Why this blog?

I love music and teaching music.  I enjoy sharing ideas and learning from my experiences.  I want to put everything in writing so I can look back and remind myself of my journey.  I also want to share with the rest of the world what I find inspiring.  We only learn if we put ourselves out there and that is what I am doing.  The better I become, the more I can help others, and that is the ultimate goal.  I want to help people. I want to make and impact on the world.

I have worried about sharing too much in fear that I would be looked at like a young teacher that still has much to learn, but thinks she's got it all figured out.  But thanks to many of my friends on Facebook responding to my posts about teaching, I realized that some people enjoy reading about what I do and my passion for it.  If people enjoy it, then I feel it's helping somehow.  I don't want to wait until I retire to share ideas that help me, I want to share them now.  If I wait, I might not remember the small details that make up each year that mean so very much to me.  I don't want to lose those precious memories or feelings, I want to capture them in writing and remember them forever.  We, band and choir directors, have our students do concert reflections for a reason--so they can learn from their experiences.  This blog is my teaching reflection.


Breaking out of my shell has been a 28-year process, and I am still working on it, trying to fight the habit of hesitation that is much more faint, but still there.  Music gave me a glimmer of confidence when I was young.  Band showed me that I could do whatever I set my mind to, even when other people doubted me.  College taught me that I am responsible for my own future and to strive to overcome my insecurities.  Teaching reminds me every day that I don't have time to be shy or scared.  My students need someone to show them how to believe in themselves and how to be a good person.  I don't have time to beat myself and call myself a failure, they will see that and do the same.  I am required to believe in myself and do the right thing, and you can't fake it.  You either do or you don't.  If you try to fake it, they will see it and they won't trust you.  You have to be real and you have to be honest.  Teaching has pushed me to believe in myself, be real, and be honest.  Coincidentally, I found out that it's not just good for my students, but it's good for me, personally.  Life is much more enjoyable when I strive to do better!

Getting back to the main point of this post, I decided to start sharing and open up more.  Summer break is a time to reflect, develop, and prepare for the next year.  I told myself to quit being such a wimp and put my ideas out there.  What's the worst that will happen, someone won't read this?

By the way, thanks for reading.