Helpful Hints for First-Year Music Teachers

First-year music teachers may often feel overwhelmed. Instead of panicking, take the advice of people who were in your shoes just a few years ago — the 2026 Yamaha “40 Under 40” educators. From finding mentors to being authentic, you’ll find a wealth of helpful advice. Read on!

Ryan Adair, Director of Bands, Salem Hills High School, Salem, Utah

• TIP 1: Show up for your students, your program and your community.
• TIP 2: Know and magnify your role to the best of your ability without comparing yourself to others in your field.
• TIP 3: Have ideas.

Zachary Arenz, Instrumental and General Music Teacher, Flower City School No. 54, Rochester City School District, Rochester, New York

• TIP 1: Build relationships — Students learn best when they feel seen, safe and valued. Your colleagues are far more likely to collaborate when you invest in them, too.
• TIP 2: Stay flexible — No day, rehearsal or lesson will go exactly as planned, and that’s normal! Adaptability is not a backup plan, it’s one of your greatest teaching strengths.
• TIP 3: Protect your curiosity — Keep learning, finding mentors and trying new things. Curiosity fuels creativity, sustains passion and reminds you why you chose this work in the first place.

Heather Barclay Drusedum, Director of Choirs, Tarkanian Middle School, Las Vegas, Nevada

• TIP 1: Create a positive, respectful environment by showing students that you care, while also maintaining clear expectations and consistent boundaries.
• TIP 2: Growth happens over time. Set realistic goals, celebrate small wins and remember that every rehearsal is a step forward. Give yourself and your students grace as you learn together.
• TIP 3: Stay involved in professional organizations, your school community and feeder schools. These relationships provide support, perspective and encouragement. They also remind you that you’re not alone in this work. Being connected strengthens both you and your program.

Ben Byrom, Music Teacher, Raleigh Oak Charter School, Raleigh, North Carolina

• TIP 1: Don’t cry. I’m not being funny or kidding — breathe! Help your students breathe by modeling breath control. You’re doing better than you think. Development is slow, uneven and often invisible before it becomes obvious. Love music, let students know you care and hold expectations consistently.
• TIP 2: When it comes to unruly playing in the classroom, know when to persist and when to pivot. Sometimes throwing the lesson out the window (metaphorically) leads to deeper engagement, and play is actually crucial to learning. The founder of Waldorf education, Rudolf Steiner, said, “We are fully human only while playing, and we play only when we are human in the truest sense of the word.” The teacher’s role then shifts from legislator to guide, fostering students’ curiosity toward real understanding.
• TIP 3: Don’t be afraid of music theory. It isn’t too advanced if you tier it for age-appropriate accessibility. It should be treated like a second language. I’ve had 3rd graders observe shape notes and instinctively put together tetrachords from shared geometric properties; 4th graders fly through fully named chords by treating piano rolls like board games; and students identifying diminish and augmented chords by their emotional qualities. We jokingly call augmented chords the “no … don’t go in that dark room; the monster is right behind the door!” A major 7th chord is the bittersweet movie ending chord. I’m currently finishing a Yahtzee/Rummy-style dice game for chord building that I could see being used in classrooms across the country. When theory is playful, visual and experiential, students are often capable of far more understanding than we assume.

Dr. Francis Cathlina, Director of Choral Activities, University of Memphis, Memphis, Tennessee

• TIP 1: Build a circle of mentors. Seek people who will not only answer your questions but help you ask better ones. That guidance will save you years.
• TIP 2: Commit to continued study. Advanced training sharpens your musicianship, deepens your pedagogy and expands how you think. Growth does not stop at the degree — it accelerates through it.
• TIP 3: Master the unglamorous work. Clear emails, reliable deadlines and follow-through shape your reputation faster than podium presence. Strong administration makes you a trusted colleague.

Mary Claxton, Director of Teaching & Learning at Music Will and Adjunct Professor at the University of Northern Colorado, Greeley, Colorado

• TIP 1: Keep it simple! It’s so easy to want to try every idea you’ve ever had during your first year, but it’s better to do a simple thing well and leave room for flexibility and student choice.
• TIP 2: Get to know your community. Go to local concerts and meet the performers and engineers. Go to athletic events and library classes – get to know the people who can become your classroom’s “village.”
• TIP 3: Invest in your own creativity. Try new things alongside your students, let them spur your curiosity and remember what it was like to be a beginner discovering the love of music!

Ashley Cobb, Elementary General Music Teacher, Catawba Trail Elementary School, Richland School District 2, Elgin, South Carolina

• TIP 1: Do what makes you happy. Balancing everything during your first year can be overwhelming, so make sure to find joy in everything you do. Shift your perspective from “I have to …” to “I get to …” and you will find the positives in even the most overwhelming parts of your first year of teaching. Some things like observations and induction meetings are required and outside of your control. But when it comes to your classroom, your performances, your repertoire and the things you can control, do what makes you and your students feel the happiest and most successful.
• TIP 2: Find your ideal balance between quality and quantity. You don’t have to do the most all the time. You do not have to program the hardest pieces or take the most ensembles to performance assessment or have a concert for every event at your school. Find the balance where you can prioritize both work-life and home-life for yourself. Find the balance where your students have challenges but still feel successful.
• TIP 3: Become a life-long learner. Do not be afraid to try new approaches and ideas in your classroom to figure out what works best for you and your students.

Brittany Dacy, Director of Bands, Westwood High School, Austin, Texas

• TIP 1: Go home — work will still be there the next day. You need to take care of yourself first so you are able to take care of your students.
• TIP 2: Ask questions, ask for help. Don’t be shy — even ask the people who you’re nervous to approach. They may become your mentors!
• TIP 3: Relationships matter. Be kind to those you meet, be eager to help if you can and invest in your students. If they invite you to a different activity that they participate in, go!

Dr. David Dockan, Assistant Professor of Music Education, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, Louisiana

• TIP 1: Know that your lived experiences are different from other people’s lived experiences.
• TIP 2: Your job is not to create perfect performances, it’s to foster creativity and curiosity in your students.
• TIP 3: Remember that it is a blessing to be able to make, teach and explore music as a career.

Joshua Emanuel, Music Teacher, A. MacArthur Barr Middle School, Nanuet Union Free School District, Nanuet, New York

• TIP 1: Be open to novel ideas, wherever they may come from. I have learned to say “yes” to my students. If I give a project assignment and a student has an idea for a different way to demonstrate their understanding of the concept, I say go for it. Along those same lines, don’t let yourself be too static. If things are feeling too comfortable, it’s time to change things up.
• TIP 2: Find your people. Depending on the size of your school, being a music teacher can be isolating. Find colleagues, either locally or globally, who have similar interests and can spur you to try new things.
• TIP 3: Listen to your students and give them some autonomy in their learning. This can take place by developing the class culture, choosing repertoire or suggesting music for you to listen to. If you buy into your students, they will buy into your class. Last year, my 5th grade band students asked if they could perform something for the class that they learned outside of school. This led to a bi-weekly set of student performances in which students performed anything they wanted, which fostered a sense of community and support while building confidence.

Elaina Gallas, Music Teacher and Choral Director, Mill Creek Elementary, Nolensville, Tennessee

• TIP 1: Build relationships — with your students, with the other teachers in your building and with a mentor music teacher. You can’t do it alone — and trust me, you don’t want to. Build relationships with your students and let them see you as a real person so they will let you see them and open up to you. The best learning happens when you connect with your students so that they feel safe and seen by you. Build relationships with the classroom teachers and let them know everything that you do. Music teachers are often misunderstood by regular “academic” teachers, but making friendships with them, learning from them and teaching them about the things you do will help in so many ways. Lastly, find a mentor music teacher. The advice and listening ear of someone who understands and can provide insight is priceless!
• TIP 2: It’s OK to make mistakes as long as you try. What’s not OK is not even trying. It’s also OK to show your students when you make a mistake. Showing them that you are a real person and that you mess up just like they do will form a bond of trust. They will learn that it’s OK to make mistakes in your classroom and that it is a safe place. Some of the best lessons come through making a mistake, and it just makes the success that much sweeter.
• TIP 3: It will be hard, but you can do hard things. There will be so many times when you question yourself or stumble, but just keep going! Your hard work will pay off, and those faces you teach are so worth it.

Matthew Gramata, Band Director, West Milford Township High School, West Milford, New Jersey

• TIP 1: Don’t be afraid to challenge the status quo and implement your own vision. Respect program traditions and take inventory of elements that can be enhanced while maintaining the foundation rather than eliminating it.
• TIP 2: It’s OK to make mistakes and laugh at yourself. For the amount of critique we provide our students, showing them that you’re not the definition of perfection creates a more harmonious learning environment. They will respect you more for being vulnerable.
• TIP 3: Learn what a piano mover is and hire one! Don’t try to lift a baby grand piano from the pit on to the stage with your first-year jazz ensemble for the jazz festival the next day. Piano movers are a real thing … who knew?

Heather Hurley, Director of Bands, Princeton Community Middle School, Princeton City Schools, Cincinnati, Ohio

• TIP 1: Focus on classroom management from day 1. Establish clear routines and expectations, use positive reinforcement and consistent consequences, and only allow what you are willing to accept.
• TIP 2: Celebrate growth and progress. Focus on effort, improvement and teamwork, not just perfect performances. Small successes build confidence and keep students motivated.
• TIP 3: Be direct and consistent to keep parents and administrators informed. This builds trust, prevents misunderstandings and helps the program run smoothly.

Dr. Kyle Hutchins, Assistant Professor of Practice in Saxophone, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia

• TIP 1: Meet the students where they are at.
• TIP 2: Stay curious and embrace creativity.
• TIP 3: Encourage risk and embrace failure — they build resilience!

Kasey Julian, Vocal and General Music Teacher, Orchard Hills Elementary School, Novi, Michigan

• TIP 1: Follow what inspires you and your students. Don’t do things just because you feel like you have to! Get creative in finding a way that works for your program. Personal and program branding is important so invest time in getting to know yourself, your students and their specific needs. Listen to them.
• TIP 2: Protocols, data and organization will save you. You don’t have to reinvent the wheel each time. Prioritize a system of templates for simple things like programs or volunteer sign-ups and copy it each time. It doesn’t have to be the same form as other music educators — there isn’t a “correct” version. Find what works for you.
• TIP 3: Your relationship to yourself is so important and sacred. Trust and listen to yourself. Make your own path. Keep learning and don’t stop growing as a person or educator. Never forget to fill your own cup, too.

Aron Kontorovich, Marching Band Director, Director of Piano and Coordinator of Student Activities, James Madison High School, Brooklyn, New York

• TIP 1: Building community and relationships within the classroom will yield musical results you never thought possible — don’t skip it.
• TIP 2: If you want students to open up and be vulnerable, you must be willing to model that for them first.
• TIP 3: Don’t disregard the musical interests and experiences of your students. You could be missing the chance to learn something new and connect with something they care about.

Jake Matheson, Band Teacher at Forest Lake Area Middle School and Band Director for Forest Lake Marching Band, Forest Lake, Minnesota

• TIP 1: Build relationships and a family culture. Take the time to know your students as people first. At Forest Lake, our strongest moments come from the trust and camaraderie we’ve built. When students feel supported and valued, they engage more deeply and are willing to challenge themselves musically.
• TIP 2: Empower student leadership. Give students ownership of the program early. In our marching band, student leaders mentor younger peers, propose new ideas and shape our culture. Create meaningful leadership roles that strengthen both the ensemble and classroom community.
• TIP 3: Be yourself and focus on yourstudents. Your personality and authenticity matter more than trying to be “perfect.” Own your mistakes. Remember that it’s not about you — it’s about the students, their growth and the community you’re building. When you prioritize their experience, your impact will be far greater.

Tiphanie L. McClenton, Elementary Music Specialist and Board-Certified Music Therapist, Bryant Elementary School, Mableton, Georgia

• TIP 1: Know your students. Every child learns differently, so take the time to discover what excites, inspires and challenges them. Building strong relationships is the foundation for everything you teach.
• TIP 2: Be flexible and creative. Lessons rarely go exactly as planned. Embrace improvisation, adapt to the moment and turn surprises into opportunities for learning and fun.
• TIP 3: Celebrate every victory and have fun! Big or small, every improvement, performance or “aha” moment matters. Recognize your students’ growth, and don’t forget to celebrate your own wins — they remind you why you became a music educator and make the journey joyful for everyone!

Chris R. Millett, Assistant Professor of Music Therapy, Practicum Coordinator and Board-Certified Music Therapist, University of Louisville, Louisville, Kentucky

• TIP 1: Protect your sleep and protect your health! Nothing good is going to flow out of a tired teacher.
• TIP 2: Become comfortable with ambiguity. Being a new teacher often means feeling isolated at times with nowhere to get answers. Learn to trust the process and to find mentors who can offer supervision when you really need it.
• TIP 3: Absorb and diffuse the awkwardness. So many situations have the tendency to go one terrible way or the other depending on how we respond. If we take steps to make things comfortable, normal and safe for everyone, it goes a long way to creating a positive environment.

Meghan Mulligan, Music Teacher, The Deron School Inc., Montclair, New Jersey

• TIP 1: Conducting is overrated. Play/sing/move with your students, even during the concert. Perform the way you practiced instead of having to practice the way you perform when it comes time for your dress rehearsals.
• TIP 2: When it comes to special education, do what works. Get over yourself. Truthfully ask yourself when you program your performances if you’re programming for your students’ benefit or for your own vanity. Do not program pieces that are clearly too difficult just to say that you had your students perform them. Get over your idea of traditional ensembles, performances and audiences.
• TIP 3: Along the same lines as my second tip — get over the “traditional route” of learning and performing music. Students who are not reading in their primary language should not be trying to read music. If anything, you should reinforce pre-reading concepts (for music and their primary language). Many students will stay in the “learning-to-read” category and may never move onto “reading-to-learn.” Approach music learning via multiple modalities and don’t be afraid to teach by rote.

Amrutha Murthy, Band Director, Park Vista Community High School, Lake Worth, Florida

• TIP 1: Build trust before chasing results because culture drives everything. Consistency breeds confidence
• TIP 2: Empower students early; ownership creates motivation, accountability and long-term success.
• TIP 3: Mastery requires patience. When you fall in love with the process rather than the product, you don’t have to wait to give yourself permission to be happy.

Kyle Norris, Assistant Director of Bands, Vandegrift High School, Leander, Texas

• TIP 1: Find a mentor. Someone who will answer your questions, who you can trust, who you can call at the end of a hard day, who you can celebrate with … this is the best advice I ever received and the best I can pass along.
• TIP 2: If you’re anything like me, this is not fun, but record yourself, not just your ensemble (video is better). I wish I was better at doing this when I was younger. You will learn a lot about what you are communicating to your students, either consciously or unconsciously.
• TIP 3: Keep it in perspective. Often, what seems like a big deal at the time ends up not being that, especially when you zoom out and think of things in the context of a life-long career.

DeVon Pickett, Director of Arts, Scotland County Schools, Laurinburg, North Carolina

• TIP 1: Keep your circle small! Everyone is not worthy of knowing your vision and dreams. Those who know your dreams should earn the right to do so. Not because you are cocky but because negativity can crush dreams faster than anything.
• TIP 2: Develop an internal love for education. That internal love will be what carries you through the tough times and allows you to grow.
• TIP 3: Keep students first! As long as students are the center of what you are doing, success will find you! Do not base what you do off of social media; base your vision off the needs of your students.

Catherine Plichta, Director of Instrumental Music, The Theater Arts Production Company School, Bronx, New York

• TIP 1: Be yourself. You are enough for your students. You don’t have to pretend to be someone else. Doing this allows you to lead with authenticity, integrity and transparency.
• TIP 2: Less is more. Do less but do it well. Don’t say “yes” to every single opportunity. It’s easy to spread yourself too thin as a music teacher, especially a first-year music teacher. Saying “no” allows you to say “yes” to the things that really matter.
• TIP 3: Ask for help early and often. Teaching is an incredibly challenging profession, and we all need help from time to time. Asking for help early and often helps you avoid pitfalls and can keep you from burning out during your first year.

Rolando Rivera, Mariachi Director, Diamond Hill-Jarvis High School, Fort Worth, Texas

• TIP 1: Always be ready to adapt to any teaching environment.
• TIP 2: Meet your students at the level they are at and improve alongside them.
• TIP 3: Stay consistent with daily routines and expectations.

Al Rodriguez, Orchestra Director & Music Technology Teacher at Mount Vernon High School; Department Chair, Performing Arts Music Director at Washington Metropolitan Youth Orchestra, Alexandria, Virginia

• TIP 1: Be flexible. The teachers who are most successful are the ones who don’t try to be perfect but instead lean into making mistakes and trying new things.
• TIP 2: Be human. Your students do not want or need a perfect teacher. Show them that you are working hard to improve your craft each and every day, and that’s what you want and expect from them.
• TIP 3: Take all the time you need to build caring relationships. When students know that their teacher cares about them and that their classmates care about them and see them, they are willing to take more risks and truly engage with the deeply personal process of making incredible music. The trust you build directly influences the music you will make.

Sean Rosenberry, General Music Teacher and Director of Bands, Horace Mann School Lower Division, Bronx, New York

• TIP 1: You’re going to fail — a lot. Lessons are going to bomb, things you thought would work are going to blow up in your face. You’re going to be exhausted and spent and feel like you’re drowning. None of that means you are a bad teacher. Every veteran teacher you work with was once in the same position, and the only reason they have their act together now is because they spent many years making mistakes and learning from them. Good teaching is incredibly intuitive, and that kind of intuition takes time to build. Your first year is always rough, don’t let it discourage you. It only gets better.
• TIP 2: Don’t be afraid to find and develop your own style of teaching. I spent many years thinking I was a lousy teacher because I wasn’t good at writing meticulous, detailed lesson plans like I was taught in college. And even when I did, I wasn’t good at following them. Eventually, I realized that I have a very improvisational teaching style, and my brain works better when my lesson plan is more broad strokes, which allows me to figure out the details in the moment. That system doesn’t work for everyone, but it works for me. Play to your strengths and find what works for you.
• TIP 3: Find a community of other music teachers to connect with. All of us are in very specialized positions in our schools, and oftentimes we’re by ourselves, or one of maybe two or three teachers in the school or district. It can be very isolating, so it’s important to find other teachers to connect with. Join discussion groups online and go to conferences if you can. There is nothing more valuable or energizing than connecting with other people who share your experiences.

Trevor Rundell, Band Director, Bartlett High School, Bartlett, Tennessee

• TIP 1: Don’t try to be anyone but you. It’s OK to emulate your mentors, but remember that you are a collection of your own experiences, instincts and personality. Everyone’s situation is different. Some of what works down the road (or for the best programs in the country) might not work for you, and that’s OK. There is some combination of who you are as a teacher, who your kids are as students, and the materials and methods you choose to use that will yield the results you want — trust yourself and find what that combination is, don’t just search for the “secret elixir”!
• TIP 2: Success breeds success, and cumulative success will snowball into greater successes. Be careful of the goals you set for your program — make sure they are appropriate for where you are in that moment. Don’t try to go from 0 to 80 if you haven’t gone from 0 to 60 yet, even if “those guys down the road” are doing that. Do small things exceptionally well, which will build into doing bigger things just as well over time.
• TIP 3: Learn to transpose on the fly and use that skill to model for your students on an instrument you sound great on.

Dr. Sonya Schumann, Lecturer of Piano and Community Music School Piano Coordinator, San Diego State University, San Diego, California

• TIP 1: Make friends with your colleagues, both in your field and in unrelated fields. Friends in unfamiliar fields help us to learn and grow. Who knows — you might just create or cross-collaborate on something new together!
• TIP 2: Continue to expand your own musical palate and remember to refill your “musical cup.” That could be taking private lessons on a secondary instrument or keeping a subscription to the symphony or having a listening party with friends every month.
• TIP 3: Not a glamorous piece of advice (and certainly not specific to music education), but one that saves me to this day: Set aside your prep time and keep it sacred! Today’s you will thank the past you.

Matt Siffert, Director of External Affairs, Musical Mentors Collaborative, Boulder, Colorado

• TIP 1: Get to know your students. Music education is a wide umbrella and can be administered in infinite ways. The better you know the student you’re teaching, the better you can find a bridge between what you think is valuable as a music educator and what will be salient and suitable to them.
• TIP 2: Come up with a plan but be flexible. It’s essential to have a roadmap for how to help your student achieve their goals — exercises, compositions, etc. However, students grow and change. If you can see these changes as they’re happening and adapt, you can find ways to continue providing structure and direction while helping your students grow in ways that neither of you anticipated.
• TIP 3: Lead with love. Over two decades in music, I have encountered educators and administrators of many demeanors, and the ones who accomplish the most and have the most positive, enduring impact on their students bring a loving, dedicated energy to their pedagogical practice. When students feel seen, understood and supported, they thrive.

Dr. Andrew J. Smouse, Co-Director of Bands and Orchestras, Valley High School, Clark County School District, Las Vegas, Nevada

• TIP 1: Always ask “how does this help the student” with anything you do. If you cannot find a great reason, keep working on the idea. It all comes back to how does it help the student, not you.
• TIP 2: Never underestimate the power of a student, regardless of their talent, situation, age, etc. Your words and actions shape each student daily and can change lives, including many whose lives you never knew you changed. Take that power seriously.
• TIP 3: Never stop learning. Find a mentor and a group of trusted colleagues as soon as possible. Share your successes but also share and talk through failures or plans that do not go right — this is where the learning takes place, making you a better teacher who can better serve each student. Failure is not failure unless you refuse to learn from it and keep trying.

Eric Stashek, Director of Bands, Lincoln Jr./Sr. High School, Lake City, Minnesota

• TIP 1: Prioritize building strong relationships with your students before chasing perfection. Connection and culture always come first. When students feel seen, valued and supported, their growth and learning naturally follow.
• TIP 2: Establish a healthy support system of colleagues who you can trust and lean on for guidance. Teaching is a team effort, and it’s important to remember that you are never alone on this journey.
• TIP 3: Never lose sight of the spark that inspired you to become a music educator, that first moment when you said, “Yes, this is why I am here!” Some days will feel overwhelming, but your positive impact is lasting. Teach with heart, believe in yourself and let your passion and spirit shine through every lesson.

Shannon Stem, K-8 Music Teacher and 6-8 Musical Theater Director, University Academy and Founder, Beacon Artist Collective, Panama City, Florida

• TIP 1: Build relationships first. Invest time to get to know your students, colleagues and community. Trust and connection are the foundation for both learning and artistic risk-taking.
• TIP 2: Create a culture of ownership. Give students meaningful leadership and creative opportunities from the start. Empowering them fosters engagement, accountability and growth.
• TIP 3: Start simple, plan strategically. Focus on clear, achievable goals and scaffold skills over time. A cohesive plan allows students to experience steady progress while keeping you organized and confident in your teaching.

Erik Stone, Band Director and Vocal Music/Media Arts Teacher, Gordon Parks Academy, STEM Leaders in Applied and Media Arts, Wichita, Kansas

• TIP 1: Do not internalize student or family reactions. Behavior is rarely personal and often rooted in care for the student. Lead conversations with empathy and keep student growth and success at the center of every decision.
• TIP 2: Change and growth take time, especially when leading a music program. Move slowly and intentionally at first to truly know your students and community. This foundation allows you to build a program that reflects your values and the people who shape it.
• TIP 3: Find a work-life balance that fits you. Early enthusiasm can lead to taking on too much. Protect the time it takes for you to rest and recharge in meaningful ways so you can show up fully for your students and sustain your program long term.

Luis “Tito” Talamantes, Interim Assistant Principal at Cesar Chavez High School and Mariachi Director at University of the Pacific, Stockton, California

• TIP 1: Build relationships before chasing perfection. Your students won’t remember every wrong note, but they’ll remember how you made them feel. Invest time in trust, belonging and care; strong relationships create conditions for real musical growth
• TIP 2: Design for success, then raise the bar. Start will achievable goals that allow students to experience early wins. Confidence fuels commitment. Once students believe they can succeed, they will rise to higher expectations.
• TIP 3: Find your people and keep learning. Teaching music can feel isolating early on. Seek mentors, collaborate with colleagues and stay connected to a professional learning community. Growth happens faster and more sustainably when you don’t do it alone.

Enrique Tellez, Director of Bands and Orchestras, Butler Middle School, Cottonwood Heights, Utah

• TIP 1: Try and fail, try and succeed — and from it all, learn and adjust. The day you think you’ve figured it all out, is the day you’ve stopped being a life-long learner.
• TIP 2: Be careful not to over-program. You can take an easier piece and focus on the fundaments. Holding notes the correct length, teaching how to breathe properly before entering a passage, how to shape, etc. Additionally, you can add to easier pieces. Often, easier pieces don’t have many articulations, crescendos, etc. This is a great opportunity to have students write notation and dive further into musicality.
• TIP 3: Take care of yourself. Your mental, physical and emotional health are crucial to the enjoyment of your job. If you haven’t already, consider getting a therapist, going to the gym and spending time on yourself.

Daniel Upton, Jr., Director of Bands, Harrisonburg High School and Adjunct Music Faculty, Bridgewater College, Harrisonburg, Virginia

• TIP 1: Teach people through music. Early on, I taught music to people. Once I realized it was all about the people, the entirety of the profession changed for me in the most positive of ways. The connections and relationships were so much stronger.
• TIP 2: Have mentors. Steal ideas from everyone you respect and look up to. Put the best of all those people into practice and now you are making it your own. Reach out to those mentors often — don’t go at it alone!
• TIP 3: Learn how to develop work-life balance early on. I took way too long to do so, and it’s hard to figure out now.

Alex Whitehead, Director of Bands, Jefferson Middle School, Fort Wayne, Indiana

• TIP 1: Everything you do is PR for your program. Take every opportunity to brag and boast about your kids’ successes — perform for your school and wider community as much as possible. You know the value of what music does for students, but everyone else might not. It’s your job to teach the community that what your students do is valuable.
• TIP 2: Never be afraid to ask for help because you won’t and don’t know everything. Have a trusted mentor who is there to steer you right, even when you don’t like the answer they give you. You can’t do it alone.
• TIP 3: Be yourself. Don’t try to mold yourself to be someone else in front of the kids or teach in a way that is inauthentic to you. You’ll find yourself at your most effective when you can be unapologetically genuine in your teaching.

Sarah Williams, Band Director, West Junior High School, Pocono Mountain School District, Pocono Summit, Pennsylvania

• TIP 1: Do not take yourself so seriously. If you make a mistake, own up to it without trying to cover it up. You are human. Tell your students about the mistake and how you plan to learn and grow from it. This gives them the security to learn and grow from their own mistakes.
• TIP 2: You may need to remind the class about something many times but that is OK. Sometimes students need many repetitions to process instructions. Sometimes students need the reminder not because they weren’t listening but because they need the reassurance. All our students are different and process information differently. Provide the information in as many different forms as you can. Many will not get the information the first time you explain it.
• TIP 3: Go the extra mile and join professional organizations, attend conferences and workshops, and take those classes. The connections you make learning with other music educators are invaluable. The ideas and support from others are necessary to have a long, successful career in music. Plus, you probably do not (or never will) know everything there is to know about music. Learn as much as you can so you can pass it on to your students.

Keith Ziolkowski, Orchestra Teacher, Creekside Middle School, Carmel Clay Schools, Carmel, Indiana

• TIP 1: Do not isolate.
• TIP 2: Ask questions, no matter how simple it may seem.
• TIP 3: Put up firm boundaries for yourself so that you can establish work-life balance.

Check out tips for first-year music teachers from the 2025 “40 Under 40,” 2024 “40 Under 40,” 2023 “40 Under 40, 2022 “40 Under 40,” and 2021 “40 Under 40” educators for more invaluable advice!