"Prepared yet Flexible": Insights from Daily Logs of Music Teachers

Abstract

Because of the high potential for burnout, it is important for music educators to periodically evaluate the things that provide satisfaction or cause frustration in the work environment. In this study experienced music teachers used journals to record their daily expectations and observations. These included a before-school prediction for how the day would go, a post-hoc evaluation of the day, and descriptions of the best and worst aspect of the days. At the end of each week, during the nearly two months of the study, teachers provided advice intended for new teachers. An analysis of the logs from 34 choral, elementary, and instrumental teachers indicated that positive student music making was most often reported as the best part of the day while poor student behavior was the worst. Elementary teachers reported significantly higher evaluation scores than choral teachers. Though daily expectation and evaluation scores were not significantly different from each other, both sets of scores increased during the period examined. Teachers' advice dealt most frequently with general aspects of the job while seldom addressing specifics about music making.

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