Last month Crystal Pridmore led an online workshop in which she explored the way trauma affects the brain and behavioral patterns and discussed strategies to manage the behavior and manage ourselves as teachers. She will be hosting a follow up session with that group to continue the work they started together.

As part of that work, Crystal developed a series of journaling prompts to reflect on all the past year has brought and to set intentions for the coming year.

This reflection toolkit is her gift to our community of music educators. This is her gift to you.

An Invitation to Reflect on an Extraordinary Year

Hello friends, 

It was an honor to spend some time with many of you last month to talk about becoming trauma informed, burnout resistant music teachers. I have read and been grateful for every comment and note that you have sent. It feels to me like we have some unfinished work together as we process and heal from the many things the last few years have brought. Today, I want to invite you to continue the work we began in the workshop with a year-end reflection.

I was 15 years old the first time I sat down for a holiday break time of reflection with my journal. My family had just moved that summer across the country to a tiny town in the middle of nowhere. I had to start all over with making friends and finding a place to fit in as a VERY awkward (super band geek) teenager. I’ve never been able to move through this life quietly and with stealth. By Christmas, I had committed so many social faux pas and had shoved my foot so far in my mouth so many times that I was practically gasping for air. I dealt with it like a good high school sophomore in the early aughts. I clipped my bangs back with a flappy butterfly hair clip, cranked up my boombox with N’SYNC’s Christmas CD, grabbed my entire collection of milky pens, flipped to a fresh page in my trapper keeper, and started writing a letter to past Crystal and future Crystal. It didn’t make me any less awkward, but it certainly made the many hard things I was growing (well, stumbling) through seem a lot more manageable.

Fast forward to 2021, and this ritual of mine has become an important milestone in my year for more than two decades. It’s helpful to read back on those old journal entries and see what was so daunting as a high schooler, a college student, a newlywed, a young mother. And to see that each one of those stressors had a clear end date.

As we enter into a well earned winter break, I’d like to invite all of you to spend some time in reflection with me. What we have been asked to do as teachers during this unique time in history has been extraordinary in every way. Extraordinary… and extraordinarily difficult. This Reflection Toolkit is designed to help lead you through some thought exercises to name, examine, and process the many stressors and lessons this school year has brought with it.

I invite you to find a quiet place, perhaps some nice music (I’m happy to report that I’ve graduated from N’SYNC to YoYo Ma and Friends Songs of Joy and Peace), a fuzzy blanket, a warm cup of tea, and about an hour to lead yourself through a good Think, some journaling, and some intention setting for the year to come.

– Crystal

Click here to download Crystal’s Reflection Toolkit

For a deeper dive into this work, consider exploring Crystal’s workshop: Growing Into a Trauma Informed, Burnout Resistant Music Teacher

The post An Invitation to Reflect first appeared on Teaching With Orff.

Two years ago, I was excited to present a workshop out west. I had worked really hard to prepare and had loads of lessons and techniques to share. I was proud of the content I had to offer. As the workshop drew near, there was an emergency that caused the workshop to be rescheduled to the Saturday after my spring break. I had a fantastic trip to New Orleans with my husband planed for break, so I flew home from my vacation, and got on the plane for my session the next day. I failed to consider the effect spending a week in New Orleans below sea level and then traveling to the mountains out west in a 24-hour period would impact my body. I regularly hike at high elevations and have suffered only mild headaches; this time would be different. As I began the presentation my body started shutting down. I kept having to run to the bathroom to vomit. I tried laying down during the break, when I returned I patted my legs and they buckled from the elevation sickness. It felt like the WORST flu I had ever experienced. I did my level best to continue on, and I physically could not. I had to admit that I could not continue. I was devastated and ashamed. Many of the participants had traveled long distances to attend, and the Orff Chapter paid for my flight and hotel room. I had let them down. Later, when I was finally feeling better, the chapter president came by to check on me. I was so embarrassed and upset that I just kept talking really fast and apologizing over and over, which was not at all helpful. I did not handle it well.

Reflecting on the experience, there were some really beautiful things that I experienced from this “failure.”

• First, the folks from the chapter were so gracious and helpful. When I admitted that I could not continue, one member thanked me for taking care of myself. Another offered medicine to help with the elevation sickness. The women who drove me home told me that she was going to make me stop the workshop if I threw up one more time. They cared about me as a human, not just as a presenter and what I had to offer them. What a gift they gave to me. I think back on how they cared for me often.

• Secondly, I am a human being and I need to listen to what my body needs. This revelation has extended to every aspect of my life. As music educators we take care of everyone. Our families, our students, our pets, other teachers, our homes, our classrooms and we strive to meet the wants and needs of everyone around us. If my needs are not met, I cannot effectively meet the needs of others. Taking care of my body is not selfish. I can do a better job of what is most important, and not worry so much about what isn’t important when I am healthy and well rested.

• Lastly, sometimes things just happen, and it is not my fault and I can’t “fix It.” There was nothing I could have done in this situation to make it through the presentation. It just happened, there was no way to fix it. I spent WEEKS after this incident beating myself up and “shoulding” myself. I should have cancelled my vacation, I should have rambled less when I was feeling better, I should have drunk more water….none of these thoughts were at all helpful and I was miserable and upset for nothing. Now I have learned to acknowledge the situation, repair what I can and then move on. Being gentle with myself has made me feel better all the way around.

I am writing about this now, because a lot of us are feeling like failures. For most of us nothing is happening in any way like we have been used to and many of us are working with constantly evolving situations that make feeling successful a challenge.

• Let’s look for the beauty in our challenge when we can find it. It may be hidden and it is worth the search.
  
• Listen to your body, it will tell you what it needs. Eat well, sleep as well as you can. Rest when you need to, participate in joyful movement, find quiet when you need to recharge.
  
• Recognize what is in our control and let the rest go if you are not feeling your best. If you are choosing to exert influence in areas that are not in your direct control, have reasonable expectations for your work.

We are not “failing” right now, we are learning. Learning to live and teach in a new and different way will take a lot of mistakes and practice. What are you doing to keep yourself healthy and learning this year? Leave your thoughts in the comments so we can all Make it Work.

The post I Am a Failure … first appeared on Teaching With Orff.

Here is your permission slip to search YouTube tonight and share a lesson in your Google Classroom that some other teacher with more energy today or a lighter workload posted because they wanted to share it with you.

Here is your permission slip to stop at the store and get a rotisserie chicken and a bag of salad as a nourishing meal for you and/or your family because you don’t have the energy to cook.

Here is your permission slip to not grade those assignments tonight and ask your students to look at their work tomorrow and self-reflect because you are exhausted and need a few hours of downtime.

Here is your permission slip to post lessons and slides that are plain and do not look like they are ready for publication. Then use the time you would spend decorating on taking care of yourself.

Here is your permission slip to set an automatic email response that says: “Thank you for taking an interest in your child’s music education. I am currently behind on back grading. If your child submitted the assignment, I assure you I have received it. I will be working as hard as I am able to catch up. Please be patient with me as this is a new and different school year and we are all learning how to navigate school differently than we have before.”

Here is your permission slip to have a “just ok” lesson this week, next week you if you can, you will do better.

Here is your permission slip to use only ONE of the 10,000 tech tools available in your lesson planning this week.

Here is your permission slip to ask for help, receive help with grace, and that it is ok, to not do everything yourself.

Here is your permission slip to make videos of you (or link videos of others) just singing songs to your children, and talk about those songs as your lesson this week. It is ok if they are not making or creating all the time, the world is a lot.

Here is your permission slip to negotiate with your own children or family members for time and space to recover and rest. You will be able to be present and attentive to the needs of others when you take time for yourself.

Here is your permission slip to not clean the house this weekend and just rest.

Here is your permission slip To eat your lunch alone in your classroom with the door shut and the lights off, or in your car. Turn off your phone, be completely unavailable and just breathe.

Here is your permission slip to be a human being. Not a superhero or a machine. A human being who has good days and bad days. Who has joy, fear, excitement, worry and all the emotions in between.

These messages were weighing on my heart today. What permission slip do YOU need to write for yourself? Please add it to the comments, it may be what someone else needs “permission” to do too.

Here is my permission slip …

Breathe.

The post Making It Work: Permission Slip first appeared on Teaching With Orff.

1. Practice Mindfulness

Practicing mindfulness means that you bring your mind to the present and pay attention to what you are doing consciously.  It is easy to slip into being on “autopilot.” Spending a few minutes in the morning checking in with yourself and setting intentions for your day is a helpful mindfulness practice.  Zoe likes to focus on affirmations. You can create your own by asking yourself, “How do I want to feel?” Write your response in the present tense. Here are some of her suggestions:

Zoe’s Examples

• I allow myself time and space to reflect. 
• My mind is aware of the present.
• My heart feels compassionate and is full of love.
• My mind is stimulated by books, stories, art, scholarly articles, music that inspire me to be my best self.
• I maintain boundaries with technology and intake of the news.
• My body is free to dance.
• My voice is clear to sing, laugh and converse authentically.

2. Sleep Regularly

Keeping your body on some sort of regular schedule will help keep you feeling your best.  Make time to work in 8 hours of regular sleep, and try to make yourself go to bed and wake up around the same time.  Our bodies have an easier time getting enough rest when we structure our days. Here is an example that Zoe created for herself.  Her husband, a night owl has his own version, shifted several hours later.  

3. Move Every Day

We were made to move!  You don’t have to do a grueling workout for hours each day, but especially since we are used to being up and moving around as we teach hundreds of kids, we will keep feeling better if we go outside and enjoy a walk.  

• Go for a walk
• Pop in a workout video
• Do a yoga routine
• Ride your bike 
• Dance

YouTube is a great resource for free workouts.  Whatever will be most fun for you, warm up your muscles and move for at least 30 minutes.  Your body will thank you later with great rest!

4. Flex Your Brain

We suddenly find ourselves with time on our hands, and we have a special opportunity to learn something new!  

• Pick up an instrument that you’ve been meaning to practice.  
• Play along with a video on your ukulele
• Fill out the New York Times crossword
• Watch the MET stream their operas live
• Catch up on TED talks.  

There are many opportunities to learn available for free online.  Find something that makes you happy and give it a try!

5. Hydrate

It’s easy to reach for soda or other beverages when we’re bored.  Fill up your body with the water it needs!

• Fill a 32 oz water bottle twice a day and challenge yourself to drink both!
• Drink a minimum of 64 oz a day
• The ideal amount of water is half your body weight in oz, so a 150lb person would drink 75 oz of water.

6. Eat Well

Nourishing your body well will help keep you from feeling bloated and inflamed in a few days.  Think about eating as an act of care for your body, and how nourishing food protects your immune system.

• Try eating 6 small meals a day
• Eat within 30 minutes of waking
• Eat every 2.5 to 3 hours for a total of 6 meals
• Include protein, produce, fiber, and fat in each meal

7. Reach Out

Finally, make sure you continue to reach out and find community!  We are not alone as we navigate this strange season together.

• Join a Facebook group doing composition challenges
• Join us in our Teaching With Orff mindfulness activities
• Facetime a relative who can’t accept visitors because of quarantine 
• Host a Zoom party and do charades or Pictionary online
• Share your ideas and insights with others who need to post lessons online for students.

This is an uncertain season for all of us, but we can move through it with mindfulness.  Choosing to reach out and navigate the weeks to come in community will help us grow through a time of stress.  Seeking ways to remain grounded and connected will only make us stronger.

The post Self Care Tips for Quarantined Music Teachers first appeared on Teaching With Orff.

It’s the most wonderful time of year, but also one of the most stressful for music teachers.  Teachers take care of everyone else first and often neglect their own care. In their recent podcast, the members of Chaotic Harmony Classroom tackle the subject and share openly about their own struggles to find balance and peace while managing the ups and downs of teaching hundreds of students.

For more goodness from the Chaotic Harmony team, check out their weekly podcast in which they share the joys and challenges of teaching general music in public schools.

The post Making It Work: Self Care for Teachers first appeared on Teaching With Orff.

Many of us have reached the time of year where state testing is finished, the weather is improving, spring fever and end of the school year activities abound. These circumstances can lead to frustration and classroom management issues that can result in a stressful few weeks. Here are a few of my tips and tricks to make the end of the school year run smoothly.

• Plan ahead for as much as you can. I keep my calendar open and when I get and email or a flyer with an activity, schedule change, or request for music I write it in right away. This helps me to keep track of what I need to do to, keep on top of who will show up at my door and when there will be changes. If I don’t write dates and times down immediately, I know I will forget.
• Create strategies to “roll with the changes.” Have a few of your favorite activities and lessons in your back pocket ready to go when you need to change plans at the last minute. I am working in two buildings this year. I can be sure that someone will forget to tell me about something. Having some singing games, dances, songs and paper projects ready to go when I need to change my plans on the fly will reduce my stress level and keep the children busy and happy.
• Wrap up official grading about two weeks before the end of the last marking period. This has been the best way to reduce my stress levels. I do not tell the children, and if we are able to accomplish more than I planned I can certainly add extra marks in the gradebook. When field trips, assemblies and other disruptions interrupt my scheduled contact time I don’t have to worry about how I am going to squeeze things in.
• Anticipate and plan for active students. I have my K and first grade students at the end of a longer than usual school day in an un airconditioned building. I know they are going to be active when they walk in the door. I plan structured movement activities early and often. When I see that the children are getting squirmy, we switch to a movement song, game or dance and then continue on with the lesson after we get the wiggles out.
• Take time to review procedures and rules. When we come back from spring break I go over all of our expectations, procedures, drills and understandings. It not only reminds the children of how we work together, it reminds me to keep on top of our expectations (even when I am tired) before some behaviors get out of hand.
• Use all of your tools. Borrow that parachute from the PE teacher, break out your favorite singing games, play ukuleles to pop songs, get out the drums and scarves and beanbags, teach your classes all of your favorite silly songs from when you were a child. Revisit and expand on favorite lessons and activities. Use these tools as leverage to motivate the class to work through less desirable tasks.
• If you are able, take your lessons outside!
• Be compassionate to yourself. Take a few moments each morning to organize and plan your day. Find five to ten minutes to shut your door, turn off the lights and just be quiet, or go outside and walk around the building. Five to ten minutes of peace will make you more productive and motivated for the rest of the day. Eat as much healthy food as you can. In my self-care in December article, I listed ways to choose healthy meals during busy times. It is tempting to reach for sugar and carbs and they may you feel better in the moment but will result in a crash that will make you feel worse.
• Show compassion to the children. If you are feeling a little tired and unmotivated at times, your students probably are too. Take a minute to listen and respond with compassion. Don’t take complaints like “Do we have to do work today; can’t we just go outside?” personally. “I understand how you feel, I wish we could. Maybe if we finish our work today we can go out for the last ten minutes” is a compassionate response. If you can’t accommodate a request, acknowledging how they feel and being sympathetic goes a long way.
• Look for the positive. It is easy to get caught up in the complaining. When you find yourself in a conversation revolving around complaints, find something hilarious, beautiful or exciting to share from your class that day and ask others to share a positive moment too. When we focus on how frustrated we are and what is not going the way we want it to that translates into how we feel and our mindset. Looking for the positive will do the same. It does not mean that there will not be frustrating times, and everything will be perfect. Acknowledging that there are beautiful, exciting and funny moments takes away some of the weight of those frustrating times and makes us lighter and happier.

How do yourself keep yourself and your students happy and healthy during the last few weeks of school? List your strategies and ideas in the comments below so we can all “Make it Work!”

The post Making It Work: Last Weeks of the Year first appeared on Teaching With Orff.

Some of us are enjoying a well deserved spring break, others are trying to hang in there until spring break arrives. As you make plans for the final few months of school, our Chief Motivation Officer, Michelle Brady, encourages you to include a plan for your own self-care and well being.

For more on what you can do today or this week to take care of yourself during this busy time of the semester, see our post Making It Work: Self-Care Strategies for Springtime.

The post Making It Work: Making Time for Self-Care first appeared on Teaching With Orff.

It is that time of the summer for most of us to begin thinking about the new school year. With some planning and preparation, I am working to avoid the beginning of the year physical and mental exhaustion that sets in during the first few weeks of returning to work. Here are some of the strategies I plan to use to make the transition from my free and easy summer schedule to my rigid work schedule as seamless as possible. 

Preparing My Body 

To physically prepare my body for the transition back to work I will start going to bed and waking up at my normal work times two weeks before the first report day. Will I keep my schedule every night? Probably not. My husband will want to go to a baseball game or some other fun event will pop up and if I resume my sleep schedule on most nights I will be in a better place physically when I go back to work.

Along with resuming my sleep schedule, I will begin eating my meals at roughly the same time as my work schedule. I am lucky to know when my lunch and planning period will be ahead of time. If you don’t have your class schedule before you return, eating breakfast at your usual time and setting a lunch and snack time for the last two weeks of summer break will let your body get used to eating in a routine again after the freedom of summer grazing.

I will also begin warming up my voice, and spend some time talking to just about anyone or anything for a period of time each day. I do not have children at home and during the summer I can have entire days of no speaking when my husband is at work. It is a great time of healing for my voice, and easing back into speaking for the classroom everyday will help me to fight off the hoarseness that can surface after the first week or two of teaching.

I am a pretty active person all the time. If you are more of a couch potato during the summer or you take a summer desk job you may want to up the activity level each day for about two weeks. Go for a walk, do some stretching or hit the treadmill while you watch your favorite show. This will ease your body back into being on your feet and moving all day when you return to work. 

Preparing for Healthy Eating 

Next on my list is to plan ahead for healthy eating. Over the summer I have been creating plans for prepping healthy lunches for the week. I have adopted a new eating plan for myself under the guidance of a nutritionist which will require a new lunch plan for the upcoming year. I prep lunches for the whole week on Sunday, so I just have to “grab and go” the rest of the week.

My sister is also a music educator and has four school aged children. She sits down with them on Sunday afternoon and they read the school lunch menu. The kids decide which days they want to buy or pack for the week, then the children help to pre-pack their lunches. They store perishables in the fridge and each child just loads up their lunch box the night before on pack days.

Not having to worry about daily lunches frees up a lot of time for me during the week and makes it more likely that I will eat a healthy lunch and snack at work. I take some time on Saturday to meal plan/prep dinners ahead for each week. I make a shopping list based on what I plan to cook so I have everything on hand ahead of time and don’t have to think about dinner. In fall and winter, I often make a large pot of soup or stew in the crock pot, or roast a chicken that can serve several meals. If I make something that easily freezes, like a meat loaf, I make double then freeze the extra for a busy evening down the road. If you have older children, having them plan and prepare one meal a week can help too. Another friend, who is also a music educator, makes breakfast casseroles on Sunday so her family has breakfast on hand each morning. Many people find success with meal kits, crockpot dump recipes, or sheet pan meals. Whatever your plan, having one will make it more likely you will eat a home-cooked meal rather than being tempted with take out.

I have also been working on a hydration plan for the return of the busy school schedule. Many educators don’t get enough water during the day because busy teaching schedules make running to the restroom difficult, if not impossible. Planning when to drink, and setting a goal for how much you will drink to optimize hydration,  is an important aspect of self-care that can help you to stay healthy throughout the year. 

Preparing for Teaching and Learning 

I have a few teacher friends who return to work, set up the classroom, and spend two to three solid “binge” work days and are ready to go. This is so not how I function. I like to set aside a few hours each week to work on planning and curriculum to spread it out over the summer months. If you need time to detach, perhaps taking time over the last few weeks of break to check off tasks may work better for you.

I sort tasks into two groups, ones that can be completed from home and the others that need to be completed at school. When I am at school, I focus on the tasks that need to be done in the classroom while saving the others for rainy afternoons when I have extra time at home. If you have young children, team up with another teacher and offer to watch their kids while they work in the classroom then switch roles the next day. Older children can help with tasks that don’t require your attention. In my district, I can sign up for National Honor Society students to help with beginning of the year tasks. I make a list of jobs I don’t need to do myself. The students get service hours while I get tasks checked off the list — it’s a win-win for both of us!  I like to set learning goals, and identify lessons, songs, and activities to facilitate learning for each quarter. This makes both weekly and day-to-day planning a lot easier. See my blog post on long range planning for more details on how I plan for the year ahead.

Preparing for Sanity 

When I think of all of the things I need to do to prepare for the upcoming year, I often feel overwhelmed and will literally find myself walking in circles in my classroom, not knowing where to start. I have developed some strategies (based on suggestions from one of my Summer Professional Reading List books from last year: Smarter, Faster, Better: The Transformative Power of REAL Productivity by Charles Duhigg.) to keep myself sane and on task.

First, I set goals for myself; long term, short term, teaching and learning goals and personal goals. (See Dr. Christa Kuebel’s blog post for more detail on goal setting for self-care.) Secondly, each morning I create a manageable to-do list. I prioritize tasks that need to be met today and add future dates to items that can be completed later. If I finish earlier than planned, I know what to do next. If I am delayed, I have checked off the most important tasks first and know what to start with the next day. When creating to-do lists at the beginning of the year, I account for time to catch up with colleagues and interruptions. It is going to happen, so I block out the time. Planning for time to catch up allows me to set reasonable limits on social time. At the end of each day, I take five minutes to assess what I accomplished, celebrate my personal “wins” and prioritize tasks for the next day.

This practice has been transformative in my personal and professional life. I am able to manage my work and time more effectively and “hair on fire” moments are fewer and further between. In the beginning of the school year, it can be easy to commit to things while I am rested and fresh and find myself overwhelmed later on. When I am asked to join a few more committees, or add one more performance, I ask for time to consider if I will be able to offer my best efforts to the new task. I look over my calendar and honestly access if it is something I can manage effectively. If not, I advocate for myself, my family and my students.

When I am over burdened with non-teaching tasks and projects, the quality of instruction and interactions with students suffers. Saying “no” to things I don’t NEED to do is saying “yes” to myself, my family and my students. I know this is easier said than done. I have found as long as I am sincere and truthful, people understand when I cannot add another commitment and respect that decision. A new action I will take this year is to review and reflect on my work experiences from last year, identify times when I needed assistance and ask for help early. Often, I realize I need help when it is too late to ask. Planning ahead to identify parents, students, other teachers and staff who can assist will help to take the pressure off when the busy times roll around.  

Empower Myself for Successful Change 

Change is difficult, even positive change. It is easy to get started and then find myself falling into old routines when the going gets tough. I send emails to my “future self” to remind myself to stay on track, refresh goals and to take time for self-care. I use this website. I seek out coworkers with a positive outlook and let them in on my goals and ask about theirs. We all get frustrated with the “crazy” in education and need to let off some steam. Amazing and beautiful things happen with children in every school every day. When I spend my time with co-workers who find the positive and the beautiful and talk about breakthroughs and success more often than complain my outlook improves no matter how difficult the hurtles may be. I am learning to acknowledge problems and focus on what I can change and control. Adopting this outlook has enabled me to keep fresh and focused at the most stressful moments, stay positive (most of the time) and celebrate successes with students and staff.  

This is my plan to prepare for my return to school after summer break. What are you doing to prepare for a smooth transition from summer to work? Share your ideas in the comments on the blog so we can help each other find a happy transition into the new school year, and “Make it Work.” 

The post Making It Work: Preparing Mind, Body, and Spirit first appeared on Teaching With Orff.

It is a stressful time of year.  Performances, grading, state testing, and student behavior ramp up as winter winds down and summer approaches.  What can music teachers do to combat stress and potential burnout in the final few months of the school year?  Instead of creating an elaborate self-care plan at this busy time of the semester, let’s think about what can you do today or this week to take care of yourself! 

Assess your current level of self-care. 

Self-care is a deliberate practice to take care of your mind, body, and spirit.  Consider the following questions to assess your current level of self-care in these areas.  

Mind: Do you take time away from technology and social media?  Can you find time to engage with interests unrelated to work?  Is your inner dialogue mostly positive or negative? 

Body: Do you eat regular, healthy meals?  Are you exercising?  Are you getting enough sleep and taking time off when you are sick? 

Spirit: Do you spend time with family and friends?  Do you complete some type of reflective practice such as journaling, meditation, or reflection?  

Choose one particular area that you know needs the most attention and let’s focus there.  For example, I have observed that I need a brain break from work to make time for things unrelated to school, such as reading for fun.  Your self-care need might be making healthier meals, moving your body, allowing yourself to watch that show or movie you’ve been wanting to see, or taking time to connect with a friend.  

Avoid “should” and “have-to.” 

Your self-care needs and plans are just that – YOURS.  It can be overwhelming to see what others are doing for self-care, especially things that do not fit your lifestyle, budget, or availability of time.  We might also feel pressure to try forms of self-care that do not even interest us, leading to additional frustration.  For example, if I feel like I “should” go running because it is “supposed to” be good for me but I really, really, really don’t like running, I won’t stick with that form of self-care and then feel frustrated that I’m not doing what I thought I “should be” doing.  If, instead, I find a place in nature where I can walk while enjoying the scenery, I am more likely to make time for this goal because it appeals to me physically and spiritually.  

Make your self-care S.M.A.R.T. self-care. 

Now that you have assessed your current self-care practices, let’s set a goal for this week.  Setting a S.M.A.R.T. goal will help you to be specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound.  Returning to my desire to read for pleasure, instead of saying, “This week, I am going to read,” I might say, “I am going to read for 20-minutes three days this week.”  The second goal is more specific by adding the amount of time I will read.  It is measureable because I can assess whether or not I have read more or less time than my goal.  It is achievable because I know that I have 20 minutes in my schedule.  Notice I did not make my goal to read every day for 20 minutes because that is not realistic for my schedule.  This goal is relevant to my overall intent to improve my self-care.  It is time-bound because I have specifically set a goal for only this week.  

Schedule your self-care. 

Now that you know your goal for the week, get out your calendar and schedule it!  Whether your plan will take 5 or 50 minutes, write time in your planner for your self-care.  We are much more likely to stick to the plan if we know it is in our calendar and does not conflict with other obligations.  Commit to keeping this time for yourself as you would any other appointment or item in your to-do list.  

The end of the school year is a busy time with many reasons to not practice self-care. Be kind to yourself in one small way this week! 

The post Making It Work: Self-Care Strategies for Springtime first appeared on Teaching With Orff.

Taking care of your voice is an important component of self-care for music educators.  We are talking, singing and laughing with our students all day and then using our voices when we are off duty with friends and family.  If we don’t tend to our vocal health we can have big problems in the long run.  There are many things one can do to take care of your voice and minimize vocal issues. 

First, take care of you!   

• Keep yourself hydrated with as much water as you can reasonably drink at work.  I keep a leak proof bottle with me and sip throughout the day while I teach. This keeps my voice and body hydrated without having to worry about my lack of bathroom breaks.
   
• Keep your voice and nasal passages healthy.  I use a humidifier at home and a steamer for myself at work when the room is particularly dry.  Saline nasal spray is also helpful during dry periods.
   
• Limit caffeine intake.  I, like most of you need my morning coffee to feel human.  Limiting caffeine intake to one drink each day helps to reduce the negative effects of caffeine on the vocal folds.
   
• If you smoke, quit.  Smoking or breathing smoke regularly is detrimental to vocal health.
   
• Addressing physical ailments such as reflux, asthma, snoring and allergies is important to vocal health, as well as getting as much quality sleep as possible.
   
• Ask questions about medications.  When my doctor prescribes medications or recommends that I take over the counter medications I ask about the possible side effects on my voice.  Many medications can be drying and result on vocal fatigue and hoarseness.
   
• Find alternatives to clearing your throat.  I can’t stand the feeling or sound of a gunky throat.  Breathing or singing through the congestion has worked for me, as well as sipping warm herbal tea.
   
• Give your voice a break.  I choose times when I am able to give my voice rest.  Sometimes singing along with the radio or talking to myself out loud are not in my best interest and I have to remind myself to take time to be quiet.  Look for short periods of time when you can just not talk for ten to fifteen minutes.  The benefits will add up. 

Prepare yourself for teaching with vocal health in mind. 

• Warm up.  Before I begin each day of teaching I warm up my voice.  I do about three to five minutes of humming and light singing while I set up my classroom for the day.  These few minutes of self-care make a huge difference in maintaining vocal health.
   
• Use amplification.  I use voice amplification and this is a life saver.  I am lucky that I was able to have this purchased through my school if they did not I would buy it for myself in a heartbeat, it is that important.  My students are good listeners and when we are drumming, folk dancing or playing xylophones it is a strain to talk over the music making and joy.
   
• Craft lessons with vocal care in mind.  While teaching I look for ways to use my voice less like having a student read directions from the board or modeling what I want students to do without talking.  If I am not feeling my best and I have a segment of direct instruction I video record myself explaining the details one time and play it for all of the classes in that grade.  Sometimes it seems they are more attentive to video me, than live me.
   
• Let your students do the singing.  A wise colleague told me “Sing for your kids, not with your kids.”  After the children have learned a song, I don’t sing with them and they have to keep the music going.  If we are playing a game and the singing stops, the game stops.  I have to remind myself often to let them sing on their own as I enjoy singing the songs and games as much as the kids do.
   
• Talk when they are listening.  I use a variety of “attention-getters” to get kids quiet when needed, and rarely raise my voice or talk over students (only in emergency situations).  Speaking softly (not whispering, which is harsh on the vocal folds) is a great way to get kids to listen as well.
   
• Speak at the “front” of your voice.  Speaking with your voice set at the back of your throat puts stress on the folds.  Create the feeling that your voice is “spinning” just behind your front teeth when you speak. It will sound a bit odd to you (and to your students) at first, and it really works.
   
• Have a “back up plan” for vocal emergencies.  It is usually not the best idea to try to power through when your voice is not performing well.  Have centers, video lessons, listening lessons or other student directed activities ready in advance for days when you need to take a break from talking and singing all day.  That day will come, I promise! Having ideas and supplies ready in advance will save time and stress when vocal rest is needed.  

If you suspect trouble, act fast.

Lastly, if your voice does not feel right don’t wait to get checked out by a professional.  Generally, if vocal problems are caught early they can be healed, waiting too long for care can result in permanent damage that will impact your teaching and vocal utilization outside of school for the rest of your life.  

What are some tips or tricks you use to keep your voice healthy?  Please share your ideas in the comments so we can all help each other to make vocal health work!  

The post Making It Work: Vocal Health first appeared on Teaching With Orff.