Author Archives: musicjenraffertycom

I remember at the beginning of my career I felt inspired, lost,hopeful burned-out all at the same time. I often felt confusedand frustrated because there were so many things about teaching​that I just didn’t feel prepared for. Classroom management? This was nothing like student teaching! Assessments? I only had a few that I felt comfortable with. Advocacy?Continue reading “A Place in the Staff: Finding Your Way as a Music Teacher”

I was on a walk with my five-year-old daughter the other day and it was lovely outside. The sun was finally shining and the snow was all gone. Yes, you read that correctly…snow. It has been snowing in Central New York through the end of April. Quarantine in the cold and snow with two kidsContinue reading “Sharing”

What does your dream classroom look like? What materials do you wish you had, but can’t afford? Your student’s deserve the best musical experience you have to offer them, so it’s up to you to get what you need. School budgets sometimes don’t allow for materials you want, however there are many ways to getContinue reading “Equip Your Room for Success!”

When I was a kid, my mom used to play the piano a lot. In fact, she took piano lessons with my teacher and had the lesson right after me. I remember her playing the Moonlight Sonata while my sister and I would dance to the beautiful music. It’s still one of my favorite pieces.Continue reading “Lost & Found”

Today I went for a walk with my son to the 7-11 to get a bottle of ketchup. We had just run out, and he won’t eat much if there isn’t ketchup on it. Our home is in a cute part of town that is walking distance to really anything we need. I live inContinue reading “Making a Difference”

My daughter learned how to ride her bike without training wheels this weekend. (It was pretty awesome!) So today, after dinner, we went for the last ride of the summer on our usual route, around the block and through the park. There are many places with bumpy sidewalks, little inclines and today, lots of puddles.Continue reading “Bumpy Roads & New Beginnings”

Lifelong learning is the thing that makes this all worth it right? I mean, if we aren’t fostering skills that will serve our students beyond high school, then we aren’t really doing our job are we? But what does lifelong learning look like? A few years ago I was invited back to my high schoolContinue reading “Lifelong Learning ~ Beyond the Buzz”

Improvisation used to be such a scary word for me. I couldn’t wrap my head around it. If someone asked me to prepare something to sing…I was happy to do it. If someone asked me to make something up on the spot… Are you kidding me? No freaking way. Where could I get  the music?Continue reading “Improv to Improve”

Why is a powerful question. I often ask myself this regarding my professional decisions. If I don’t understand the why, it makes everything a little unsteady for me. I have found over the years that action with intention can move mountains. You can’t accomplish much if you just have intention without action, and action without intention is meaningless. WhenContinue reading “Why?”

I just finished reading Laura Vanderkam’s latest book, Juliet’s School of Possibilities. Her other books and her TED talks are pretty inspiring (check out the link!). In a nutshell, her message is that whenever we say “I don’t have time” for something, what we really mean is “this is not a priority.” We have 168 in eachContinue reading “Priorities”