Zander began his talk unconventionally by walking from the front to the back of the room. He mentioned why people choose to sit in the back or the front row. Often, people won’t choose to be in the front row because they think it is saved for V.I.P. “Back rowers” like to be able to make a quick exit, sleep or text. Those who choose to be in the front row are open to receive (we had hesitantly chosen to sit in the front row!). Since the front row seats were not full, he invited folks to move up into them.

We all have the choice to be in the front row of our lives. According to Zander, our choices can be boiled down to either an upward or downward spiral (winning or losing, succes or failure), or the “radiating circle of possibility.” He said, “The world will show up entirely in the way you create it.” In other words, the secret of life is that, “It is all invented.”

The radiating circle of possibility represents the hope that whatever happens (good or bad) has the potential to be positive. Also, every day can be perfect. When mistakes are made, hurdles or adversity encountered – our reaction can be one of three choices:

1. Resignation
2. Anger
3. Possibility – we can throw our arms in the air and say, “How fascinating!”

As musicians, we play a special roll because musicians can speak to everybody. Art is about rearranging us and opening us up to possibility. Zander stated, restated and emphasized that we as music teachers are “the priests.” Our charge is to awaken possibility in other people, namely our students. How exciting and at the same time, what an enormous responsibility. How do you know you have awakened possibility in other people? Zander says to look at their eyes and ask, “Are they shining?” And if they are not, “Who am I being that their eyes are not shining?” Analyze and figure out what you might be doing or not doing to enable possibility.

To illustrate – while teaching at Eastman, Zander’s assignment, or rather, invitation was to give all students an A, an unconditional gift. The students were then asked to write a letter to him about the person they would be at the end of the term upon achieving an A. The act of giving an A can be practiced in any relationship or encounter, such as an employee, a family member, or a flight attendant. The significance of giving an A is that it removes judgment and creates different options. According to Zander, “the A is not an expectation to live up to, but a possibility to live into.”

I have been trying this with my students and it has worked tremendously. If I remove my expectations and judgements about a particular student, I treat them differently, allowing the student to grow and blossom in their own true direction. In addition to giving an A, there are many more practices in Zander’s book. I encourage everyone to get the book and start creating a world of possibility! As Zander so eloquently stated, “Possibility is only one sentence away.”

In teacher training classes, at conferences, and among music teacher friends, this is one of the most heated topics I hear about. Most people have a strong opinion one way or another. If you are an active performer and expect lots of flexibility from your students to accommodate your performing schedule, you may be one of the teachers IN FAVOR of make-up lessons. If you, on the other hand, are someone with a tight child-care schedule or teaching space limitations, you may be COMPLETELY AGAINST make-up lessons. For community music schools, preparatory divisions, or multi-teacher co-operatives, the topic of make-up lessons probably fuels many of your faculty meetings.

Here are some of the pros and cons I have heard about make-up lessons. First, let’s assume that if you, the teacher, misses a lesson, you either owe the student a refund or a make-up lesson. The harder question is what to do when a student misses a lesson. Was little Johnny really sick or did he want to stay playing outside on a nice day? What about the family who didn’t call in advance but picked their child up sick from school? Do you really want them feeling pressured into coming to a lesson, exposing you to illness, just “because they had already paid for it”?

Advantages of Make-up Lessons

• The student and family feel that you are flexible and sensitive to their needs
• As a teacher you are willing to give make-up lessons and, in turn, may more frequently rearrange lessons to meet your other commitments
• Make-up lessons provide consistency of weekly lessons or additional lessons during a
  “make-up period” that the student would have forfeited.
• End of semester make-up lesson periods can be used to teach a new skill or provide an out-of-the-ordinary musical experience.

Disadvantages of Make-up Lessons

• Families may take advantage of your flexibility and are likely to miss for a friends’ birthday party as easily as they will miss for an excused illness.
• Commitment to prioritizing lessons (and possibly daily practice) may be diminished.
• Unless you are very strict about your payment policy, missed lessons can lead to missed payments and conflict between family and teacher.
• Make-up lessons are more teaching time for no additional money. You, the teacher, were available at the regularly scheduled lesson time. You were most likely paying for the space. Your student was not available and a make-up requires you to essentially give the lesson for free.

One of the most common comments I hear is that families are comfortable paying for a semester of ballet lessons, the soccer season, or a summer art class. They will miss a class when necessary but, in these examples, would not expect a make-up class or refund.

So what makes music lessons fall into a different category? Is it the fact that most lessons are one-on-one? Is it that lessons are sometimes taught in our home or apartment? Is it the old fashioned view of the little old lady down the street who taught piano but did it because she loved music and kids, not for the money?

I am endlessly fascinated by what seems to be an often illogical professional decision on the part of individual teachers and music schools. As musicians, we have spent years, often decades, studying our instrument and becoming dedicated, inspired music teachers. Most often we have to accept the limitations (and benefits) of being self-employed. More flexibility and control of our own business, but no paid vacation, no sick, no personal days, no paid holidays, no comp days after a week of overtime, no 401K. And yet, make-up lessons essentially make being paid for your time optional.

If I show up for work, I want to be paid. Even for those students who attend all the lessons in a semester, a week of make-up lessons at the end of the semester is either a missed week of lessons for that student (for which the teacher is not paid), or a comp lesson from the teacher. Neither of these options feels truly professional. I would not ask my dentist to examine and clean my teeth for no charge just because it was “make-up teeth cleaning week”.

Recently I read an interesting article that cuts right to the point. In 2001, Vicki Barnham wrote the article “Makeup Lessons From and Economists Point of View”.  It is located on the website of Ottawa Suzuki Strings, a long-standing, well-respected music school. I hope it gives you food for thought.

As we enter the summer training season and the last few months of another great school year, I hope you will take a few moments to think about your position on make-up lessons. Please post comments. I will continue the conversation and include your thoughts at Institutes around the country.

Perhaps a summer camp is an option to fill the void. If so, now is the time to start thinking about summer. In the past, I have not required that students take lessons during the summer. Typically, I teach six weeks during the summer and students who do take must have at least four lessons during that time. I do this primarily because I like my summer free time! However, I see how it negatively effects those who do not take lessons (not to mention how it negatively effects my pocketbook!) and I may decide to take the plunge this year and require that students either a) Sign up for at least four lessons, b) Sign up for a studio music camp or special class offering, c) Attend a summer music institute or camp of some kind outside my studio, or d) All of the above! Realizing the importance of continuing music study during the summer months, those students taking summer lessons, camps or classes would be guaranteed a reserved lesson time in the fall.

I researched several piano pedagogy textbooks on summer camps and found a plethora of ideas in Beth Gigante’s book, The Independent PIano Teacher’s Textbook. She gives the best advice I could find on researching, developing and organizing a summer a summer music camp. Here is a series of steps I developed for myself in creating a summer program for my studio:

Step 1: Brainstorm – what to do? The ideas are endless. You may want to consider a theme for the camp such as a musical style period, jazz and popular styles, or a specific genre, sight-reading, or other creative activities. Another option is to focus on ensemble music. Hire outside musicians to work with your student on chamber music or even popular music. Activities could include guest performances, a field trip, games, supervised practice, music appreciation, music history, theory, listening, sharing, projects, movie time, topic discussions, all culminating in a a final concert.

Step 2: Survey. One of the best ideas I found in setting the initial plans for a summer music camp were on the Music Matters Blog by Natalie Wickham. She first surveys parents and students on availability for and interest in a music camp. What a great way to get on your studetnts’ busy summer calendar!

Step 2: Develop Ideas. Once the surveys are returned, start making a plan. Consider your resources and make a list of all the things you will need. Decide on location, length and times. Develop a budget. Remember to consider collaborating with another teacher if practical.

Step 4: Publicize and Organize. Send out fliers and registration forms and insist on a deadline in order to determine what you will need for the camp. Gather all materials. Hire extra help, if needed.

Step 5: Implement. Be organized, professional, prepared, and above all, have fun! Know that your hard work will pay off by providing your students with a special experience that will enhance their musical education as well as giving you extra income during the summer.

Being rather new at developing a summer camp, I am very interested in what you have done in the past, what has worked well, and how you and your students have profited.

Jeffrey Cufaude is an architect of ideas …custom-designing keynotes, workshops, and leadership conferences that promote learning and community.

What most impresses me about the blog is not that Jeffrey is a musician, a teacher, or even in the arts. And yet his articles are relevant and to the point. As an “ideas architect” (something I had never heard of before), his topics are broad enough to appeal to the masses but specific enough to be useful in my day to day work.

As music studio teachers, owners, and administrators, we can only do so much with our limited resources. How do we fill in the gap? Volunteers. Throughout my career I have worked with volunteers as an organizer or recruiter. I have been a volunteer myself both in arts organizations as well as several other types of non-profits. It is a tricky job. On the one hand there is the enormous need (have you ever heard of an arts organization that had more than enough help?) and on the other hand there is the habit of using volunteers to the brink of burnout and beyond.

While reflecting on the article I began to think of my own volunteer experiences and, as a studio owner, the use of volunteers in my program. I am reminded of:

• The students’ parent who volunteers his photography skill at every studio recital and then donates the proceeds of all photo sales to a studio selected organization.
• The “studio parent” who organizes the studio recitals and receptions
• The parents and teens who run the “music store” for our annual weekend workshop
• The countless people it takes to organize and run a fundraising walk or concert for our organization
• The music students who want to perform regularly at a local senior center to fulfill their school community service requirement
• My own volunteering on several non-profit boards and committees
• Organizing the benefit concert for our scholarship fund
• Providing materials, treats, and support for the small group who fold the weekly church newsletter
• Joining the volunteer cadre of teachers who weekly give their time as teachers in the religious education program at our local church

And the list goes on. How do you use volunteer time and energy in your program? Is there someone who leads your volunteer efforts?  What have you volunteered for in the past? Was it a good experience? Did you feel valued? Would you do it again? These questions led me to two highlights from Jeffery’s article.

Don’t waste volunteers’ time. Time is one of the most significant contributions a volunteer offers to an association.  It is a gift we need to manage carefully.

Don’t forget the fun! Doing the work of the association is serious business, but the way we go about it doesn’t have to be dry and boring.  We must engage not only volunteers’ minds, but also their hearts.  Making volunteer experiences memorable will keep them coming back for more.

I hope you find a few moments to read the full article. It is terrific food for thought. I would love to hear your ideas on creating a strong and vibrant volunteer community.

Recently my ensemble policy has been questioned by some of my colleagues as well as a family within my studio. Isn’t it too much of a time commitment? Jr and Sr high school students are so busy. Can’t my child just keep taking lessons even if they don’t sign up for band in school? I have been tempted to make exceptions to my requirement.

Then, just a few weeks ago, I had one of my long-time students stop taking flute lessons. I was sad and disappointed but had seen it coming. I wondered if there was something I should have done differently. My student had been struggling all fall. She was coming to lessons unprepared, withdrawn, and disengaged. The change in our lessons was dramatic. I spoke with her family, we talked in lessons, I looked for music that was particularly fun and engaging. I was working hard to help her through what felt like a particularly difficult practice slump. (We all have them!) Just six months ago she was progressing through her repertoire, well-known and respected as the most advanced flutist in school music program, and she had just gotten a new flute. Then this past fall, for the first time in three years, she did not audition for the after school honors band. She didn’t want to join a chamber music class. She began to balk at playing in front of our group class. She decided not to take band in school. It was a slippery slope that ended in a wonderful, talented young girl feeling overwhelmed, unmotivated, and bad about herself.

The more I have thought about the situation, the more confident I am that my “ensemble requirement” is absolutely right on. Many of my students begin playing when they are very young (age 4-6). At that age a private lesson and group class is sufficient and they work with their parents daily at home. For my pre-teens, the parent relationship is changing. They are no longer as willing to have the parent actively working with them at home. Developmentally, it is appropriate that they are craving independence, peer interactions, and acceptance. In my experience, no matter how long they have studied their instrument, making music cannot be a solitary experience for this age group. They need to communicate, to feel like “one of the gang”, and to be surrounded by an environment of music. Sending a student to practice alone in their bedroom day after day is like a watching a beautiful plant slowly being starved of light and water. Music is a living language and it needs to be shared with others.

There is nothing more exciting than to see one of my teenage students thriving in school and in music. To know that their instrument has become their “rock” and it has helped them to weather one of the most volatile and difficult stages of growth. To see that they are well on their way to becoming what Dr Shinichi Suzuki calls “the good citizens of the world”.

What ensemble experiences do your students participate in? If you are a piano instructor, how to do manage to make playing the piano exciting and fulfilling at this every social time? Do you see a difference between those students who are engaged in music with their peers and those who are more solitary? What creative solutions have you found for your home-schooled students or those who do not fit into the typical programs? I look forward to your thoughts.

That said, I’ve never been one to implement reward programs to try to motivate a student.  I’ve known teachers who provide prizes or even monetary rewards for students who practice a certain number of times per week, but in my experience these can be ineffective and expensive.  Instead, I have found that providing students with performance opportunities motivates students to practice and in doing so, helps encourage a long-term relationship with the student and his family.

A student who is preparing for a recital or competition is likely to practice faithfully.  He doesn’t want to embarrass himself by playing poorly in front of his family and friends, but wants to impress them with his musical abilities.  A student playing for a competition or festival will, likewise, want to impress the judge and earn a good score.  A student who doesn’t practice and gives a poor performance is likely to want to turn things around the next time and prevent this experience from happening again!  Since some instruments can also be a bit isolating, hearing their peers play can also be motivating to kids.  A beginning piano student has the opportunity to hear a high school student play a famous Chopin prelude, and becomes excited about what he will be able to learn someday if he sticks with his instrument.

Parents also enjoy opportunities to see their children shine.  Hearing their children play in a recital or festival makes them proud and helps them understand the real gift they are giving to their children by keeping them in music lessons.  Hearing advanced students play also allows parents to see the rewards of a long-term commitment to lessons.

At my own studio, I try to provide students with many opportunities throughout the year to play in a variety of settings and through a variety of organizations.  I never require that a student participate in all of the events I offer, but I always make my students aware of what opportunities they have and help parents select a few that fit their child’s abilities and personalities well.  Some of the performance opportunities I provide are:

• Annual studio recitals, held at the community room of our local library
• Seasonal recitals put on by my local teachers organization at our university (allows students to play in an amazing venue on an amazing instrument)
• Masterclasses put on by my local teachers organization each spring
• Students share holiday music selections each December at a local nursing home
• Competitive opportunities through the National Federation of Music Clubs and my state music teachers organization

For the past year I have been teaching with my computer in the studio. I use it to take care of the business of music teaching with Music Teachers Helper, to look up youtube videos with my students, and to listen to and play with the CD recordings I have downloaded into iTunes. Slowly I am becoming more comfortable with the blending of technology and more traditional music lessons. But having to turn to the computer and manipulate the keyboard often feels like an interruption to the flow of the lesson.

My excitement about the iPad stems from the fluid way that I have been using it during lessons. The iPad is small and can easily rest on my solid, black music stand. It requires touching rather than a keyboard. And, most of all, the kids LOVE it. It’s pretty and it’s fun. The apps feel like games even when they are covering challenging concepts.

What are my favorite apps so far?

Cleartune chromatic tuner- this is an easy to use, quick to respond, tuner. As sensitive as my old Korg tuner and incredibly cheap through the app store. We begin every lesson with a quick tune and some intonation exercises.

Do you have a favorite tuner? What are the characteristics you look for?

Note Squish- A funny, animal filled note reading game. A note will appear on the staff and below small moles will appear with letter names. You have to tap the correct mole to move to the next screen. As you improve, bunnies begin to appear as well as the letter moles for extra points and difficulty. This game is a HUGE hit with my students.

Rhythm in Reach- this is a fun rhythm touch game with nine levels in 4 different meters including 6/8 time counted both in 6 and in 2. Each level has an option to repeat a rhythm as many times as you would like and to see more rhythms of the same level before taking the “test”. Each attempt gives feedback on any mistakes and a % score after completing the exercise. A metronome counts down before each exercise and can be set to slow, medium, or fast.

Metronome- There are many metronomes in the app store. I find that the internal speaker for the iPad is fairly loud which is key to successful use. I have recently downloaded two different metronome apps. One is very simple and offers only 2/4, 3/4 or 4/4 options and another which has many features and is more like a “Dr Beat”. Which metronome app do you like and why?

Dice 3D- Of course we could just throw a die to roll for repetitions but what fun is that? In this app, the kids can choose which shape, number of sides, and color die they use. You can add additional dice for multi-player games. Just shake the iPad and the dice will roll and land.

Make Dice- On this dice app you can “write” on each side. I use it to write review pieces, parts of the lesson, activities, or specific ideas to think of while playing a piece. It’s simple and easy to use. Once again, a fun way to put “chance” in charge and have some fun. Just shake the iPad and the die will tell you what to do.

Key Signature Quiz- This is a great game for students to challenge themselves on major and minor keys. It can be set for major, minor or both keys. Choose sharps, flats or both and set a time limit of none, 5 seconds or 10 seconds. This is great for students preparing for auditions or theory tests and working through the circle of fifths.

iRecorder- This voice recorder is one of many available from the app store. I have enjoyed using the built in audio recorder on the iphone for several years now. This app   is even simpler, records in fairly high quality even without an external microphone, syncs over wifi and through itunes, and can be easily emailed to students right after making a recording. I LOVE this app!

My Note Games- This is my newest app. The app is free but it has several games that can be bought in-app. I splurged at bought all four games as a bundle for $5.00. Play-A-Day, Tap that Note!, Pay that Note!, and Play-A-Carol. A colorful large staff introduces notes one at a time and the app can be set to “hear” you instrument. In my case, the flute. It then goes through 18 levels giving the students gold medals for each level completed. It is very satisfying for the young students and interesting sight-reading for the older ones up to a beginner-intermediate level. The game is colorful, easy to read, has a large staff, and gives excellent positive feedback for independent practice. My students were sad to stop playing and work on other things during lessons this week!

This is by no means a comprehensive list of music teaching apps for iPhone and iPad. I would love to hear what games you have come across in your teaching. I see this article as the beginning of a series. I plan to use the iPad daily in my teaching and have already seen the difference in sight reading with those students who have tried the games in daily practice at home. Keep an eye out for more updates as I try new apps and have some kid-tested results and reviews. Enjoy!

Reconciling Lessons

Music Teachers Helper has been an invaluable resource in following through with my goal. Reconciling lessons after each day of teaching helps me to reinforce assignments that were given at the lesson (Music Teachers Helper can automatically email these notes to both parent and student). I always include something positive that the student did during the lesson or as a result of good practice during the week, and constructive comments for improvement. I use the private notes to help me prepare for the next week’s lesson and to remember to follow up about something that the student told me during the lesson (like an upcoming music concert, sporting event, or special occasion). Since this takes some time, I hope that the parents read it! I think most of them do and I was especially surprised when one parent emailed me asking where the notes were (I had been a little late in getting them out)!

Phone Conferences

Though I prefer the ease of communicating electronically, some issues are better discussed on the phone, especially delicate issues like a behavior problem or lack of adequate practice. Emails can be easily misconstrued. An old-fashioned phone conversation is often necessary. I have found out the hard way that it is better to deal with problems immediately and directly before they become irreparable. This year I have decided to conduct mid-year phone conferences. I plan to contact all my piano families to touch base on progress so far this year. This will be a nice personal touch and helps to establish healthy relationships with my clients.

“Live” Parent Conferences

For several years I have conducted year-end parent conferences where we sit down eyeball to eyeball and discuss progress as well as future goals for their child. Prior to the conference I send out a Student Report that includes questions for the student about what they enjoyed most and least, pieces they would like to perform, their favorite composer, etc. During the conference, the parent and I review the Student Report and I share my written evaluation with the parent. My main question for the parent is, “Are you satisfied with your child’s progress and if not, what can I do to help?”

We can perhaps look to schools for how they handle structured interaction with the parents. I view piano lessons as part of the child’s education and take my students’ progress or lack there-of very seriously. The conversation between parent and teacher is vital. How do you handle it when you have a student that is not making sufficient progress? Do you communicate with the parent immediately? Or do you hope that it is just a phase that the student is going through and it will pass. If it doesn’t pass, what do you do?

How do you communicate with the parent? One book that has helped me to understand this tenuous relationship is The Essential Conversation: What Parents and Teachers Can Learn from Each Other by Sara Lawrence-Lightfoot. It is a beautifully written book that contains many examples of the dialogue between parents and teachers.

In the Suzuki philosophy of teaching music, the parent, student, teacher triangle is emphasized. The more we can do to strengthen this triangle, the better. Though not always easy or pleasant, it is necessary to view our communication and conversation in a collaborative spirit – as Bill Cosby so eloquently wrote, “Parents and teachers need to work in unison for the benefit of our children and our world.”

Summer can be a wonderful, creative time in our careers. We have flexibility, we can attend workshops or masterclasses, we can spend more time practicing or performing. I see many of my friends, who have typical 9-5 jobs, struggling to figure out day care and summer camps. Living in a home with two professional music teacher parents and two school age children, we have the luxury of taking vacation when we want. Our children see more of us in the summer after a full school year of dinners without one parent or the other. We can choose which weeks to arrange daycare or camps, and which to spend together at home as a family.

The downside is that we have no income. Zero. Zilch. So how do we survive? The biggest change we made when we had children was to realize that we HAD TO PLAN. We couldn’t survive on pasta and peanut butter alone for 3 months. We had to take care of basic monthly expenses.

How do we do it? Year long planning.

Here are the steps we take every September.

• Create a basic monthly budget that does not include catastrophic illness or your car dying.
• Calculate your dependable monthly income (multiply your guaranteed work hours times your pay/hour)
• Calculate 15% of that monthly total or, if you receive different amounts every month, take the total you make over 9 months, calculate 15%, and divide by 9.
• First thing each month, religiously put this money into a savings account or money market that earns interest while it waits to be given to the government.
• Now comes the hard part. Calculate the total you will need to pay 100% of your bills for the 2-3 months of summer without an income source.

For most people, this is the part where we gulp, we realize that there is no way we can survive the summer, and then we bury our head in the sand while happily spending money throughout the year that we cannot afford. Is this the right solution? Of course not! So what are your options?

Most of us have some unplanned income (just like we have unplanned root canals and car repair). This unplanned income is one way to make your music teachers salary work for you.

• Do you perform in chamber music or contracted orchestra gigs?
• Do you teach extra lessons or give coaching sessions unexpectedly?
• Do you take students in the summer, even though you didn’t count on the income?

If you answered yes to these questions, then you have found a way to fund part of your summer account. Set up a separate savings account or money market and diligently put this “extra” money you earn throughout the year away for summer. Is it fun? No. Does it allow you to make being a music teacher a career that can last a lifetime? Yes.

Once you have made it through a summer or two you will have a more realistic sense of just how much you can realistically earn in the summer. Until then, I recommend that you plan your summer savings account as if you will earn NOTHING. Once you have a settled studio and a reliable number of students, you can include summer income in your budget.

Here is the breakdown for my family of two professional musicians and two school aged children:

• Monthly teaching income minus 15% into the tax account. Multiply this amount x 9 and you will have your total income for the year. It’s important to know where you are starting from.
• Multiply your monthly budget x 3 to find your total summer expenses.
• Now divide your summer total by 9 to find the monthly contribution you will have to make. Put this money aside religiously every month!

In our case we have altered this plan based on several years experience and a sense of the guaranteed income we can expect. Our summer plan looks like this.

• Extra teaching and contracted workshops throughout the year= 1 month of summer budget
• Reliable summer teaching = 1 month of summer budget
• What we have left to plan for= 1 month of summer budget
• We then divide the remaining 1 month by 9 to find our required monthly contribution. Every month, before we pay our bills, or go to dinner, or buy new shoes, we put that amount into a summer account.

I am sure there are other ways to plan for summer. But I am also sure that they have one thing in common, there is a PLAN.

I love teaching, I love my students, and I believe that what I do makes a difference in the world. In order to keep feeling this way and to be able to survive as a musician, it is incredibly important that I live realistically and within my means. It’s not always fun and it takes planning, but the payoff is a life-long career doing something I truly love.

I wish someone had held my hand and given me a realistic plan to follow as a young teacher. In those early years many of my fellow teachers either headed back to school, changed careers, or were forced to take “day jobs” to supplement their musician’s income. The key to success is to plan and to be realistic.

If you have been teaching for several years, what do you do about summer income? What were the toughest things you faced? How have you figured out how to live for 12 months on 9 months of income? I look forward to the conversation we can have.

Instead of sharing my own ideas, I will summarize a session from the 2011 Music Teachers National Conference in Milwaukee entitled “A life in balance.” This was one of the last sessions presented at the conference and even though I was there, I was not able to attend so I purchased the MP3 DVD and listened to it. Meg Gray, a professor of music at Lincoln University of Missouri, and Ellen McQuie, family medicine physician, gave an insightful and helpful session in which they concentrated on the following five different areas to assist in creating a balanced lifestyle.

EXERCISE

Meg started by asking the audience, “What would fit into your busy schedule better? Exercising one hour per day or being dead 24 hours per day?” That one was difficult to swallow. I have many excuses for not fitting in exercise, but her question trumped them all. Different types of exercise include aerobic, strength training, core training, and stretching. A little bit goes a long way. For example, 5 days for 30 minutes per day or 5 days split into 3 times, 10 minutes per day of aerobic exercise equals 150 minutes per week – the suggested amount. Ellen McQuie suggested that we think about our schedules and find out where we can realistically fit exercise in. She also mentioned that contrary to some older studies, you can exercise close to bedtime and it will not affect sleep as previously believed. Good news for me – I am a night owl! Core training can be done every day and by strengthening the lower back, core and pelvic muscles; it will not only help prevent back injury but will also improve musical performance and increase stability and posture! Stretching can be done in between lessons with shoulder shrugs, arm circles and back extensions.

There are both risks and benefits to exercising. As always, it is important to check with your doctor before beginning any exercise program. Risks include heart disease and muscular or skeletel injury. Benefits are a decrease in mortality, prevention of obesity, stress reduction, boost for the immune system, diabetic control, and a modest decrease in breast, pancreatic and intestinal cancer. Recent studies have shown a decrease in Alzheimer’s disease.

NUTRITION

Did you know that changing your dinner plate from a 12-inch to 10-inch diameter will reduce your caloric intake by 22%. Again, small changes go a long way. This was helpful to me, because I always think that I need to do something very drastic to make a change. What I am learning, however, is that small changes done consistently are apt to be more long-lasting. There are many helpful websites such as MayoClinic.com, WebMD.com, Mypyramid.gov, and everydayhealth.com where you can find nutritional tips, recipes and calorie counters. Eating every four hours helps to keep blood sugars stable and can reduce crankiness – good for us teachers! The last thing we want to do is to be crabby with our students due to low blood sugar. Along with Meg, I have found that it is better to eat my largest meal (or dinner) before teaching in the early afternoon and a snack after teaching, since I usually finish teaching later in the evening. Overeating at night leads to weight gain.

MASSAGE

This is my favorite category and one that I regularly engage in! Massage has been around since ancient times and its health benefits include pain relief, rehabilitation of injuries, and alleviation of anxiety and depression. It creates a calm, quiet, peaceful, and subdued state of mind. The four different types of massage are Swedish, deep tissue, sports massage, and Myofascial massage. Finding a massage therapist with whom you can communicate your individual needs is essential.

ILLNESS PREVENTION

To avoid the common cold, wash hands frequently. Send students home if they display signs of illness such as a flushed face (sign of fever) or excessive sneezing or coughing. Also, insist that students wash hands or use hand sanitizers and keep your piano keys clean and germ-free. Viruses can last on surfaces for several days. Meg recommended using Clorox wipes on piano keys that are not ivory. Personally, I do not like using chemicals on the keys. A more natural cleanser is vinegar and water. Flu shots are recommended for everyone these days and should be taken between the middle of October to November. Regular and consistent sleep is also important to staying well and avoiding illness. Try to relax before bedtime and put a ban on technology – no checking emails, voicemails, texts, etc.

EMOTIONAL HEALTH

In order to prevent burnout, emotional health is necessary. To strengthen your emotional health, engage in meaningful and creative work. As teachers, we already do that! However, if we find ourselves in a state of teacher burnout, some suggestions are to try out new music and teaching ideas or materials. Meg suggested remembering what we do; “We change lives.” This is profound and meaningful. In addition, be receptive to your five senses. In my case, take a moment to look out the window and notice the deer in my next door neighbor’s garden. Walk your student to the door to get a breath of fresh air. Interact with a pet – pets are a source of unconditional love, and can get us outside to exercise! Another valuable practice is meditation – Martin Luther once said that he needed to arise three hours early for meditation and prayer to prepare for a busy day. Meditation need not be religious – it could be writing in a journal, reading inspirational literature or simply clearing the mind.

Dr. McQuie suggested four coping strategies for difficult situations or people:

1) Stay away from people that bother you if possible.
2) Stay away from hot topics such as politics.
3) Avoid overbooking yourself. Set priorities and put things off that need to be put off. Learn to say “no” to requests on your time. This is the most difficult for me. A colleague once said, “Make a list of all the things you do and then cut it in half.” I also find that when accepting volunteer positions, I try to find things that will stimulate and engage my creativity – things that I am interested in and passionate about. Learning to say “no” allows you to say “yes” to the things you truly want to do.
4) Alter the situation: communicate your needs, accept, let go.

In closing, I hope you will find the previous recommendations to be of value. Start now to find small ways to improve your balance and stop burnout before it starts. Perhaps I will write a blog in six months where I can share my own experience in achieving greater balance in my life. I would love to hear of the ways in which you keep yourself healthy and balanced!

]]> http://studiohelper.com/blog/uncategorized/achieving-balance-to-avoid-burnout/feed/ 0