Darla Hanley's Music Room

Creative Teaching for Students of Today (& Tomorrow) PK-8

Photo by Mark Olsen on Unsplash

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.

Spring Up

Today’s post is all about a springtime reset for music teachers and students.

Spring is the perfect time to begin something new, reflect on what we (get to) do as musicians and educators, and add something to the mix to refresh our work, our physical classroom setting, our professional skillset, our connections, our collaborations, and SO much more.

These things add excitement and energy to us personally, and to our work—especially as we navigate the remaining weeks of the academic year. So, what am I talking about? And what do you have to do? Try these 4 things:

1. Channel your “inner-beginner” and explore something you’ve never done before.

• This could be something related to music like learning a new instrument, exploring an unfamiliar musical style, or “taking a solo” by improvising or composing original music. It also could be something completely unrelated to work like learning to cook a new dish, trying your hand at painting, pickleball, sewing, or dance. Give your self permission to try something without expecting perfection.

• Frankly, the “it” doesn’t matter as much as the process. Time spent with a new focus and challenge makes us think differently. It can serve as a distraction from regular routines or boost our confidence when we discover something we’re good at that we didn’t know we could do.

2. Change your scenery

• Remember, as teachers we carry our skills, knowledge, and life experiences into the classroom. Especially coming out of winter months, a change of scenery is good for the body and mind.

• We know where we are can influence our mood, engage our senses, and impact the way we connect with others.

• Sometimes we think a change in scenery requires an airplane and vacation money (lol). Not true. Often if we wait for all of that, we never make a move. Instead, go somewhere close by, if you can’t get away for a long holiday. This type of day-trip excursion can be invigorating and inspirational—especially if we put our devices down and be present in the new setting.

• And don’t forget the space we create for students in our classrooms should be inviting and inspire art making! We sometimes get comfortable in our places and do not realize how messy or cluttered things are (lol). Take a critical look. I’m always amazed when I do this.

• Lastly in this category, we can make a huge impact by rearranging the furniture, adding artwork, or color. I once read something about a person reimagining her space by only using items she owned in new ways (e.g., change the orientation of the furniture so it faces a different direction; create an “art wall” instead of having art hung around the space; choose a vibrant color and fill one area of the room with things in that color. (I did this in my home around valentines day… and was stunned to see how beautiful it was to position red candle holders, bowls, linens, etc. in close proximity on top of a sideboard. That punch of color added an artistic transformation to a (regularly) mundane tableaux.)

3. Make a list

• Sometimes the act of writing/documenting makes things come alive to us. Without this physical act of putting words down, we might not take the time to hear our own voice in this way.

• Use prompts like:

  • What do I really love about being a music teacher?

  • Every teacher is different. What do I offer students? (Here I always say when I speak to teachers around the world, “not all teachers are the same, and your students get you.” And for all the reasons, that sentence gets a BIG response every time (lol).

  • What do I need (besides time and money) to be a more effective teacher?

4. Speak up

• As an administrator, I always loved providing the resources requested by faculty members—advancing their professional development, adding new equipment and tools, and supporting their work. That wouldn’t have happened in the same manner if people didn’t speak up.

  • What do you need (besides time and money) to be a more effective teacher: Resources, equipment, subscriptions, professional development, a life coach or professional mentor?

  • Find ways to seek out this support. It will make a difference.

• Finally, prepare a “wish list” of items that would enhance your classroom and teaching and share it with your school administrators and booster groups. It’s very true that oftentimes at the end of a school budget cycle or academic year there are remaining funds that need to be spent quickly by the administration. I always have a wish list in my desk!

Spring is a time of rebirth. It’s a time to refresh and spring up with anticipation of nature showing off after the winter months and is a great time to take care of yourself as you inspire the artistic and educational lives of students. It’s a time to try something new, change your scenery, make a list of what drives you/what you value, and then speak up to make something happen.

The end of a school year is busy and fast-paced and it’s an easy time to use all of that as an excuse to not X, Y, or Z. In my view, this is the perfect time to remember that students reflect their teachers… If we spring up with excitement, engagement, inspiration, creativity and action, they will too!

Thanks for checking this out. Be sure to leave a comment to let me know what resonates with you and your students.