Darla Hanley's Music Room
Creative Teaching for Students of Today (& Tomorrow) PK-8
Hi! I’m Darla, an experienced PK-12 music educator, college professor, and former Berklee College of Music Dean looking to connect with teachers, parents/caregivers, and others seeking to advance creative music making for today’s students—and their teachers. In Darla Hanley’s Music Room you will find teaching strategies, advice and teaching tips, playlists, and more.
Who Cares
© 2025 Darla S. Hanley
Today’s post is all about self-care for music teachers as we end another school year and enter S-U-M-M-E-R break. Here goes!
I know. I know. I’m supposed to always eat healthy food, exercise, get enough sleep, be kind, give back…mow the lawn, do the laundry, and clean something (lol). And yet every day my habits and actions—in one way or another—either hit these targets, or I fall short. I can’t help but wonder if I really need to feel bad if I eat a few French fries or stay up late. Who cares?
As I navigate a day something unexpected may happen that hijacks my original plan. I may find amazing produce at the farmers market that inspires me to cook (not a bad thing). Or I simply find myself in a situation where I “know” what I should be doing and decide to do something else (lol). These decisions and actions seem small or even mundane, but are they things we should care about?
We all know that airplane rule where you need to put your own mask on before helping someone else with theirs. To me that idea resonates as me taking care of myself so I can do things in life AND do things for and with other people. It goes way beyond the plane…
So, what am I talking about? And what do you have to do? Try this:
Think About Self-Care
In my opinion, the first step in self-care is to think about self-care (lol). This means I need to purposefully think about my health in terms of physicality and emotional state, and then listen to my body. How do I feel today (in all the ways)?
When I “think” about self-care, I recognize its impact—and do things. In this way I am taking care of myself and (hopefully) advancing my health and well-being. So what do I do?
1. Carve Out “Me” Time
Self-care is personal. In our super hectic world filled with SO many challenges, I recognize the need to find time for myself. Quiet time. Time to be creative. Time to hang out with my family and friends. Time to read or take a nap (lol). Time to listen to or make music. This is not wasted time. It is an essential part of living that actually fuels me—especially in summer.
In my view, “me” time should be baked into everyone’s cake. It is something we should plan and do without guilt or feeling like we need permission.
I know, this all sounds great, but how do we really make time for ourselves and get everything else done in a day, week, month, or year? Start by:
Looking for opportunities.
“Me” time may be a quiet cup of coffee on the porch to start the day. It may also be a once-a-week block of hours (e.g., Saturday mornings) to do something you enjoy—that doesn’t feel like a chore or weekly errand. “Me” time does not have to be solitary time (lol). My “me” time can be alone OR it can be time spent taking a walk, going to a museum, shopping, attending a concert, or sharing a meal with a friend.
Set a Timeframe.
Establish a planned goal to “find” and experience “me” time for 2 weeks or 1 month and track what happens!
Make sure you share this plan with your family so they know this is special time for you to not be interrupted, if at all possible (lol).
Did the Saturday morning idea work for you?
Is your “me” time when the kids are in bed? Or is it during early morning hours before anyone else gets up? Find your spot.
Could you sustain it over the whole planned time period? If not, why not?
The point here isn’t how you spent this time; rather it’s that you took time to X, Y, Z (or do nothing at all like relax in a comfy chair or lie in the grass and look up at the summer sky).
2. Use Music as a Tool.
Music has a super power. It can change how we feel, inspire us to dance around with energy and jubilation, and create an environment—a vibe. Music is a big player for self-care in my world. At times it is a welcome distraction, a prompt for creativity, or a personal expression.
It’s important to note that music, especially for music teachers, is SO MUCH a part of our workday that sometimes we yearn for quiet over music during non-work hours. That’s cool, but I actually think music experienced outside of work feeds us and influences the teaching we do with students.
Outside of school we discover new artists and styles, go to concerts and festivals where we experience live music performed by pros and amateurs alike, and share music with other people. In this lane, I encourage you to:
Get out there!
Attend an arena show, hear a community band in the park, or go to a concert at a university or library.
Look for “summer in the city” series of performances where live music happens in shopping centers and on pop-up stages.
Find local music camps and festivals and attend their final performances.
For me, these musical experiences can be transformative and magical—especially in the summer. Wow, music under the stars, right?
Create playlists
I know I say this all the time, but a good curated playlist of songs can set a scene in the forefront or in the background of life. When we select music we are making artistic choices based on our personal preferences. Who cares if someone else wouldn’t choose the same songs (lol)?
I have “dinner party” playlists ready on my phone to set the vibe when we have people over. It’s not an afterthought, but playlists I put together and keep adding to… It’s fun “me” time to find new tracks—and self-care to stop-the-world and listen as I compile the music.
So I titled this one “who cares” because, in my view, we need to focus a bit less on the expectations of others and focus inward more. If I ask myself who cares, my answer is “I do!”—and I think you do, too! When we really care about ourselves we make smart decisions, don’t overly criticize ourselves, and give ourselves grace. We are better all the way around (as individuals AND for students) when we engage in self-care. Take care everyone… It’s S-U-M-M-E-R break!
Thanks for checking this out. And be sure to leave a comment.