Responses to last week’s episode on dealing with our inner critics were so strong, I felt it worthy of our time to spend a second week talking about those nagging fears that run through our brains. Today, I’m (over?)sharing a deep-dive of my own experience trying to learn from the critical dialogue inside my mind. I hope it helps you find peace.

In a society that often tells us to ignore/stomp/conquer our inner-critics, I’m offering an alternative perspective today.

The Beyond Measure Podcast turns ONE today (well, technically, tomorrow…)! 🥳

In celebration, I am sharing four big takeaways from this year in the Creative Life.

PS: I’m also hosting a giveaway! Follow me on Instagram/Facebook for details (@beyondmeasurepodcast) or send me an email at beyondmeasurepodcast (at) gmail (dot) com.

Giveaway is sponsored by yours truly and is not affiliated with any platform. Entries must be received by 12:00pm, Eastern time, on Saturday, October 9th.

Thanks, friends!

One of my most beneficial takeaways from graduate school was the importance of naming my objective: in lesson planning, in practice, and pretty much everywhere else. Today, I’m sharing more on this game-changing question with you.

I think most music teachers would agree that Imagination and Creativity rank pretty high on our list of human priorities. BUT - how many times do we unintentionally shut those qualities down with the young people in our lives? Join me for a kick-in-the-pants reminder that we have a responsibility to encourage imagination in our studios.

Keeping with last week’s theme of making our words count, Christina shares a simple yearly practice of selecting a studio mantra to help make lasting change in our students’ mindsets. If you decide on a studio motto for the year, please share it!

The ability to speak succinctly is a strength in many effective educators, but it doesn’t always come naturally to us. Let’s ponder together how we can use our words more effectively in lessons.

With the definite risk of oversharing, today I talk about the importance of being solid, before striving for spectacular.

This is a common struggle amongst teachers and students alike, and…

Thanks to journalist Phil Ponce…

Who gave some great advice to Charles Wheelan…

Who wrote a book Emily P. Freeman spoke about in episode 127 of her The Next Right Thing podcast…

Which your Anytime Piano Teacher Friend resonated deeply with…

We now have a very wise commandment to examine: Don’t try to be great, just be solid.

(And that, my friends, is the power of sharing ideas with others) 💡

Even the most enthusiastic teachers have days that feel hard. Today we’re talking about my favorite tips to get yourself in a better headspace before teaching. Cheers to getting out of the pit, my friends!

Today, we tackle everyone’s least-favorite truth of teaching: Sometimes, students quit. It’s gut-wrenchingly hard not to take it personally, but making peace with student goodbyes is an important part of finding long-term happiness in our profession. Take this episode as a big, collective hug for all teacherkind.