Read Part 1
Read Part 2
Read Part 3

The last section of Enhancing the Professional Practice of Music Teachers: 101 Tips that Principals Want Music Teachers to Know and Do, Tips for Professional Growth, adds the final 23 tips. These tips include:

• Always Make Your Principal Look Good – If you have a problem, don’t air it publicly. A few time-honored courtesies will go a long way toward building a positive rapport with any administrator. Don’t be a whiner or complainer. Keep your principal informed about discipline issues, concerts, and other special events. Invite them to your concerts and always list their name in the program and acknowledge your principal’s attendance at programs.
• Write Notes, Return Phone Calls, and Reply to E-mail – The act of writing a personal thank you or congratulatory note demonstrates that you sincerely want to show gratitude, acknowledgement, or recognition for another’s acts. If a parent or student has called or e-mailed you, it’s important to them. Don’t go home until every attempt has been made to return these communications.
• Avoid the “geek” stereotype – When students perceive their music teachers to be of the real world, they will enroll in their classes and participate in performing groups without fear of ridicule from their friends.

For complete tips and details, Enhancing the Professional Practice of Music Teachers: 101 Tips that Principals Want Music Teachers to Know and Do is available with a 25% discount to MENC members from Rowman & Littlefield Education.

Author Paul Young, a graduate of the Ohio University School of Music, is a former music teacher and elementary school principal. He currently is the Executive Director of the West After School Center in Lancaster, Ohio, and an adjunct professor of music at Ohio University-Lancaster.

Common Sense Tips, Part 1
Common Sense Tips, Part 2
Common Sense Tips, Part 3

—Becky Spray, December 15, 2009 ©MENC: The National Association for Music Education