Mental health and wellbeing column: rediscovering the musical you

Since moving away from teaching curriculum music in busy secondaries, I have taken some time to reflect on my experience as a teacher. What I noticed most was how my musical identity changed from being able to focus on what I love and enjoy about music to ‘what do my pupils need from me?’.

As teachers, we are trained to be reflective practitioners, supporting students to carve their musical journeys and be the gateway to opportunities. What I didn't realise when embarking on my teacher training is that this greater focus on support for my pupils and their music-making would so vastly change my own musicianship.

Many teachers come from a singular practice – clarinet, in my case. So, as you become the piano accompanist, backing vocalist, choir leader, conductor, arranger and, as is often the case with music teachers, an emotional support for pupils, it's easy to lose sight of what you love about music, and why you became a teacher in the first place.

In my experience, my musical identity changed from ‘musician’ to ‘music teacher’. While I loved the career I was forging for myself and the difference I was making to my pupils, I missed the creative, exploratory and exciting musician in me. For myself and many teachers with similar experiences, the impact of this can be felt not just in how well we teach but how well we feel beyond the classroom.

Challenges and burnout

Of course, this is not everyone's experience; there is great value in the musical outlets and opportunities that teachers experience. However, to some extent, this is a near-universal experience for music teachers.

Talking on this topic with teachers here at Kent Music, many expressed the importance of nurturing their own creativity when it comes to their happiness as teachers. The diminishing of their creative outlets, they said, runs the risk of their music-making becoming stagnant, losing enjoyment for their craft and increasing mental health struggles.

As a student, I could rehearse and perform in a variety of bands and groups, compose in different styles, and enjoy the social aspect of being a young musician. All these opportunities provided me with a wealth of learning, broadening my understanding of my craft and giving me space to hone my skills. This is something I believe to be essential in continuing to do as an adult musician.

So, what do we do to ensure that we continue to thrive musically outside of our teaching practice and maintain our musical wellbeing?

Rediscovering the musical you

As teachers and musicians, our time often becomes stretched. However, there are some quick wins that can help us embark on our own creativity and prevent the role of music teacher from consuming us:

• Practice for you. Find new repertoire or a new instrument and skill to hone and develop. We love Music in the Round's idea for a grade-a-thon on a new instrument.
• Use your musical interests in lessons to support learning. One of our teachers has started sharing playlists with their pupils, opening a realm of discussion and possible activities for both teacher and learner.
• Find local bands and groups to play with. Opportunities to socialise as part of music-making can really boost your wellbeing and is proven to release endorphins.
• Continue to support the live music scene. In Kent, we are lucky to have an array of festivals and events to hear new music and local bands, such as Chickenstock Music Festival. What might be happening near you?

Being a music teacher is such a valuable and rewarding job and deserves happy and fulfilled musicians as both teachers and learners. We encourage you to think about how you are going to continue investing in your own musicianship; we are sure your teaching will reap the benefits.