ArtistYear Blog

It was in that moment that I realized I needed to tell him something I wish somebody would've told me: I told him to not stop at being first, ‘cause first doesn’t matter if you stop there.

By being flexible, I spent less time working to make my “perfect” plan fit the students, and instead allowed myself to read the vibe of the class and take the lesson in a different direction, if need be.

"I want to foster a sense of community that feels organic and not forced, where we can rely on the collective wisdom of the room." - Bets Charmelus | ArtistYear CEO

I hope that my students will continue to care about music, whether by listening in a more thoughtful way, by joining ensembles in middle and high school, or learning how to make music on their own.

During my first year of service, I saw my personal artistry and teaching artistry as separate practices...[but] I’ve recently started to reconcile my personal artistry and teaching artistry, noticing that the concepts in the lessons I teach spring out of the ideas that drive my personal practice.

Part of studying Phillis Wheatley is studying art as a form of belonging and agency...I want my students to see their own writing as a way to make themselves at home, even when in a school, or a class, or a community that may not be a comfortable place.

Here, there are no grades or rubrics, just time and materials to try and fail, to readjust and discover. 

Participating in a service year has given me the space to identify my own purpose for teaching music, and how my teaching and my artistry are connected.