I experienced an odd dichotomy this week. The administration at my school district (where I work as an elementary band teacher; also my children’s district) is taking a hard look at our widely acclaimed, award-winning music program and making changes. I won’t go into specifics, but I spent much of my week preparing for meetings, collecting data, writing emails, and fielding questions from concerned parents.

It felt deeply disheartening.

Meanwhile, this weekend was our All-County music festival, the first for elementary band, orchestra and chorus since 2020. My friend and I were co-chairing the band, and we spent the weekend facilitating rehearsals with the 60 band students and out-of-town conductor, then performing at the concert. It was an unmitigated success. The students sounded fantastic– they were all well-prepared by their band teachers; the conductor was wildly popular; the band’s sound was rich, beautiful, and joyful; the audience was enthusiastic. On the way out, I had dozens of parents of both current and former students thank me, and one in particular clasped me in a tight hug and told me “if it wasn’t for you, we wouldn’t be here.” That morning, I’d also (coincidentally) received a text from a private flute student, a senior, letting me know that she’d been accepted into a prestigious music composition program. Her appreciation was also effusive.

It felt highly uplifting.

And here lies the dichotomy: on one hand, being told that there’s too much of the thing I’m doing; on the other, being told that I’ve changed lives by doing it.

This is the life of a music teacher. You must constantly advocate for your program. But your passion for it will never die, because its impact is so clear.