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Burnout and the Beginning Music Educator by Gene Bechen

I learned that burnout is the result of long-term stress and that certain personality types are more prone to burnout. I also learned that music educators, who are often the most productive, dedicated, and committed to their fields, are frequently most affected by burnout. As a beginning music educator, you can help yourself a great deal by becoming more aware of the symptoms of burnout and how to prevent it in the early stages of your career.

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This Is Your Brain On Music

There have been many interesting articles and books written on the effects of music on the human mind and body, such as the highly enlightening Oliver Sacks Musicophilia. Remember the excitement generated in the USA of the infamous Mozart Effect, where every newborn in one trial state was delivered a CD of Mozart recordings with the sadly now unsupported idea, due to the dubious experimental conditions, that ‘music makes you smarter’? Daniel Levitin adds to the developing subject of music neurology a refreshing insight into the human mind and its age-old relationship with the language of music.

Asides

• docile (adjective) 1. readily trained or taught; teachable. How has the word 'docile' come to mean something negative? Shouldn't we wish all our students were docile? #
• Ruffing (n.) The stomping of feet as a form of applause. As a member of an orchestra I've done this many times in recognition of a soloist or conductor. Now I know what it is called! #