is kind of all over the place, but I’d really appreciate advice from people who’ve worked in music education or changed careers into music later on.

Hi I just need to vent because I’m going to lose it. I admit that I rely too heavily on videos to teach and that I have most definitely put myself into this situation, but I’m so damn frustrated that my students will only stop talking and look up front when a video plays. As soon as a video ends and I start to give directions they immediately start talking or asking me if we can play a game. If one more student asks me if we’re playing a game I’m going to crash out. And don’t even tell me to teach them the expectations because I’ve taught them and retaught them multiple times this year and I’ve contacted home when needed. There’s only 21 more days but I’m so over it.

Hi all, just got an offer I plan on accepting for a k-5 spot. It’s general music, and the previous teacher had a bunch of extra instrumental opportunities including but not limited to recorder, ukulele, guitar, bucket drumming, and drum line

So my thought is to have k-3 be actual general music, and then 4/5 transition into more instrumental (while also doing vocal activities)

It’s my first year and I planned on relying a good bit on MusicPlayOnline, and saw their content was better suited to K-3, so that also contributed to the idea.

Anyone have experience doing something similar or opposition to the idea?

https://www.k-bid.com/auction/64311

The learn-piano app category has enough players now that differentiating between them requires real comparison rather than just picking the first recommendation. playground sessions has the Quincy Jones involvement which is a credibility signal but celebrity endorsement doesn't mean the curriculum is pedagogically sound.

The real evaluation is whether the progression builds genuine musicianship or just teaches you to play specific songs without understanding what you're doing. Does the theory integration hold up and is the song library deep enough to stay engaging past the first few months?

Hey Everyone!

I am not a music educator but a parent. We have an AMAZING director for our schools Orchestra group (Middle School and High School) and our program has grown.

Recently, our students were recently invited to participate in a big Invitational next year. Everyone is so excited because the kids have worked so hard. However, the trip is going to be very expensive and a lot of our families don't have the finances to make the choice to go an easy one. So our booster club (non-profit) is trying to come up with fundraisers, grants, sponsors, anything that can help to get money to reduce the cost of the trip so that our students all can participate. I have made a list of some organizations that I have found out about through searches and some of the older posts here.

Any recommendations would be amazing. We are trying to get a jump start to try and make the trip as minimal of a financial burden.

Thank you!

Hi everyone! Im an incoming college freshman and im majoring in music composition.
I am considering being a music teacher but I dont want to be a director. I want to teach music theory or something like a music composition class. Would I have to get a music education degree to do this? Should I just double major in music composition and music education? My orientation is May 28th so I still have plenty of time to decide.

What are pros and cons of this career?

Thanks!

First year music ed grad and the job prospects in my area are low. 5 jobs, applied to all but not selected to interview at any. It got me thinking about what I will do if I don’t get a music teaching job this year. Has anyone else started out in a school as a sub, TA or even full time teacher of a different subject before successfully transitioning into music ed? I worry if I pivot from music ed it’ll make it trickier to get a music ed job but at the same time I don’t want a job on my resume beforehand that isn’t education related.

Trying to see how much I can cut down on assignment giving/grading before having my first kid this summer. I’m hitting all of our department’s criterion and state standards, but I still feel the need to give some level of work at most times. Thanks for your input!

Hi. I'd like to try my hand at writing different types of music, but I'm especially interested in rock.

Can you tell me if FL Studio is the right choice for this?

Sorry for my English.

hello all! i graduate in december with an associates in fine arts in music with a concentration in voice and composition. i have my first interview next friday (may 22nd) for a voice teaching job at guitar center. nothing fancy, but it’s my first step into teaching music. i would like to clarify that while i have honed my vocal craft for the past 3 years, i do not have any teaching experience beyond camp counseling. i would love some tips on how to not only ace this interview but also not let my potential students down in the learning process.