SUMMER BREAK BALANCE: What to do in the in-between

Vol. 2 | No. 21 | By Tyler Hudson
As summer reaches its peak, many music educators find themselves in an unusual liminal space between the end of the school year and the hustle and bustle of band camp/start of term. Moving from a packed schedule of twelve hour days and end of year madness into a more relaxed rhythm can be a whiplash-inducing experience—after all, what do you possibly do with all this time?

While some articles may suggest you spend this time studying up on literature and ripening your secondary instrument skills, I would like to propose an alternative option. Rest. Peace. Balance.

As a music educator much of your job hinges on a constant grind mindset. There’s state contest or UIL to prepare for or a marching show to design. There’s bus requests to order or a new concert cycle to plan. There’s ensemble placements to finish, copies to be made, curriculum to revise, and guard instructors to hire. The need to do and go and succeed at all times. With this constant hustling (reinforced as a high status symbol by society) there is typically little to no time to take a breath. You are praised for your success yet never have the opportunity to check in with yourself. Are you doing okay?

As you have a breath or two to reflect in these next couple weeks before the whirlwind resumes, consider taking the following steps.

1. Stop checking your work email: Set an out-of-office responder and take a breather. It is your summer and your chance to refuel. The constant onslaught of emails will still be there when you return! This is also an incredible time to power-off your screens and unplug for a day.
2. Spend a day doing nothing: Seriously. You do not owe the world productivity and you are not defined by how much you do. Spend a day “being lazy,” sleeping in, and binging the shows you never get to see.
3. Get in touch with your hobbies: Maybe you love baking pies or crocheting. Maybe it’s disc golf or photography. Whatever the hobby may be, spend some time doing what you love away from the classroom. Don’t have any hobbies? Summer is a great time to explore this! It is essential that we get to know the people we are outside of music, to support our overall well-being year round.
4. Create actionable tasks for balance in the upcoming year: In the midst of the highest peaks of stress, it can feel paralyzing to even think of rest when your to-do list looms in the foreground. To combat this, think of two to three items you can implement in your schedule for balance. This can be anything from planning a ten minute break in your weekday planning hour for personal time to setting aside time to go on a walk on Sunday afternoons. Whatever you choose, be intentional and start small. One well-developed healthy habit is far better than ten unfulfilled intentions.

Finally, remember that you can not run on empty forever. If you spend every moment grinding without checking in with yourself and creating balance in your life, you are on the fastest One-way train to Burnout Lane. Taking time to rest and recenter is our best defense. May you find this summer to be a refreshing boost for another year in the front lines.