Make music a priority. Anything is possible if it is deemed important.
Ask your music teacher for suggestions. Good music teachers know what constitutes a good timetable or will consult with colleagues to find out.
Ask other administrators for suggestions. Why reinvent the wheel when the school down the road has already met the challenge?
Provide all music classes with certified music specialists. Recruit and hire competent teachers, asking current music teachers for assistance in the hiring process.
Coordinate class schedules to minimize conflict of music classes with other courses.
Provide adequate funding for your music program. A budget should include funding for staffing, instruments, maintenance and repair, purchase of music, current technology and a teaching environment that is equipped with the furniture and teaching supports to enable the teacher to effectively do his or her job.
Ensure that the music program is part of the entire school year. A good program creates a community within the entire school population and reaches into the local community.
Show your support by attending concerts. Drop by classrooms/rehearsals the next day to talk with the students. This is where the learning is celebrated.
Encourage music teachers to network with other music teachers. Often they are the lone music teacher in the school.
Encourage and support music teachers to attend quality professional development opportunities (e.g. provincial Music Educator’s Conference (MEA) conference, Orff Association conference).
Provide new/inexperienced music teachers mentoring opportunities with an experienced music teacher within the school and/or in other schools to help build the program and create teacher confidence and expertise.
Connect your music teacher with the Coalition for Music Education website (www.musicmakesus.ca) and/or your provincial music education organization. These organizations provide an abundance of networking and professional development opportunities as well as resources.