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Episode 247: Cheers to TRULY Investing In Our Work

Hello there, my studio teacher friends!  Christina Whitlock here, host of the Beyond Measure Podcast, your weekly shout-out of music teacher solidarity. For those who are new here, I’ve been showing up for you for about five and a half years now, assuming the role as your Anytime Piano Teacher Friend. I hang out here in the podcast app of your choosing, ready to offer a little community on your own schedule. It’s my way of giving back to this profession I love and I’m so glad you’re here. Let’s get on with the show!  You are listening to episode 247 of the Beyond Measure Podcast: TRULY Investing in Our Work.

This one’s going to be short and sweet today, friends…

There’s a previous episode of this show that I think is really important. It’s episode 187 and it’s called Fostering REAL Parental Investment in Lessons.

The premise of that episode emphasizes how important it is for students to know their parents are INVESTED in their musical development. The problem is, most parents hear “INVESTMENT” and automatically think about money.

Parents are often quick to point out they are VERY invested in lessons because, I mean, look how much money they pay. But children need more than a financial investment. They need investments of attention and encouragement and acknowledgement of effort and all those things, right?

Well, again, you can go back in the archives and listen to more of those thoughts in episode 187. It’s linked in today’s shownotes.

However – while I have you here – I wanted to remind you that WE, as teachers, often need the same kinds of investments in our work. The difference is, we need that investment from OURSELVES.

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about what our consumer-driven society has brought us to. We all know it’s easier sometimes to throw money at a problem than it is to do the harder work of fixing something ourselves. It’s easier to purchase new organization bins than it is to do the things it ACTUALLY takes to be an organized person. We take pills and pay specialists when a lot of our problems would be solved by spending more time moving our bodies in the great outdoors. We are constantly looking for the perfect day planner, the newest technology, and THE online influencer who will finally tell us where to find the perfect pair of jeans.

Like it or not, we have been taught that PURCHASING SOMETHING is the answer to most of life’s dilemmas. It’s that financial investment, right?

But… much like music study, the financial investment is only part of the picture.

Let’s take a look at our Teacher Lives and figure out some places where we need to invest a little more, shall we?

There’s a question that pops up in online teacher groups ALL THE TIME. Every few months, someone seems to ask, “Is joining MTNA worth the cost?” Perhaps this is a question you’ve wrestled with, too.

From my perspective, YES, joining MTNA is worth it. But there’s a catch. You can’t join MTNA and expect the financial investment to automatically pay off. Joining MTNA is ABSOLUTELY worth the cost if you take the time to read the journal that comes with your membership. It’s worth it if you engage in your local and state association events. It’s worth it if you attend a conference or two. It’s worth it if you connect with other members. If you watch the webinars they offer. If you get involved and volunteer. YES, it can absolutely be worth it. MTNA has shaped who I am as a teacher in enormous ways. The more I invest in MTNA, the more it gives back to me. Plain and simple.

If you pay your dues and then expect the benefits to just show up in your life without any additional effort?  Well, you’re going to be disappointed, and you’re going to feel like you wasted your money.

The same goes for ANY online resources you purchase. Hear me out; I’m terribly guilty of this myself… but if you purchase a course or a resource or some digital music or WHATEVER… it’s going to take some amount of EFFORT on your part to reap the benefits of that thing.

THAT’S the investment I want to remind you of today.

I guess it feels like a fitting topic for conversation since we’re officially at that point where most of our New Years Resolutions are merely a distant, laughable memory. If you are guilty of falling for the New-Year, New-You hype, chances are you may have purchased SOMETHING in January that you thought might relieve a pain-point in your life.

The reminder I’m offering today is this:  Purchasing the thing is not enough. You have to put the effort in.

You know, Janna Williamson and I ran this Intermediate Piano Teaching Cohort last fall. In collecting feedback from our participants, there is SUCH a clear correlation between time investment and takeaways.  Those who really committed to doing the readings and showed up for the teaching sessions had a more transformational experience than those who didn’t.  I mean, everyone’s feedback was positive, but it was obvious (and entirely predictable) that those who invested their time and energy took away more than those who only invested their money.

I’m seeing the same thing right now with those who purchased my first-run on Building Better Music Readers. Some teachers are all-in. They’re watching their videos, they’re printing their resources, they’re doing the drills. And they’re reporting really inspiring feedback in their weekly reflections. There are others who haven’t really taken a dive into the material yet – and that’s fine! It’s a 12-week venture so there’s still plenty of time to jump in.

I guess it’s just on my heart to remind you today that your financial investments ALSO need other kinds of investments.

The new music you purchased isn’t doing you any good unless you take it off the shelf and play it. Or give it to a student to play.

The new microphone you purchased isn’t doing you any good unless you take time to read the manual and maybe watch a YouTube video or two so you can really understand what it’s capable of.

That stack of music teaching magazines you have sitting in a pile on your desk? Maybe you should take 15 minutes and read an article or two this week.

All those fruits and veggies you bought at the grocery store? They need you to wash and chop and do all the prep so you can actually eat them before they rot in the bottom of your fridge.

Oh snap. You’re going to come after me now, aren’t you? 😊

Before I step on any more of your toes, I’m going to close us out with a toast today. Grab the nearest glass and raise it with me now:

Studio music teacher friends from all over the world: Today we remind OURSELVES that investment comes in many forms. May we each take a look inward to the financial investments that need some tending to, particularly those that involve our work. Teaching is a profession that requires a constant flame, and we need to make sure we tend to that flame so it doesn’t burn out. Thanks for letting me be part of the fan to your flame, my friends. Hear, hear.

I want you to notice: this episode is a little shorter than usual, friends… which means you now have a few more minutes to go give something else the investment of your time.  Read the book that’s been sitting on your shelf. Go play some scales. Write a studio parent a quick note of encouragement. Book your hotel room for the MTNA conference in March. Work on your tax receipts and then get yourself a treat. Whatever!  Go forth and invest in yourself in ALL the ways that matter, my friends.

I’ll be back with you next week! Onward and upward we go!