Teaching is hard, right? Music teacher burnout is real and sometimes it feels like this profession isn’t sustainable in the long run. The exhaustion is real and it’s valid! In this post, I’m going to share my tips for preventing burnout as music teachers.
Find Time for You
Self-care is a buzzword right now and can seem frivolous and time-consuming, right? I used to think so. Things like bubble baths and buying things that make you happy. Is there anything wrong with these things? No, of course not! I actually have a whole post on self-care for teachers. But here’s the thing- buying that new outfit will make you happy right now, but will it really solve the problem? No, probably not. Please hear me out: I am NOT telling you that those things are worthless! What I am saying is that self-care is more than just a bubble bath. Let’s talk about some things that count as self-care that might not quite be what you’re expecting.
Eating healthy and exercising. Okay, so this might not be fun self-care, but it is necessary. It’s a journey I’ve struggled with my whole life and have recently started taking more seriously. Choosing mostly healthy foods, moving our bodies for the joy of being capable of it, and drinking water are all really good ways of loving yourself and giving yourself the self-care your body craves. Please, please remember that self-care is about showing yourself love. You should not be exercising or restricting food choices to punish yourself. Back in 2021 I got a stationary bike and use iFit outdoor bike workouts, which I really enjoy. It’s the first exercise that I genuinely don’t mind doing. Though, don’t get me wrong- I’d still much prefer to sit on the couch! You can check in with me and follow along my journey on Instagram @caffeinated.j.
Learn something new! Keeping our minds sharp and learning is so important as teachers! Now, I get it. You use your mind all day with your students and it’s exhausting. I totally understand and am with you. Things like reading a book or learning a new instrument or language are things that are totally worth your brainpower. When you learn something new, you feel proud of yourself. You stretch your mind in ways that teaching doesn’t. And, you set a good example for your students by showing them that learning is a lifelong process.
Another great music teacher burnout prevention and self-care practice is to spend unplugged time with friends and family. Put down the phone and be present with the people who matter most to you. I have found that I’m a much happier and less anxious person when I don’t scroll as much. I do enjoy scrolling Facebook and Instagram though, so I try to set a timer. This makes it so that I’m only scrolling for a certain amount of time. Seeing pictures and updates of my friends and family, finding recipes, or seeing funny videos and memes makes me happy. It gives me a little downtime where I don’t have to think hard. When the timer goes off, though, it’s time to do something else.
Instead of scrolling, try the tips above, clean your kitchen, transfer that load of laundry over to the dryer, spend time with loved ones, or go for a walk outside. I find that too much social media makes me much more pessimistic and hard on myself.
Keep Things Organized
Sometimes music teacher burnout and anxiety are a reflection of our environment. So, I’m not a naturally organized or clean person. I love the idea of organization, but it’s never been something I’ve been particularly motivated to maintain. But as I’ve gotten older, I’ve noticed that the more cluttered my classroom is, the more stressed I feel. The more dishes that are in the sink, the more on edge I feel at home. It’s a constant battle between my Type B personality and keeping my stress level at a minimum.
Now, I have a toddler and a beagle at home. So, while my stress level would appreciate a super clean and clutter-free home, it’s just not realistic to have the house pristine. And honestly, as a working mom, I don’t want to spend the few precious waking hours I have in my house to be spent making it look perfect. One thing that has helped a lot is having a cleaning schedule. Every day, we have certain tasks that help keep our home relatively tidy while maintaining our sanity.
For example, on Tuesdays, I clean the bathrooms. If I do it every Tuesday, it’s not a big deal. Mondays are busy, so I wipe down the wooden pieces of our house like the entertainment center and end tables and vacuum upstairs. We bought a Roomba that runs on the main level every night (because again, toddler and shedding dog) and that’s been a huge time saver. It might sound ridiculous, but I feel so much better in the mornings when I come down and see those vacuum lines on the carpet! My next habit is going to be a tip from Samantha- every time you get a package in the mail, you have to fill that box up with garbage or donations!
Overall, my classroom is relatively tidy, but my desk is my downfall. My desk gets cluttered with papers and it absolutely leads to more stress and the feeling of burnout. Every Friday in my 20 minute prep time, I go through those papers and try to leave my desk clean for the weekend. Cleaning my desk is even an item on my weekly school checklist! When my desk is clean, I feel much more relaxed. I use a rolling cart with drawers and baskets to hold things like instruments, emergency sub plans, etc.
Use a planner. Oh my goodness, what would I do without a planner? Miss all of my appointments and forget the important tasks, that’s what. My planner comes with me everywhere and keeps me sane! I used a Clever Fox yearly planner for years and loved it. I recently switched over to the quarterly Panda Planner and am really enjoying the layout. Google calendar has all my appointments as well in case I don’t have my paper planner, plus I like the reminders before I need to be out the door. I prefer physically writing something out and holding it though, so I still put it all in my paper planner, too.
The last tip related to organizing is to reflect and set goals. I love resolutions, vision boards, and goals! I think that it is so powerful to sit and reflect on a period of time or activity, see what went well and what you can change, and then plan how you’re going to improve next time. Setting goals helps me focus on the bigger picture. I believe in it so much that I created a set of worksheets for music teachers that guide you through reflections of a year, unit, observation, or performance, as well as planning your goals for those things. If you’re interested in that free guide, just click here.
Plan Things You Enjoy
Possibly the biggest way to make sure that you are staying clear of burnout as a music teacher is to make sure that you are intentionally planning out things in your life that you enjoy. Life won’t always be exciting and full of adventure, and it doesn’t have to be in order to be enjoyable. It will be more full of purpose and joy if you purposefully include things that are good for your soul, though. Plan activities through the week that you’re excited about- book clubs, community band, game night with friends, video games, or movie nights with your kids. Whatever you enjoy doing, actually schedule it into your calendar and make it happen.
Recently, I started playing the piano after school at least twice every week and it’s made a huge difference in my work life. I decided to pull out some old piano books, then I printed out some Christmas songs that I worked through, and recently I got a John Williams piano book (which is really, really hard, but it gives me something to work towards!) I found that the more I played, the more I fell in love with teaching music again. Don’t forget why you started teaching music in the first place! I don’t love performing for others, but I do love playing piano and my primary instrument French Horn. Playing piano after school and playing in an orchestra on Monday nights has helped me tremendously.
In addition to playing more instruments and singing more, I’ve also made sure I was listening to more music that made me happy. You might remember that one of my goals for this school year is to branch out the genres I introduce my students to, which meant I needed to branch out my own listening as well! I’ll admit that it’s still a work in progress, but we have experienced many types of music together this year. In trying to branch out, though, I have found that, while I found new music I enjoy, I’ve also stopped listening to the music I truly love.
So to fix that, I’ve tried to be conscious of mixing new-to-me music and music that I know I love. When I’m lesson planning, I listen to film music. It’s music I really enjoy listening to, and it makes me feel productive! I listen to music that I know and enjoy in the car with my daughter, and then during my plan periods or while I’m working on products at night I try to branch out.
With all the adding we’re doing, don’t forget to leave white space, too. Sometimes, I can’t physically get myself to read, clean, or do anything else because I’m so tired after teaching all day. And that’s okay because teaching is really hard. Some days I need to do things to make me feel productive or less stressed, and other days I give myself grace and I sit and scroll or watch my daughter play. White space and relaxation time is just as important.
Conclusion
Music teacher burnout is real and it’s hard to get past, but it’s possible. Remember, teaching is difficult. We go through ups and downs, but hopefully, there are more highs than lows. Use these tips to avoid teacher burnout, and remember that as wonderful of a job as teaching is, it’s not your whole life. You are so much more than a teacher, and you need to take care of yourself in order to take care of the people around you. If you have any tips to avoid music teacher burnout, feel free to share them in the comments below. If you are struggling and need someone to talk to, brainstorm with, or bounce ideas off of, please feel free to reach out on Instagram (@caffeinated.j). I’m here to help you however I can!
