Imposter Phenomenon: Strategies for Support and Affirmation

One of the hardest parts about becoming a music teacher is that the process requires music education majors to become “beginners” once again as they learn how to teach. This is not an easy undertaking because so much of their identity has been built around mastering their musicianship. Many of them were section leaders, drum majors, all-state musicians, church musicians, private lesson students and leaders within their ensembles who could be counted on to perform well. And while our music education students are used to being evaluated for their musical performance, having the evaluation shift toward a teaching lens can greatly impact their confidence.

Now they are being asked things like:

• “Can you teach this room full of real students, with real needs, in real time?”
• “Can you manage behavior, pace the lesson, differentiate instruction and use culturally responsive examples?”
• “Can you fix postures, embouchures, fingerings and hand positions on the fly?”
• “Can you notice and redirect the student who has shut down, assess music progress for an entire ensemble and make it all look natural?”

All this is a lot to ask of a novice teacher. That is why we must be attuned to our pre-service music teachers’ experiences and beliefs of themselves as they navigate this critical transition into the classroom.

This is why we must understand the critical role impostor phenomenon plays in music teacher preparation. I prefer the term “impostor phenomenon” over “impostor syndrome” because “syndrome” can make it sound like something is wrong with the student. In many cases, the student is having a very human response to a very high-pressure transition.

The feelings shared during teaching pre- and post-meetings are probably familiar to many of us because we probably experienced many of the same emotions. “I have fooled everyone — I am not that talented. My professors think I am better than I actually am. The students can tell I am nervous. I do not belong here.”

These kinds of statements should not be cast off as delusions or self-doubt. Through the strategies shared in this article, I hope that we can grow together as we help our student teachers acknowledge these feelings without judgment or shame, use tangible evidence through feedback to affirm their teaching readiness, and engage in continuous reflection with a focus on a teacher’s value add to the classroom.

Acknowledgment

We can help our student teachers acknowledge feelings of imposter phenomenon without judgment or shame by creating space for them to name what they are experiencing. Preservice music teachers often enter classrooms comparing themselves to experienced mentor teachers, polished performers or idealized versions of what a “real music teacher” should look and sound like.

When they feel uncertain, nervous, underprepared or not good enough, our first responsibility is not to dismiss those feelings with quick reassurance, but to help them understand that self-doubt can be part of the transition into professional teaching.

Acknowledgment allows them to say, “I am feeling this,” without concluding, “I do not belong.” As our student teachers become more attuned to their own ability to acknowledge what they are experiencing, this opens the door for affirmation to thrive.

Affirmation

As music teacher educators, there is a lot we can do to affirm the teaching readiness of our music teacher candidates through tangible evidence, especially through specific and meaningful feedback. Rather than offering broad praise such as “you did a great job,” we can point to specific observable moments: The way they gave a clear entrance cue, how they adjusted instruction when students were confused, how they are building rapport with a reluctant learner, amongst a host of other scenarios that occur regularly in the classroom or rehearsal hall.

This kind of timely, specific and actionable feedback gives student teachers something concrete to hold onto when the internal narrative tries to convince them they are failing, do not belong or are not enough. Affirmation is most powerful when it connects their actions to student learning because it helps them see that readiness is not about perfection — it is about making informed instructional decisions that help students grow.

Adding Value

Finally, we can support preservice music teachers by helping them engage in continuous reflection with a focus on the value they add to the classroom. Reflection can oftentimes become a breeding ground for imposter phenomenon to take hold as our student teachers list everything that did not go according to plan.

Instead, I like to start and end with something specific that they did exceptionally well and encourage them to do the same. I have them consider, “How did my presence, preparation, musicianship, care, and/or instruction connect me more with the class today?” When reflection centers on the value they bring to the class, student teachers begin to see themselves not as a visitor trying to survive in another teacher’s classroom, but as emerging professionals who bring something meaningful to students, the school and the broader community.

It Gets Better

I often tell my student teachers how the experience of learning how to teach can lead to disequilibrium, questioning their decision to become a music teacher, and the feelings of not being prepared or enough to meet the demands of the classroom. I share this first through my own personal experiences, and how difficult it was for me to navigate things.

All music educators know that this work is hard and that our students will feel exposed and doubt themselves at times. We may not always know what to do or have a solution for a particular challenge.

To help our music teacher candidates work through impostor phenomenon, we must acknowledge their feelings without judgment, affirm that who they are and what they do are more than enough to meet the needs of their students and themselves. We must also reflect on the value they add to the classroom through their presence, care and expertise.

If we can help support our students in these ways as they experience imposter phenomenon, we will be sharing with them all the tools they need to be successful in the teaching profession.