My last blog entry was in December 2016 and was titled “Productivity and Workload Management“. I shared some of my ideas on ways to be more productive while avoiding being overwhelmed by workload. I have no idea why I didn’t continue to blog in 2017, but don’t that 2018 was because I’d lost the habit, and so was 2019. Perhaps I’d taken my 2017 To Do List too literally:
So… what’s happened since my last blog post? Actually, and not surprisingly, quite a lot – both professionally and personally!
2018 was a huge turning point for me. As the academic year started (2018-2019) I left my job at the Accrington school I’d poured everything into for 7 years! The school where I honed my craft and where I’d built a music department up from nothing to a bustling hive of musical development. I won’t go into the reasons why I left, because there were many, but one of the main reasons was something that I’d had in the back of my mind for a few years (to which I did make some mention in February 2015) – to leave education and pursue a different career path.
I’d love to say that I knew what my plans were and that I went from the classroom to a new career seamlessly… but I didn’t. Leaving was sudden, the next step(s) yet to be decided. I thought I’d start out by offering my services as a music teacher privately (I already had around 13 private piano and singing pupils at this stage, but I didn’t think this would really be enough). I began to explore setting up a Music Education company to create resources and deliver workshops and CPD. I even contemplated becoming a primary teacher. As you can perhaps tell, my ‘get out of teaching plan’ was to ‘do a different kind of teaching’.
A colleague at Lancashire Music Service had heard that I’d left the school and contacted me in early November (within a few months of leaving) to let me know that they were interviewing for new teachers. I sent him a CV (after quickly Googling what that needed, as I’d not done one since school – teaching applications don’t usually require one!) and was interviewed less than a week later. From January 2019 I was to become a peripatetic teacher with Lancashire Music Service, with voice, piano, guitar, ukulele and brass on my timetable. Great – work!
So, from no knowing what I was doing, to now being about to embark on a slight change of career (only very slightly, in all honesty!) – things seemed OK. Well… not quite… my marriage broke up and that gave me a whole new ‘something’ to deal with.
2019 saw me starting a new (self-employed) job, scrambling to find somewhere to live and not as secure as I’d been 6 months previously.
This was a difficult and turbulent time, but one thing remained constant – music. As of March 2017 I was playing at a high level again (soprano cornet for Wingates Band) and still teaching and passing on my passion to others. From thinking I wanted to leave teaching, to now realising it was my greatest passion, Lancashire Music Service saved my career.
However, the nomadic life was not for me and the irregularity of a self-employed income was even less appealing, so I began looking at jobs in the classroom again, just after Easter 2019. I applied for 3-4 jobs. I was invited to two interviews on May 22nd, however, I could only attend one. Both were for a Head of Music role and both would require some travelling. I opted for the school with less travelling, but also (more importantly) which I felt had the better ‘vibe’ based on the research I had done.
I made the right decision – since September 2019 I have been Head of Music at a school in Bury and could not be happier! I am in love with teaching again and thrilled to be back in this wonderful environment!
Oh – I’m also living with a wonderful woman who I love dearly, who has changed my life and who encouraged me to apply for these jobs again! Without her I don’t know where I would be…
I hope to update this blog more often, particularly sharing some of the things I have learnt in the last 12 months in my new Head of Music role – no promises, but I will try!
This last 18 months has proven one thing to me, the philosopher Friedrich Nietzche was right “what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger!“
Teaching Musically 