Welcome to the August NewsLink

We hope you had a wonderful and musical summer!

In this year’s Collegiate NewsLink, you’ll find resources for your Collegiate chapter and your transition to teaching. This month’s issue features an article on how to keep your body healthy so you can engage your mind and spirit in the study of music education. Check out tips on avoiding burnout, an introduction to MENC’s new Collegiate Chair, the newest MENC online and print teaching resources, and upcoming opportunities and events.

Wellness 101: Making the Most of Your Music Education Degree

H. Christian Bernhard II is assistant professor and chair of music education at the State University of New York at Fredonia.

Music education majors often enter the degree program with a passion for music and teaching. Perhaps they were positively influenced by a parent, a particular musical experience, or a special former teacher. Something about interacting with music and children for a career seems intriguing.

But, as many music education majors progress through the program, they become discouraged by academic and extracurricular demands. Like most students, they function without immediate parental oversight while attempting to maintain social relationships and academic integrity—often with few hours of sleep, questionable dietary choices, and little to no exercise.

Music education students participate in countless performance ensembles, private lessons, and academic courses. They’re inundated with secondary instruments, conducting techniques, teaching methods, and field experiences. With barely enough time to congratulate themselves for completing these degree requirements, they’re off to the challenging first year of teaching music.

If this sounds like you, you can take steps to enhance your undergraduate experience. While serious concerns should be discussed with a faculty advisor or campus counselor, improved sleep, exercise, and nutrition habits can have an immediate positive effect on your attitude and energy for music education.

Sleep

Perhaps the easiest and most relaxing way to promote good health is sound sleep. However, according to the National Sleep Foundation

• 60% of American adults suffer from occasional sleep problems.
• Over 40 million experience chronic sleep disorders such as insomnia, sleep apnea, and narcolepsy.
• At least 40% of adults suffer from daytime sleepiness severe enough to interfere with work and other activities.

To combat these problems, experts from the Sleep Foundation make the following recommendations:

• Avoid products containing nicotine or alcohol.
• Avoid eating or drinking caffeine immediately before bedtime.
• Use relaxing bedtime rituals, such as reading an enjoyable book.
• Keep a consistent sleep schedule.
• Seek a cool, dark sleep environment.
• Get out of bed for a short time if not asleep after 15–20 minutes.
• Avoid daytime naps that exceed 30 minutes.
• Report chronic sleep problems to a doctor.

While college dorms may not be the best environment for sound sleep, honest communication with roommates and resident assistants can help. Avoid peer pressure to stay up late (particularly from nonmusic majors) and maintain a consistent waking time, even on weekends. Earplugs and sleep masks can also help.

Exercise

Another important component of overall health is regular exercise. According to the United States Department of Health and Human Services’ Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), physical activity reduces the risk of heart disease, stroke, cancer, diabetes, and high blood pressure. Exercise can also combat weight gain, bone loss, and anxiety. Despite these benefits, over 60% of American adults don’t exercise regularly, and more than 25% are inactive during their leisure time. The CDC recommends the following.

Remember that daily campus activities can count as exercise. Use stairs instead of elevators and walk the long routes to different buildings. Find physical activities that are fun and social, such as long walks with friends or intramural competitions.

Nutrition

Adequate sleep and exercise should be accompanied by healthy eating habits. Research from the National Institutes of Health shows that about two-thirds of American adults are overweight, and about one-third are obese. Poor nutrition can result in mental fatigue, anxiety, and other physical problems.

Dieticians from the United States Department of Agriculture recommend consuming a wide variety of foods and beverages to ensure sufficient nutrient intake.

• Consume 2–3 servings of milk, yogurt, and cheese per day.
• Consume 2–3 servings of meat, poultry, fish, beans, eggs, and nuts per day.
• Consume 3–5 servings of vegetables per day.
• Consume 2–4 servings of fruit per day.
• Consume 6–11 servings of bread, cereal, rice, and pasta per day.
• Limit alcohol, coffee, and soft drinks.
• Limit oils, fats, and sweets.
• Consume several small meals throughout the day, especially early.
• Consume at least 8 8-ounce glasses of water per day.

While college dining halls are notorious for tempting, unhealthy options, most campuses offer healthy alternatives. Challenge yourself to choose wisely and vary your selections. The occasional treat is fine in moderation.

Summary

Music education is one of the most demanding and underappreciated degree programs. Despite your passion for music and teaching, the curriculum can be overwhelming when combined with the challenges of college life. However, it’s possible to attain fulfillment and happiness from your studies and professional path. Serious concerns should be discussed with a faculty advisor or counseling center, but responsible adjustments to sleep, exercise, and nutrition can enhance your lifestyle, empower your learning, and allow you to focus on the joys of music making and teaching.

Top 10 Ways to Avoid Burnout for Music Education Students

by Gene Bechen, PhD, Department Chair, Associate Professor of Music, Director of Bands
St. Ambrose University, Davenport, Iowa

What Is Burnout?

Music education majors often hear of peers who burn out, leave the major, and miss out on a rewarding career in music education. Christina Maslach (1996), a leading psychologist in the area of educator burnout, defines it as “A phenomenon related to job stress where individuals spend considerable time in close encounters with others under conditions of chronic tension and stress” (p. 4). When people use the term “burnout,” they describe themselves as being consumed, empty, alienated, wasted, let down, and even used up.

Many music education majors are profoundly affected by stress and burnout without fully knowing what it is or how to combat it. Some of these stressed individuals leave the major, while others shift from future music educator to music hobbyist.

Good Stress vs. Bad Stress

In analyzing reactions to stressful events, the music education major must try to discern good stress from bad stress. Good stress can motivate you and improve your performance. Too much stress causes negative physical, mental, and emotional reactions. The overall goal should be to balance good and bad stress levels to prevent burnout.

The big thing to remember is that knowledge is power. The more you learn about yourself and how you deal with the bad stress, the more success you’ll have in controlling it. Your stress level is determined by your beliefs and your reaction to a stressful event or situation, not the event itself. Increase your resistance to stress by being open to change, willing to make commitments, and knowing that you can control your life.

10 Ways to Lower Stress and Avoid Burnout

1. Learn to say no. Eliminate activities that are less important to your goal of becoming a music educator.
2. Improve and maintain your physical health. Develop good nutritional habits, exercise regularly, and get enough rest. Take advantage of all your school has to offer with regard to physical wellness (see the above article for more tips on wellness).
3. Improve and maintain your psychological and emotional health. Gain a sense of control in your life, believe in yourself, and be confident. Take advantage of university counseling services and seminars. Network with other music education majors, go to conferences, make friends outside of your major, and explore relaxation techniques like yoga and meditation.
4. Plan the work—work the plan! Make a weekly schedule (e.g. studying for 12 hours, practicing for 6 hours, etc.) and stick to it. Prioritize by focusing on the items that have the nearest deadlines.
5. Find ways to relax and reward yourself. Don’t feel guilty about giving yourself some down time or a reward. Put some wax back on the candle.
6. Ask for help; get help. You can’t do it all by yourself. Observe and network with successful music educators who can serve as mentors.
7. Adjust to stressors by using cognitive approaches. Many music education majors deal with performance anxiety as both musicians and educators. Eliminate negative self-talk and be less critical of yourself. You’re not alone in facing these stressful situations. For more on this, check out The Inner Game of Music by Barry Green (Anchor Press).
8. Increase your level of success as a student and a musician. Practice and study away from distractions. Tell your friends that you need quality study/practice time.
9. Avoid or eliminate stressors altogether. Keep a balance between your career and personal life. Sometimes a bad part-time job, a toxic relationship, or a rowdy living situation may generate stress. Eliminate a stressor by leaving the environment altogether.
10. Keep a journal to monitor your reactions to stressful situations. Journal writing is an excellent way to increase awareness of your reactions to stress. Click here for more tips.

My research indicates that music educator stress (and/or the beginning of burnout) begins prior to entering the profession. In my dissertation (2000), I found that students in music education programs exhibited higher levels of confidence in their ability to teach than their first-year colleagues and were even more confident than experienced music educators.

This excess confidence and/or unrealistic optimism results because beginning teachers are unaware of the demands of teaching. As they enter their first job, their perceptions about teaching are shattered, their stress levels rise, and they burn out within the first few years of their career. The outcome: many college students spend more time preparing to be music educators than they actually spend in the profession.

Remember, knowledge is power. By implementing the strategies above, you can learn a great deal about yourself and the demands of the profession. Constantly monitoring your stress level and maintaining a healthy lifestyle will lead you to a long and successful career.

References

Maslach, C., Jackson, S., and Leiter, M. (1996). Maslach burnout inventory manual (3rd ed.). Palo Alto, California: Consulting Psychologists Press, Inc.

Bechen, E. F. (2000). Sources of stress as perceived by preservice and inservice Iowa music educators. (Doctoral Dissertation, The University of Iowa, 2000). Dissertation Abstracts International, DAI-A 61(11), p. 4318.