Music Lesson Planning When You're Burnt Out


How do you overcome planning burn out? I have literally zero interest in planning my lessons right now, and I’m pretty much just playing random games every class to pass the time. How do you suggest picking myself back up?



 
Music Lesson Planning and Teacher Burnout
 

During the Year

  • Run the clock

    • This phase won’t last forever

    • Not every lesson plan is instagram-worthy.

  • Play “random games every class to pass the time” until you’re bored

    • Our brains don’t stay with one emotion very long

    • It’s like eating cookies every single day for every single meal - sooner or later you’re ready for salad

  • Teach what you care about

    • A particular piece of music

    • A particular genre of music

    • What would be fun to teach?

My Burn Out Lessons

  • Different from end-of-the-year lessons

  • K - 3rd - Carnival of the Animals

    • What the students do: Color and move, or watch

    • What the teacher does: Organize a shelf, organize a binder, review assessments

  • 4th - 5th - Found sound / unpitched percussion song-writing

    • What the students do:

      • Graphic notation or standard western notation of rhythms

      • Assign your own version of body percussion symbols

      • Check with the teacher to move to unpitched percussion

    • What the teacher does:

      • Walk around and talk to students

Summer Planning and Burnout

  • Take a break

  • Celebrate the wins

  • Research what you care about and dream about how it could be incorporated next year

  • Set a reasonable deadline to start planning