What are some of the most joyous moments you have experienced in your life? Were you in nature? Were you with your family? Was it during an adventure? Was it when you were engaged in an act of service? Was it while you were teaching music? As you reflect on the role of joy in your life, capture the feeling in your mind and heart when you experienced joy.
Wouldn’t it be great to have joy become more of a central part of our life, to make joy our tonal center? While our jobs as music educators can be stressful and overwhelming from the daily grind and pressures coming at us from many directions, we can be intentional about generating more joy in our own lives and in the lives of our students.
In advocating for our music programs, consider that one of the most important factors is how the students in our music classes and ensembles feel and perform. Happy students will lead to higher levels of recruitment and retention and the more fulfilled the students are the more supportive the parents and administration will be. Our students are often a mirror of our energy and attitudes and therefore the pursuit and creation of joy in our own lives will be contagious and infuse music-making with positive energy. When we focus on the six things that every human being needs and use these keys to unlock doorways, we will be on the pathway to making joy the tonal center and achieving fulfillment and well-being in teaching, music-making, and life.
So, what are the six things every human being needs to thrive?
Everyone wants to feel valued.
Everyone wants to feel they matter.
Everyone wants to feel they make a difference.
Everyone wants to feel loved.
Everyone wants to feel a connection.
Everyone wants to feel they belong.
Gratitude is the key to unlocking the first doorway of feeling valued. As educators, it is important to openly share appreciation for our students and let them know they are valued and why. Value our students’ opinions and listen authentically to what they have to say. When a student comes to talk to us in our office or before, during, or after class, put down distractions, and be fully present. Involve students in the creative and learning process and ask for their ideas and thoughts regarding musical interpretation, dynamics, balance, blend, and phrasing. When addressing students, be sure to use their name.
Here are some statements connected to the first key you can adopt for your classroom.
“I value you.”
“Thank you for being here.”
“How are you feeling today?”
“I’m grateful you are here.”
Don’t forget to remind yourself that you are valued. Keep a “warm, fuzzy file” of thank you notes and positive comments you have received from students, parents, and administrators. Start a gratitude journal and write down three things you are grateful for at the end of each day. Treasure the smiles, laughter, and “aha” moments of your students.
Contribution is the key to unlocking the second doorway – you matter. Let every student (not just the more highly skilled players or vocalists) know they play an important role in contributing to the class and ensemble. Greet students by name when they enter your room and check in on them when they are absent. Bring students to the front of the ensemble to listen to the group perform a section of a piece of music and offer feedback to their peers. You will be amazed at how insightful your students are when given the opportunity to relay what they observe and notice.
Here are statements connected to the second key – contribution – to let students know that they matter.
“I appreciate your contribution.”
“I missed you yesterday. I hope you are feeling better today.”
“Everything you do in this class and ensemble matters. You matter.”
For you, the educator, your whole self matters. Be sure to take care of your physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual well-being. Prioritize rest, drinking lots of water, mindful breathing, laughter, smiles, mindful walks, and taking breaks. Refilling your cup helps you to contribute at your most energetic and joyful level.
Purpose is the key to communicate with students that they make a difference. When students feel they are part of something bigger than themselves and what they do is connected to a deeper purpose and meaning, they understand that who they are and what they do makes a difference. Here are some strategies to unlock the third doorway. Collaborate with students to create the vision and goals for the class and ensemble. Then, empower students to write down individual and section goals and refer to them weekly. Ask students to write and share their own why, passion, and purpose statement. Collectively, set an intention before every rehearsal or class.
Here are some sample statements to reinforce the third key – purpose – to let students know they make a difference.
“I notice the effort you put into every rehearsal, and you are making a difference.”
“This ensemble would not be the same without you.”
“We reached our goals because every one of you makes a difference.”
“Your presence and actions influence everyone here.”
For the teacher, reconnect to your own why and purpose. What drives you and keeps your flame lit? Reflect on the progress made by your students to remind yourself and affirm that what you do makes a difference. Stay connected to your purpose by setting your intentions before every class. Know that the energy, wonder, and joy you project resonates with and is reflected by your students.
Care is how we unlock the fourth doorway – you are loved. Every human being wants to feel loved and for many of our students they may not feel loved at home and in their other classes. In our music classes we can create a loving space where students know they are cared for. Since we often get to teach our students for several years, we are in a position, in addition to showing unconditional love, to give tough love when necessary. We may be the one adult who can have a hard, honest conversation with a student about what is and what is not appropriate. Our ensembles should be spaces where it is safe to make mistakes and take risks and where everyone is respectful, accepting, and forgiving. When a caring classroom is created, students often refer to their ensembles as a family.
Here are statements to let students know they are cared for.
“I love how you…”
“I love when you…”
“I hear you.”
“I see you.”
For the educator, we need to acknowledge how important self-love is. We tend to be givers and often are completely other-focused; we, as musicians, also tend to be extremely self-critical and hard on ourselves. Become aware of your self-talk and if you notice you talk to yourself in a way you would never dream of talking to a loved one, change up your self-talk and use encouraging, loving, and growth mindset language. Grant yourself permission to feel all emotions without judgment and be fully accepting of who you are without comparing yourself to others. You are beautiful just the way you are. You are enough.
Communication is the key to unlocking the fifth doorway – you are connected. We communicate a feeling of connection through empathic listening, our tone of voice, non-verbal body language, and the words we use. Find out what your students are passionate about when they are outside of music class; ask them about their interests and, when possible, support them in their other activities such as sports or theater. Change up the rehearsal set-up by mixing up the seating, rehearsing in a circle, or a combination of chamber ensembles to encourage new connections and energize listening across the ensemble. Build trust through being vulnerable, genuine, and real with your students so they feel comfortable and safe being open and expressive themselves. Treat rehearsals as a collaboration rather than a one-way channel of directives.
Here are some ways you can communicate to your students that they are connected.
“What do you enjoy doing when you are not in music class? What are you passionate about?”
“I can feel the energy you are projecting through your voice or instruments.”
“What do you feel when you listen to this piece of music?”
For the educator, select music with deep meaning and expression that connects to your heart and mind and make feelings and emotions central to the process and journey of music-making. Be fully connected to the music, energy, and meaning while conducting. Consciously connect with colleagues, staff, and administration.
Community is the key to having students feel they belong. We must create a sense of community while teaching music, so students feel they belong in our classrooms. We want our students to feel comfortable with being themselves without the pressures of feeling they need to conform to fit in, to be someone they are not. By emphasizing the importance of acceptance, respect, celebration, and inclusion we develop a community of unique individuals who are supportive of each other’s differences while pursuing a goal of excellence together in performance.
Here are some statements to reinforce that, yes, you belong.
“I’ve got your back. I support you for who you are.”
“We celebrate you for being who you authentically are.”
“We are in this together.”
For the teacher, be who you are fully to send the message to your students that they can embrace and celebrate who they are. Be proactive about creating a community of belonging for yourself within the school and in your broader community.
Now that we have access to the six keys (gratitude, contribution, purpose, care, communication, and community) to unlock the doorways to greater joy, fulfillment, and well-being for our students and for us, I would like to share some final thoughts on joy. In The Book of Joy, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, says, “Joy is much bigger than happiness. While happiness is often seen as being dependent on external circumstances, joy is not.”
What I have come to realize is joy is created from the inside. We generate joy. Joy is a choice. Joy is an attitude. We also feel joy when we do good for others, which is why we can readily tap into the feeling of joy through fulfilling our life’s dream and passion of being a music educator. So, as we continue to let our students know they are valued, they matter, they make a difference, they are loved, they are connected, and they belong, let’s strive to encourage joy, celebrate joy, and live our lives fully and joyfully.
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