Future Music Educators

When I try to imagine my first year of teaching, I get excited. But amidst that excitement is a small twinge of disbelief. It is crazy to think that in 3 years, I will be finishing up my first year of teaching! This realization is even closer for some of you. Maybe you will even be teaching this fall! While some of us are closer to beginning our careers than others, the first year can sometimes be an intimidating thought.

This past November, I had the privilege to observe Mr. Eric Pfeil as an assignment for my Educational Psychology class. I remember first seeing Mr. Pfeil at the PMEA State Conference in Valley Forge last year. I went to a workshop dedicated to surviving the first year of teaching music where Mr. Pfeil was presenting as a first year teacher. I quickly learned that he taught at a school located a half hour from where I live. So after talking to a friend who had observed him before, I sent him an email the following semester, and observed him last November.This was an awesome educational opportunity for me. Mr. Pfeil is very good at what he does. It was evident to me in his first rehearsal that his kids respect him. He had many great tips and tricks to show me.

In thinking about the subject for this post, I decided to e-mail Mr. Pfeil to ask him a few questions about certain aspects of teaching music as a new teacher, and he responded with some great tips.

One of the questions I asked Mr. Pfeil was, “What was your biggest challenge coming into teaching?” We all have different concentrations, as well as strengths and weaknesses, but Mr.Pfeil’s answer wasn’t about these aspects. Rather, he responded:

The biggest challenge for me was simply thinking that I didn’t know anything.  You go through all of the classes, the tests, the playing examinations, the juries and then you get a job and you get stage fright and feel you know nothing.  The truth is you most likely know more than 99% of your students.  There is going to be that 1% every so often that are just so smart on the subject that they teach you things you didn’t even know.  Which is not a bad thing!

Next I asked Mr. Pfeil, “What classes do you find were exceptionally beneficial in your career?” I was expecting a response of a certain methods class or Solfeggio. But on the contrary, Mr. Pfeil said:

It is hard for me to think back right now and say “Wow, if it wasn’t for this class I’d be lost.” To be honest, every single class was beneficial to my career.  There are certain classes that taught me things that I do not currently teach to students. However, I am certified Music K-12 and I have to be aware that it is possible I might need to teach a “weakness” of mine one day.

This is a great perspective. My personal preference is secondary instrumental – I hope to teach high school band when I graduate. So in classes like Beginning Choral Conducting, it is very easy to fall into the mindset of, “I want to teach band. How is this going to help me do that?” But this response is a great reminder that even if we land a job in our preferred area, it could change at any time. Therefore, it is really important to hone all of the skills we are learning in our classes now, as they have the potential to be very useful in the future – even if it doesn’t seem like it.

Then I asked Mr. Pfeil what specific skills we as future music educators should perfect before entering the teaching profession. He said:

Learn to play 4 scales on every instrument and TAKE AN INSTRUMENT REPAIR CLASS!!!  We did not have instrument repair as a required course at IUP and it was only offered during the summer.  I was big into drum corps and marched for 4 years so I never took the course but I regret it to this day.  If it is not offered at your school, go take it somewhere else.

This is very practical advice. Earlier this year, an alumnus of GCC came to campus to hold an instrument repair workshop. Like IUP, Grove City does not have Instrument Repair as a requirement, so this was a very beneficial event. Sending an instrument to a repair shop when only a minor repair needs to take place can get expensive very quickly. Knowing how to fix common problems with instruments can easily save a music program a lot of money, and will avoid taking an instrument out of the student’s hand for an extended period of time.

My next question dealt with landing that first job. I asked. ” What did you find helpful when looking for a job after you graduated?” His reply was:

Certain websites such as PAEducator or PaREAP were helpful but the biggest thing for me was networking.  It is EXTREMELY helpful for you to get out there and meet people.  Meet other band directors and go to conferences if you can.  The harsh reality about finding a job is that it is often about who you know.  I landed my job with help from other directors I knew and it is nothing to be ashamed of.  It is just the reality of the profession.

In addition to this, networking is important simply because these people will be your colleagues in a few short years (or months). The sooner you start relationships with them, the better off you will be. After all, who better to ask for advice when you start teaching than a person with experience in the same profession?

My last question for Mr. Pfeil was just asking for advice for getting through that first year. The thought of being a new teacher can definitely be an intimidating one. Teaching in the shadow of a previous teacher seems like it would be the hardest thing to overcome, because the students are used to the way the previous teacher taught and aren’t ready for that to be changed. Mr. Pfeil’s response gives some encouraging advice to overcoming this problem:

There are no right or wrong ways to teach music.  Whatever your way is, stick to that and be confident in that.  As soon as the kids see that you are confident and are not backing down they will begin to believe in your system and respect you.  Never fall victim to the “this is the way it was done last year” response from students.  Teach your system and the kids WILL follow.

Please, share your thoughts! If you are a current teacher and have additional comments on the above questions or other tips to share, they would be greatly appreciated!

Special thanks to Mr. Eric Pfeil, Director of Bands at Greater Johnstown School District, PA!

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