Music Teacher's Helper Blog

Optimism is a crucial skill for private music teachers to develop.  Most students do not take lessons because they have mastered their instrument.  Students come to us because they are struggling with something and wish to play better.   Our students often fail in their initial attempts at new techniques or repertoire, and we should expect that.  If our students never struggle with anything, we are probably not pushing them hard enough.  The key is managing this failure in a way that is encouraging to both the student and the teacher.

Additionally, most private music teachers also experience some headaches from being self-employed.   Our incomes and schedules fluctuate from month to month.  Students quit lessons for seemingly no reason, creating awkward holes in our schedules and leaving us with less income than we anticipated.  Our performance schedules can conflict with our teaching schedules, forcing us to make difficult choices.  Other times, we simply don’t have time to keep up with all the administrative tasks, such as accounting and marketing.  Again, the key is managing these setbacks optimistically to prevent teacher burnout.

What is Optimism?

The first step to becoming a more optimistic teacher is having a firm grasp on the concept of “optimism.” Optimism is more than “having a good attitude,” “looking on the bright side,” or “being enthusiastic.”   Rather, optimism and pessimism are two different ways of explaining failure (and to a lesser degree, success).  Optimists generally view failure as temporary, out of their control, and confined to a small section of their life.  Pessimists, on the other hand, generally view failure as permanent, completely their fault, and pervasive across all areas of their life.  In order to clarify these definitions, let’s look at two common scenarios from a private teacher’s studio and compare the optimistic and the pessimistic explanations for the events.

Scenario 1

Steve is working on a solo snare drum piece to play at the Solo and Ensemble Festival in two months.  You and Steve selected the piece two weeks ago, but Steve doesn’t seem to be making much progress.  You are concerned Steve might not be able to perform the piece well by the festival.

The Pessimistic Explanation – Steve is not a very good musician (pervasive).  I don’t think he practices enough, and he certainly hasn’t practiced this piece enough (his fault).  Steve will never be able to get a distinguished rating at festival (permanent).

The Optimistic Explanation – Steve seems to be having difficulty with this particular piece of music (confined).  Perhaps we selected too difficult of a piece, or perhaps I should suggest a new approach to practicing the piece (not his fault).  If we change the piece and/or our tactics, Steve will eventually be able master his festival selection (temporary).

Scenario 2

Anna has been taking lessons for three months, but last month she had two “no call/no show” lessons.  Over the weekend, she left a brief message on your voicemail saying she no longer wishes to continue lessons.  You tried to contact her, but she has not returned your phone call or email.

The Pessimistic Explanation – I wonder what I did to drive Anna away.  Maybe my attendance policy was too harsh for her, or maybe I didn’t engage her enough during lessons (your fault).  Anna’s lesson spot will now sit vacant indefinitely.  I don’t know if I’ll be able to fill it with another student (permanent).  Without her lesson fees, I’ll have to redo my entire monthly budget and completely change my spending habits (pervasive).

The Optimistic Explanation – Anna must have decided that lessons are not a good fit for her right now.  She is probably extremely busy, as she missed two lessons last month and has been unable to return my phone calls this month (not your fault).  I now have an opening I can fill with another student (temporary).  I’ll have to tweak my monthly budget to account for her missing lesson fees (confined), but by next month I should have a new student who will make up for the missing income (temporary).

Becoming More Optimistic

The next step on the road to optimism is simply recognizing how optimistic you currently are.  When you or one of your students experiences a setback, listen to your explanation.  Do you say things like “Steve is just not a good player”?  Or, do you say things like “Steve is having trouble with these few measures”?  Pay special attention to the words “always” and “never.”  Whenever you find yourself using these two words, you might be over-generalizing and thinking pessimistically.

I like to keep myself focused on optimistic thinking by responding to failures with a series of questions.

1. How long is this setback likely to affect my life/my studio/the student’s performance?
Every situation is temporary.   I have found that most students, if they are willing to put in the time and the effort, can learn most things.  Even students I thought might never be able to play a basic rock beat on the drum set eventually did (even if it was three or four months later, in some cases).  Families who ignored my lesson policies eventually came around or stopped taking lessons.  Looking ahead a month, a year, or even five years can help put the current setback in perspective.  Also, I have learned that the minute I start thinking “this situation will never change,” is the same minute I stop working to change the situation.

2. In what ways is this setback out of my/the student’s control?
When we make mistakes as teachers, we should own up to them and take responsibility.  Other times, we have no control over things going wrong.  My most common experience with this is students who do not practice.  After encouraging the student, suggesting ways to make practice fun, and talking with the parents about practicing, I have to admit that I can’t come to a students house and physically make them practice.  If a student decided to continue taking lessons but refuses to practice, I have little control over how that student performs.  When we realize we have little control over a situation, the best course of action is to accept the circumstances, adapt, and move on.

3. What aspects of my life/my studio/the student’s performance will be unaffected by this setback?
Rarely does a setback take over your entire life or studio.  Recently, I was in a mountain biking accident that left me unable to play for 6 weeks.  Initially, I was devastated and assumed I would have to cancel all of my lessons.  Then I asked myself this question.  I realized I could still listen to and critique my students, introduce my students to new music, discuss instructional videos with my students, and help my students clarify their goals.  Additionally, I realized I now had more time to catch up on my bookkeeping and other mundane tasks.  Because I asked myself this question, I was able to give 5 weeks of productive lessons where I initially thought I would give none.

I find that by answering these questions I can put even the biggest setbacks (like the bike wreck, for example) into perspective.  When I view things through an optimistic lens, I am more likely to take action and overcome the setback.  I imagine you’ll find the same principle applies to your own life.

Further Reading

I suggest anyone interested in becoming a more optimistic teacher read Dr. Martin Seligman’s book Learned Optimism.  Seligman’s book delves deeper into the psychology of optimism than this article possibly can.  Seligman includes sections on being optimistic with children, and he also provides exercises to help people overcome pessimistic tendencies.

Your Turn

What are some additional techniques you use to stay optimistic with students, families, and yourself?  Leave your answers in the comments below.