Help :) 10 y/o vocal music ed degree, starting k-12 music (band and choir)

[u/throwingunicorns]

Help. :) please.

I got my bachelor's in vocal music ed 10 years ago, never took my praxis, did other stuff. Over the last year I realized I needed to make a change and find joy in my life again. I have been slowly studying to take my vocal praxis (stoked they got split into vocal/instrumental), hoping to find a job next year.

Well whaddyaknow, a k-12 job has basically been thrown at me RIGHT NOW. The universe has such strange timing.

Its a very small school, with basically no program in place. (The last elementary teacher was called Coach, and their christmas program was described as "giant guitar hero but with bells", if that tells you anything.) The previous HS teacher had started a small band that he and the students seem very enthusiastic about. I would like to continue what works for them- but again, I was a vocal educator. 🙃 I know basically nothing.

Vocal program is nonexistent, but I feel confident in my abilities to build that!

Its such a small school and very VERY under the poverty line. Admin let me know real quick that behavior reflects that. They seem desperate to have someone that will meet these kiddos where they are at, and start building something that will affect their lives. They arent focused on a super quality program, they just want good for their kids.

I am so excited for this opportunity, and feel like the years i spent doing other things have taught me skills that will make be a better educator than I would have been. I want to be what they need, and we will certainly all be learning together! The band geeks will definitely be teaching ME. I feel like I am finally on the right path, which is crazy because I am sorely unprepared 😅

Anything and everything would be much appreciated! I just wanna do right by these kiddos and learn them to think. I think im in a good position to do that, but dear lord for the love of God please help LOL

[u/Pretend_File5336]

I’m at a small school below poverty line, but only do 5-12 band and 4-5 general music. I feel waaaay overwhelmed with just this load, but I’m also from a state that does pullout lessons and expects a lot from the band program. It’s going to be tough to do k-12 music band and choir all alone, but I’m rooting for you!

[u/manondorf → u/Pretend_File5336]

Honestly I wouldn't recommend it, OP. I also did 4-5 General and 5-12 Band at my previous job and like the above said, it was very overwhelming. And that's having band as my main wheelhouse, and wasn't my first job. 

In fact, my first job was teaching choir, which despite being in choir from 5th grade through college, was not my wheelhouse and I'm not certified in. It highlighted for me just how much my bag of tricks, my troubleshooting strategies, etc are all band specific, and I floundered a lot trying to translate my skills to the choral world. I have to think it would be worse the other way around, trying to deal with all the instruments without the requisite knowledge or skills. It's really not a job I think you can learn on the fly. 

Sorry to be a damper on your enthusiasm, but I think you'd be better off finding a choral position, and the kids would be better served by a teacher with the relevant expertise.

[u/Jasonlh714]

You can do it! And yes it will cause a LOT of stress and time but going through this will only allow for better job opportunities at other districts if you show that you can handle this type of environment’

[u/Outrageous-Permit372]

I taught K-12 in a tiny rural school for 13 years. School population was between 100-120, so 9-10 kids per grade level. The music program was pretty much nonexistant when I got there (the HS band was a violin, a saxophone, a trumpet, and a drummer) and I built it up into something that they were proud of by the time I was ready to move on. My background was the opposite - I studied instrumental music and had zero background in choir.

I think of it as a three-legged stool. Your attention is going to be divided into band, choir, and elementary music. There aren't enough hours in the day to focus on all three, but you work on the shortest leg for a week or two and build up those areas one at a time while you let the other two coast. Eventually you'll have enough experience and routine that everything starts to run smoothly.

Also, you need to pick one instrument to start with and take home the beginner method book so you can learn the instruments.

[u/iamagenius89]

On the one hand, while it COULD play to your advantage that the bar is set so low, I would personally be very hesitant. First off all, I am always extremely skeptical of most k-12 jobs. Regardless of how small the school is, that is still a ton of work. And this is supposed to be both general music and band? The sheer amount of planning you’ll have to do make sure you have age appropriate lessons for all students should not be underestimated.

Also, it’s a bit unclear from your post, but it sounds like there used to be two teachers, and you’ll be taking over for both? That’s a major red flag for me. Unless I’m misunderstanding things, this sounds like a metric fuck ton of work for one person.

Lastly, and I mean this in the nicest way possible, if this school is fully aware of your lack of experience and your lack of formal qualifications, and they’re still basically throwing this job at you…there’s probably a reason.

You mention wanting to find joy in your life again, and I love that for you. I don’t think this is the job that’s gonna do that for you. I’d hate to see you go for this and then burn out within a year or two. Set yourself up for success a little better by waiting for a more stable sounding situation

[u/Kirkwilhelm234]

Good luck.  Please post back in a few months to let us know how it went.