Why and How to Refresh Your Music Teaching this Season
As the days get longer and flowers start to bloom, there’s something about spring that inspires a fresh start. We deep clean our homes, declutter closets, and open the windows to let in the fresh air. But have you ever thought about spring cleaning your music teaching?
Just like your home, your music studio can benefit from a seasonal refresh — not just physically, but mentally and creatively too. Here’s why it’s worth doing, and how you can get started, with a useful printable checklist at the end of the blog.
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Why to Spring Clean Your Music Teaching?
1. Avoiding autopilot.
It’s easy to get stuck in a teaching rut — using the same warm-ups, assigning the same pieces, and cycling through the same routines. Worse, getting stuck in those ruts can stop us from really assessing our student’s progress, and make lose interest in our teaching. A fresh look at your teaching methods in a spring refresh helps you examine what’s working and what’s just…habit.
2. Reignite your creativity.
Shaking things up can reignite your own enthusiasm, which in turn inspires your students. New activities, repertoire, or goals can add excitement to lessons, as well as increase your skills as well as those of your students — just in time to fight off the end-of-year slump, and keep them interested when the summer sun starts to steal their attention.
3. Create space (literally and mentally).
Can you always lay your hands on exactly what you need? Have you got books from long since discarded syllabus or teaching plans? Are you hoarding lots of photocopies ‘just in case?’. Many of us do but how often do they really get used? A cluttered teaching space or overloaded schedule can weigh you down. Spring is a great time to reorganize your studio, your calendar, and even your mindset.
4. Reflect and refocus.
With the school year winding down, it’s the perfect moment to reflect on how your students have grown, what your goals were this year, and what you want to tweak going forward. Encouraging your students to reflect in this way will keep them on track for the summer and well prepared and excited for the following year.
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How to Spring Clean Your Music Teaching?
Here are a few practical ways to bring that fresh-spring feeling into your studio:
1. Tidy Up Your Teaching Space
– Reorganize books, sheet music, and supplies.
– Wipe down instruments, music stands, and shelves.
– Create a calm, inviting corner for students to sit or warm up.
– Add something new — fresh flowers, a student artwork display, or a vision board.
2. Refresh Your Lesson Plans
– Audit your go-to materials: What’s feeling stale? What could you try instead?
– Rotate in some new repertoire or improvisation games.
– Try a different warm-up sequence or technique focus for the next month.
– Ask students what *they’d* like to explore this spring — their answers might surprise you!
3. Clean Up Your Admin Life
– Clear out old lesson notes or organize digital files.
– Archive completed invoices or student records.
– Revisit your teaching schedule: Are there gaps to fill or time slots to reclaim?
– Evaluate your policies and communication systems — do they still serve you?
4. Reset Student Goals
– Hold mini check-ins with each student: What are they proud of? What do they want to achieve next?
– Set 1-2 short-term goals to work on before summer.
– Celebrate their progress with a spring showcase or low-pressure performance opportunity.
5. Refresh Yourself
– Sign up for a workshop, book a lesson with a musician you admire, or find an online course that excites you.
– Pick one new piece (for your own playing) that’s just for fun.
– Check in with your teaching colleague and friends – what are they doing to keep their teaching fresh? Share your ideas.
– Take a walk after teaching. Breathe. Let nature do its thing.
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Final Thought: Keep It Light and Playful
Spring is about growth, not perfection. You don’t have to overhaul your entire teaching approach. Even small tweaks — a new poster on the wall, a different warm-up activity, or a rearranged bookshelf — can bring new energy into your studio.
Give yourself permission to play, explore, and enjoy the season of renewal. Your students (and your future self) will thank you for it.
🎵 Printable ‘Spring Cleaning Your Music Teaching’ Checklist – Click here to download