Educator Mentoring

You Don't Have to Say Yes to Everything to Prove You Belong.

New music teachers are handed the same responsibilities as veterans on day one, often with less support, more isolation, and a nagging feeling that saying no isn't an option. That combination is exactly what leads to burnout.

I mentor early-career music teachers through classroom management, lesson and rehearsal planning, student engagement, and work-life balance. This is grounded in 28 years as a performer, Orchestra Director, and Fine Arts administrator who has evaluated and supported teachers just like you.

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The Reality of a New Teacher's First Years

19–30%
of new teachers leave the profession within their first five years, according to the Learning Policy Institute

Music teachers face a version of this that's uniquely isolating.

Your classroom is usually its own wing of the building. There's no colleague teaching the same subject down the hall to compare notes with. What actually helps a new music teacher survive and grow isn't just time, it's:

  • Classroom and rehearsal management that works for an ensemble, not a generic classroom
  • Lesson and rehearsal planning that doesn't take four hours a night
  • Better questioning techniques that increase real student engagement
  • A social-emotional lens for how you run a music classroom and build community
  • Permission, and a plan, to protect your own work-life balance

Without that support, even talented, dedicated teachers:

→Say yes to every request because they don't yet feel they've earned the right to say no
→Spend evenings and weekends rebuilding lesson plans that should already work
→Struggle in isolation with classroom management issues a mentor could resolve quickly
→Burn out and leave a profession they were genuinely good at

You don't have to figure this out alone, or the hard way.

This is where I come in.

Where to start

Mentoring Programs

From a single question to ongoing support to a full day working alongside you and your ensemble.

TEACHER SUPPORT SESSION
$175
single 75-minute virtual session
  • One specific classroom or rehearsal challenge
  • Concrete strategies you can use the next day
  • Follow-up email summary
Best for: one rough week or one specific problem
NEW TEACHER MENTORING PROGRAM
$500
per month, semester minimum
  • Biweekly virtual mentoring sessions
  • On-demand email and text support between sessions
  • Classroom management, lesson & rehearsal planning, questioning technique
  • Work-life balance, SEL lens, and community building
Best for: ongoing support through your first years
COACH'S CLINIC
$900 / $1,500
half-day or full-day, on-site
  • Live observation and in-the-moment coaching with your ensemble
  • Full-day option can include multiple teachers and ensembles district-wide
  • Written summary + one follow-up virtual session
  • Grounded in 15 years as an Orchestra Director, NYSSMA Major Organization and Texas UIL Sweepstakes-winning experience
Best for: a working session that benefits the teacher, not just the students

Unlike a typical clinician visit focused only on student performance, Coach's Clinic is built to leave the teacher with lasting strategies, not just a better rehearsal for one day.

Ready to talk through where you are and what's next?

Book your free consultation