As we wind down before the holiday break. Or, in reality, run full steam towards a chance to catch up on sleep, I wanted to stop and wish you all a Happy Holiday. Thanks so much for being an amazing supporter, reading the posts I put out, and supporting my small business for the last eight years. This will be my last post of 2022 but I’ll be back with more great ideas for the music classroom in 2023! To properly finish 2022, here is my list of things Music Teachers need to do over holiday break.

1. SLEEP

Gosh knows you deserve it. The holiday/mid-year concert push is real, and chances are a lot of you have side gigs that have been keeping you busy. Turn off your notifications, put on your favorite pjs, and snuggle up for some serious recuperation time.

2. Get out of the house

Go have some fun. Go check out local markets, take a drive to the big city, or go to a local park or outdoor area for some fun. Take your S/O, your kids, your friends, or just yourself and treat yourself to a staycation in your city. Do something you don’t normally do. Try a new restaurant, go see a show, or check out some local shops.

3. Check out

You are on BREAK. Don’t check your email. Take it off your phone. Let your admin know you will be unreachable. Don’t respond to texts from co-workers unless it’s non-school related and you WANT to. Good gosh. Delete the group text. Definitely don’t respond to parents!

4. Don’t lesson plan or grade

Seriously. Don’t spend your break working. Leave it at school. Lock it up. Put it away and actually turn off the computer. If you really need to have SOME prep, set a timer for a couple of hours on ONE day, and tell yourself it’s due at whatever end time you pick, and then walk away. Whatever is done is done and what isn’t has to wait until you go back. I know prep time is a precious commodity, but deadlines are your friend. When we were students, we got a deadline and that’s all we could do. Perfectionism is something we allow ourselves when we think we have endless time. Set a deadline and that’s all you get.

5. Spend quality time with your most important people

Enough said. Play games, go out and do something, do tech free days, or just hang out and have fun around the house.

6. Have FUN!

Life is more than work, and “music teacher” is not your whole identity. Go do something unrelated to music just for you! I know that’s hard with music being a passion that becomes a career, but try to find a way to step away. February you will be happy you got some down time and you’ll feel more refreshed going into the next part of the school year.

Happy Holidays to you, and thanks for all you do! See you in 2023!