As the summer holidays wind down, traditional music teachers around the country and around the world, are preparing for a new teaching year. Whether you are welcoming back previous students, starting with a fresh batch of learners – or both – the beginning of the teaching year is a crucial time to set the tone for a successful year ahead. Here are five essential tips to help you get prepared and make this your best teaching year yet.
1. Reflect and Refresh Your Teaching Curriculum
This is an ideal time to reflect on your work in the previous year. What worked well? What didn’t work so well? What have you learned? What will you do differently this year? Use these reflections to refresh your curriculum (i.e. your teaching roadmap). What new methods and materials can you introduce that will excite and energise both you and your students. Regularly refreshing your lesson content, materials and curriculum, not only keeps things interesting, but also demonstrates your commitment to continuous improvement as an educator.
Want some ideas for giving your lessons a makeover? Why not try The TradLABB™ Card Deck, designed to help traditional music teachers plan their lessons.
2. Organise Your Teaching Toolkit
A robust and well-organised toolkit can make all the difference when it comes to your teaching efficiency and your students’ learning experience. Why not take some time to do an audit of what you already have in your toolkit. I like to think about the Toolkit as having 3 drawers or compartments as follows:
- Business and administration. This is where you have all the paperwork you need for your teaching practice, organised and up to date. It includes everything from your teaching certification documents, your teaching policy, child protection policy, insurance, banking and so on – all the necessary documents you need to operate your teaching practice to professional standards. This is the essential one!
- Teaching Tools and Resources. Tune books, practice sheets, playlists, digital resources, activities – this is where any of the materials you use in your teaching can be gathered up and organised. Think of this as your own library or treasure trove of tools and resources that will help make your lessons varied and engaging for all of your learners.
- Skills, Strategies (& Secret Weapons!). This one is all about you, your teaching style and your approach. What teaching skills do you have? What skills would you like to learn that would improve your teaching? What teaching strategies do you use? What is your go-to-strategy (your secret weapon) when a lesson is not going as planned?
Thinking about Your Teaching Toolkit is a great way for you to take stock of all those valuable materials and methods you have accumulated. So do that audit! Then, think about what you can add to it in order to refresh and update it.
3. Commit to your own Professional Development as a Traditional Music Teacher
Even when you love your subject matter (i.e. traditional music or song), teaching it can be challenging! Not least, because being able to play/sing does not mean that you are fully quipped to teach. So, whether teaching is a new venture for you, or if you already have years of experience, why not use this time to think about what you can do this year to develop and expand your skills in this area. All teachers, in all fields, invest in and engage with CPD (Continuous Professional Development), and traditional music teachers can also benefit from such opportunities. So, give it some thought: what one thing can you do during this teaching year to help you teach trad better?
Looking for some inspiration? Check out our CPD courses for traditional music teachers HERE.
Transitioning into a new teaching year is a mix of excitement and challenge, but with careful planning and a proactive approach, it can be an incredibly rewarding time. By refreshing your teaching curriculum, organising your toolkit, and planning your CPD you will be all set for a teaching year filled with growth, achievement, and, of course, great music!
Responses