The Spark for Music Teachers

Most students today have never bought an album in their life. Instead, they press play and music appears out of thin air. It just exists. And that one simple shift in how music is experienced has created a gap in understanding that every music teacher needs to know about. In today's episode, I explore why music teachers are uniquely placed to have one of the most important conversations happen...

Most music teachers I know all do this one thing, and most people assume it means the opposite of what it does. I've spent over twenty years working alongside music teachers. I've watched the ones who burn out and the ones who don't. I've seen who thrives and who spends every Sunday night dreading Monday morning. For a long time I thought I understood why. Then I looked at the data...

A little while ago, I took a short online course in something I thought I already knew pretty well. What I didn't know was that what I discovered in that course would completely change the way I work — and make me realise how much time I'd been quietly wasting without even knowing it. And then something happened at a recent event we held for our curriculum members that hit me with exactly...

Opening a government lesson resource is the most brutal confidence hit you didn't ask for, and I'm not even talking about the 160 pages. I'm talking about the version of yourself that starts to believe the lie: the teacher who thinks she's not good enough, the teacher who apologises for not being a music specialist, that part of you who thinks if you just work harder and read more...

January. New year. Fresh start... and you're already counting down to Easter break. Sound familiar? You love teaching. You had the break. But walking back into that classroom feels like returning to a treadmill you can't get off. Here's what nobody tells you: You don't need more motivation. You need to answer ONE question that changes everything. In this episode I reveal the "...

"Feeling so defeated. The kids have been completely wild and out of control lately. I feel so swamped with everything I want to do, the rehearsing we NEED to do, the assessments I had planned on doing... How do you spread the joy when you feel like nobody appreciates your field at all?" Sound familiar? In this week's podcast, I'm sharing the ONE mindset shift that changed everyth...

Have you ever wondered why students can't seem to tell the difference between a beat, rhythm or track anymore?  We've all been there—asking students to "clap along with the beat" and watching them look completely lost. It's frustrating, it's discouraging, and it can make you question your own teaching abilities. But what if the problem isn't your teaching at all? Here...

What if I told you that the real reason your music classes feel like chaos isn't because you need better lesson plans—but because you're missing the ONE critical step that happens before any real learning can take place? You might have the most beautifully crafted activities and expensive instruments, but if students aren't prepared for what you're about to teach them, no amount of...

In this episode of The Spark for Music Teachers, host Janice Tuck explores how our deeply-held beliefs can sometimes work against us without us even realising it. From outdated ideas about technology and resources to limiting beliefs about what makes a "good" music teacher, Janice shares eye-opening examples of how old beliefs can hold us back from easier, more fulfilling teaching lives....

Have you ever heard this quote supposedly said about the invention of the telephone? “This thing is unnecessary, it’s intrusive, and frankly, we have better ways of communication!” Sounds ridiculous now, right? But at the time, it reflected a real hesitation—people assumed something new meant something bad . That it would replace connection, not enhance it. And yet, here we are: the telephone didn...

Guess what?! One of your most valuable teaching activities that is making a difference for today's post-covid generation … is INTENTIONAL LISTENING. Intentional listening enables children to sit, focus, and truly absorb what's being shared!  Think about it- Right now, we're seeing a generation of children who have been through something no other generation in recent history has experie...

Most music teachers struggle to feel fully supported by their school administration and fellow colleagues, students and parents because of everyday things that are said including feedback, judgements and criticisms. This leaves them feeling like music isn’t given enough priority amongst other teachers and in the school curriculum. In this episode, I break down exactly how to let go of destructive...

Are you going into another year of music teaching feeling overwhelmed or like it could be impossible to keep up with? Or maybe you’ve had a tough year last year and already feel like you’ve given up because it all feels way too much? I’ve been there, too. For years, I struggled with feeling overwhelmed and daunted with facing another year ahead. Gradually, after doing some learning and personal de...

We’ve all heard the saying: “There’s no such thing as a free lunch.” But how often do we take that advice to heart?  Today’s episode is a little different—and really special—because I’m taking you on an “inside out” journey of the Fun Music Curriculum by exploring this story. Grab your membership for 2025 at https://funmusicco.com/fun-music-company-music-curriculum/ .  In this episode, I dive into...

We all know we need to take care of ourselves to be the best teacher, colleague, spouse, parent, and person we can be. This includes taking care of both physical and mental well-being.  What I wasn’t aware of until recently was how impactful it is to take everyday language and intentionally use it to empower and impact ourselves (and others) for the better.  Often, particularly as teachers, we’re...

Eat, sleep, teach music, repeat…For most this is the treadmill of teaching life we start to settle into at this time of the year!  But when was the last time you looked at what’s ACTUALLY working? Especially with behaviour management?  In this episode, I’m breaking down the philosophy of the three S’s you need to ask yourself to determine if you’re stuck in your comfort zone or if you’re trying to...

2024 is here, and I am soooo excited about what it has in store for all of us.  And what better way to start the new year than with a set of simple philosophies and techniques to help us RESET, breathe again and create so much MORE with much less time, effort, money and stress as we head into teaching again in January.  These 3 simple philosophies are some of the most important lessons I’ve ever l...

We’ve all heard the saying, “use it or lose it,” especially when it comes to learning and teaching.  And you know what they say?!?… If you want to succeed with teaching music, you need more variety, more skills, more time, more ideas, more lessons, more personality, more qualifications, more training, more instruments, more services, more youtube videos, more information, more money, more meetings...

If you’ve ever thought to yourself, “I can’t do this” or “I’m not expert enough at this” or “I don’t deserve to be doing this” and then proceeded to melt into a puddle of self-doubt …You’re not alone!  ‍Many music teachers question whether they are prepared to do the work they do. Here’s how to overcome that feeling, recognize your strengths and take that awful feeling and turn it into a positive...

As music teachers, we all tend to get “too busy” doing things . But being busy doesn't actually mean we’re being productive. The most successful music teachers I know have figured out how to use their time and make it as productive as possible.  We all get the same 24 hours in a day, and YOU get to decide how you want to use those hours. You can fill your time with lots of after hours preparat...

A few days ago, I stumbled into a show called comedians in cars getting coffee. It didn’t take long while watching it to realize that even though comedians look effortless on stage, they actually have to work really hard behind the scenes to come up with new material that people will laugh at! What I didn’t know was that there is a specific process comedians use to get the best jokes and materials...

There’s no doubt about it.. These are changing times! And music curricula are changing. Here’s the thing: creating an upgraded music curriculum can be incredibly confusing and frustrating So it’s no wonder you might  feel overwhelmed and overworked just thinking about curriculum and how to implement it into the classroom! So today I thought I’d share with you some insights which were gained f...

A long time ago, it occurred to me that music teaching is like going on a big treasure hunt. Always looking for that next tip, that next idea, that next nugget of gold, that next piece of the puzzle…but really all that time I was asking myself a question : “What formula or steps do you take to get students from where you find them now to where they need to be?” Everyone has one of these formulas,...

Have you ever been in that season of “something needs to change here”? It’s that feeling of balancing where you are now with climbing that “great teacher” mountain. It’s balancing that reality of what’s really going on right now with what you truly want. It’s about all the things you have to do to get there, the overwhelm and taking those first steps towards making that dream come true. That’s exa...

If the thought of getting through the last few weeks of school, new curriculum updates or starting from scratch again next term gives you a rash just thinking about it, I don’t blame you. Teaching can be “stress city”. Instead I’ve pulled together some resources that will get you to re-focus, so you can show up next term to re-invent your program from a happy and balanced space.  Enjoy &...