Name 
Anna Jarrett
School & School System Where You Work
Norwayne Middle School, Wayne County Schools
Number of Years Teaching
16
Teaching Area(s)
Band
Grade Level
Middle School
What do you love most about teaching music?
It’s an easy subject for people of all walks of life to participate in. I have students that do not speak English in my class yet they somehow understand what I’m teaching them to play. Students can come in class, and get lost in the music and forget all the teenage drama, the family life at home, the didn’t make the team thoughts they may be involved in for a few minutes. It’s awesome to watch them grow and do things they didn’t think possible when they first picked up that instrument.
Who inspired you to be a music educator and how did they inspire you?
It’s cliché but my music teachers. Ms. Reams my elementary music teacher noticed my love for singing and guided me towards all county choir events and the talented and gifted programs in Virginia. That continued into middle and high school with my band teacher Ms. McMeans. I wanted to be just like her when I grew up. A band teacher that loved to teach music, make music and most of all loved us students like we were her own. I wanted a job that I could play instruments in everyday, teach others to enjoy music, and make music for different people.
What did you need the most when you started teaching?
I needed guidance. I needed someone to help me make the best decisions in a strange place that I wasn’t used to. I needed to asked questions but was afraid to. I needed to be a confident teacher from the beginning or at least act like it so the students couldn’t see through me. I was in a school district where I was the only music teacher 5-12 and was teaching all the subjects for all of those grades. MAXED OUT!
Luckily, our theatre teacher stepped up my second year and guided me, talked through things with me, gave me a life line and became a life long friend. I was able to function with her help. New teachers, find your person!!!! Thank you Susan Hogan!
Describe the biggest challenge to teaching music education and how you have worked to overcome this challenge?
Teaching 6 different instruments to 50 different learners at the same time. A lot of non music educators and, in general, society doesn’t realize the differentiation skills that takes as a band teacher. We’re actually teaching 6 different subjects (however many different instruments are in your room at the time) to all the different types of learners you may have (gen ed, 504, students with IEP’s, AIG) at the same time. We’re not only teaching them their instrument, we’re teaching them how to read music, how to use all those skills at once and how to use patience while they wait for other instruments to learn, which is probably the hardest part of it all. This all leads to talking! And in band they don’t have one mouth, they have “two”. A mouthpiece.
On top of that, in my classroom we have Band Rule #1: Band Kids do not get into trouble. The whole school knows this rule and so do the parents. I want the band to be known for not only good musicians but good students that work hard and behave well. Teaching them to be good humans is and will always be apart of my classroom. Sometimes they have to be reminded of this rule and we have to use strategies to get back in order, but that reign it back in and represent.
How do you advocate for your program?
I make our program visible as much as possible. Visibly on social media posts of successful auditions and to promote our local performances. We perform in the community parade. By we, I mean all 125 students, 6th through 8th grade. We “walk and talk” Jingle Bells and have a blast squeezing down those tiny streets. Our Jazz Band was invited to play at the Fremont Daffodil Festival this year, our Pep Band performs at the Fayetteville Marksmen Hockey Games and our home Basketball Games, we tour the elementary schools every year, we perform Christmas carols downtown and at the nursing homes, etc… Visibility shows that we are more than just what we do in the classroom. We’re needed, enjoyed, and wanted.
We also have a poster that we make each year of the students that are involved in both sports in band! “Who says you can’t do both”? All the band students wear their jerseys and hold their instruments! It motivates them at try out times and it’s great PR for recruitment time!
What is one piece of advice you would give to beginning teachers?
Ask for help. Don’t try to be a big dog straight out the womb. You are brand new to a new job at a new school. Ask questions, ask for help, take your time but don’t over think every step.
If you ask questions, you’ll save yourself hours of overthinking. I promise.
And never stop learning. I’m in year 16 and in the beginning of year 15 I changed my entire 6th grade curriculum based off of a PD I picked up. It changed my bands! I love learning new things to try to keep from getting stagnant.
Finally, don’t get stuck doing a music rotation. Yes you’ll have your favorites! But don’t be afraid to try new pieces! So much fun to learn with the students!
How do you build relationships with students and parents?
This kind of crisscrosses with advocating for my program as well.
Work the car rider line! I love this part of my job! Hear me out! It’s a great recruitment tool. You can snag good kids into your program that you didn’t know and just get to know other students in your school. Building relationships with students not in your class is just as important as the ones inside your classroom.
Go to the car rider line early and chat with the parents a bit, always say good morning, have a good weekend, crack some jokes, talk about the weather, the game, wear big sunglasses or funny shirts (they love that). It’s also GREAT publicity for the band program! Putting your face out there is huge. That car rider line will help when you have to have those tough conversations should you need to at some point.
Always keeping communication open as well. We use classdojo and I try to send out weekly updates to our parents on what’s happening in the bandroom. The good, the bad, the ugly. Being honest and open but real is key with parents. Being cringey with the kids though… that’s the key to them. They love it when I dab 🙂
Keeping up with them as they continue through high school as well. They have siblings and family members that are future members of the band!