The Happy Music Teacher

The Happy Music Teacher

Feeling alone in the craziness that is your classroom? Looking for someone to rescue you from the exhaustion and overwhelm of your everyday music teacher life?

Hi, I'm Jeanette. A passionate music teacher with over 2 decades of experience working with students, balancing the mayhem, and helping educators like you navigate the chaos.

Join me as we explore what makes teaching general music so darn hard, tackle the unique challenges we face, and transform our music teacher lives so that every day brings happiness to our music classrooms.

Recent Episodes

May 28, 2025

Don't Wait...Advocate - Quick & Creative Ideas to Advocate for Your Music Program

Feel like your amazing music program is flying under the radar? Do you wish more people understood the incredible impact you have on your students? You're not alone in wanting more support and recognition! This week on The Ha...
May 21, 2025

Survival Secrets - Five Tips for When You're Just Done

Feeling like you're sprinting towards the edge of disaster with no way out...and you just might collapse before you get there? 😩 Let's talk about Survival Secrets for music teachers because you deserve to make it through the ...
May 14, 2025

May Mayhem...Meet the Outdoor Music Classroom

Feeling like your music room has turned into a bouncy house as the weather warms up? Are those end-of-year wiggles reaching critical mass? You're not alone in the May Mayhem! This week on The Happy Music Teacher, we've got a ...
May 7, 2025

Music Teacher Side Hustle Secrets

Have you ever dreamed of making extra money sharing your music skills online? Our guest, Evan Price from Artist Collective, helps music teachers like you do just that! Learn simple ways to turn what you know into income and m...
May 6, 2025

Don't Sweat the Concert - It's Gonna be Fine

Are you feeling that familiar knot of anxiety tightening in your stomach as your concert approaches? You're pouring your heart into rehearsals, but all you hear are forgotten lyrics and excuses about why they can't be at the ...
April 30, 2025

Exhausted Teacher Barely Holding it Together - Mindset Shifts to Make it To the End of the Year

Feeling like you're running on fumes with the end of the school year in sight? Are you an exhausted teacher just trying to make it to the final bell? You are definitely not alone! This week on The Happy Music Teacher, we're t...
April 16, 2025

Testing Week Doesn't Have to Suck - Quick Strategies for Quiet Activities

Testing week is here, and if your music room feels like a silent movie marathon with a side of stressed-out students, you're not alone. Their schedules are off, energy levels are low, and anything beyond the simplest task fee...
April 2, 2025

Beyond the Bunny - 3 Spring Picture Books for Your Music Class

Picture this: Your students are completely engaged, their imaginations sparked by familiar stories, and they're learning key musical concepts without even realizing it. You'll discover how to: Explore dynamics with the hilar...
March 26, 2025

Conquer the Zombies by Gamifying Your Music Classroom

If your students’ energy level is more ‘zombie shuffle’ than of ‘happy dance, I’ve got the cure! It’s time to bring them back to life by gamifying your music classroom! Games are a game-changer (pun intended) when it comes to...
March 19, 2025

Drowning in Sticky Notes? Get Your Music Teacher Life Organized

Are you drowning in planners, sticky notes, and to-do lists that never get used? You are NOT alone! We music teachers are BUSY, and staying organized feels like an impossible dream. But don’t worry—I’ve been there, done that,...
March 12, 2025

Your New Teacher BFFs Await—How to Build Stronger School Connections

Ever feel like the only teacher in the building who isn’t in the loop? Connecting with colleagues and feeling respected as part of your school team can be a challenge—but it doesn’t have to be! In this episode, I chat with Ku...
March 5, 2025

Spring Books for the Music Classroom

Students bouncing off the walls? 🌸☀️ Keeping them engaged this time of year can feel like a losing battle, but don’t worry—I’ve got your back! In this episode of The Happy Music Teacher , we’re diving into the best spring boo...
Feb. 26, 2025

Teaching Music Shouldn’t Be This Hard! Tips for Music Teachers Who are Over It

Ever wish you had a secret stash of tried-and-true tips to make your music teaching life easier? What if you could get 100 of them—all in one place? Teaching music is an incredible job, but let’s be real—it can also be exhaus...
Feb. 19, 2025

Teaching Tiny Musicians - Make Music Magic for Your Littles

Teaching Tiny Musicians can be both adorable and overwhelming. Do you dread the days when PreK or Kinder walk through your door? I get it—I used to feel the same way until I figured out how to capture their attention and keep...
Feb. 12, 2025

Spice Up Your Music Lessons for Big Kids

Spice Up Your Lessons for Big Kids in the Elementary Music Room Want to spice up your music lessons for big kids but find that fun activities quickly turn into chaos? In this episode of The Happy Music Teacher , we’re tacklin...
Feb. 5, 2025

Engage Your Music Class with Brain Breaks and Play-Alongs

Engage Your Music Class with Brain Breaks and Play-Alongs Looking to revolutionize your elementary music classroom with more engaging activities and fun for everyone, even you? Join us for an illuminating conversation with Br...
Jan. 29, 2025

February Picture Books for Your Music Classroom

February Books for Music Class In this episode, we're diving into three powerful storybooks perfect for February: Somebody Loves You, Mr. Hatch by Eileen Spinelli, My Heart by Corinna Luyken, and Follow the Drinking Gourd by ...
Jan. 15, 2025

How to Increase Engagement in Your Elementary Music Room with Friendly Competition/Ep95

🎶 Ready to discover how to increase engagement in the music room? In this episode, I’m sharing my favorite tips for using friendly competition to spark excitement and participation among your students. We’ll dive into why com...
Jan. 8, 2025

3 Ways to Fight Exhaustion in the Music Classroom

3 Ways to Fight Exhaustion in the Music Classroom Are you ready to fight exhaustion in the music classroom and reclaim your energy? In this episode, we tackle a common dilemma faced by music teachers: how to manage the overwh...
Jan. 4, 2025

Running Your Elementary Choir - 3 Mistakes Teachers Make/Ep93

🎶 Running Your Elementary Choir - 3 Mistakes Music Teachers Make 🎶 In this episode of The Happy Music Teacher , Jeanette teams up with Bethany Main to tackle the chaos of running your elementary choir . Drawing from years of ...
Jan. 2, 2025

Winter Storybooks for the Music Classroom - Ep 95

Winter Storybooks for the Music Classroom In this brand-new monthly episode, I’m sharing my favorite winter-themed books and how you can use them to inspire meaningful lessons in your music classroom! This month, I’m highligh...

Related Shows

Leaning into Leadership

Visit Page

The Tom Schimmer Podcast

Visit Page

Modern Math Teacher

Visit Page

Aspire to Lead

Visit Page

The Jeff Bradbury Show

Visit Page

Unapologetic Leadership

Visit Page

The Counter Narrative: Changing the Way We Talk (and think) About Education

Visit Page

Limitless Leadership Lounge

Visit Page

The Happy Music Teacher

Visit Page

Keep On Going

Visit Page

Unlocking Unlimited Potential Stories

Visit Page

In AWE Podcast

Visit Page

Teaching Champions

Visit Page

The Squad Builder Podcast

Visit Page

Thriving Educator

Visit Page

Time for Teachership

Visit Page

Teach Happier! Small shifts. Big gifts.

Visit Page

The Language of Behavior

Visit Page

The Ed Essentials Podcast

Visit Page

Science 360

Visit Page

Wisdom and Productivity: The Podcast of An Imperfect Educator

Visit Page

Moments of ImpartED Joy

Visit Page

Leading Collaborative Response

Visit Page

Digital Learning Today: Where Productivity Meets Innovation in the Classroom.

Visit Page

Educational Leadership with Principal JL

Visit Page

Design Lessons with Dr. Michele Schmidt Moore

Visit Page

Building a Culture of Collaboration

Visit Page

Leader of Learning

Visit Page

The bigEDidea Podcast

Visit Page

Xhausted Educators RechargED

Visit Page

Ask The Tech Coach

Visit Page

The Reading Teacher's Playbook with Eva Mireles

Visit Page

EduMagic: Future Teacher Podcast

Visit Page

The Shut Up and Teach Podcast

Visit Page

Punk Rock Classrooms

Visit Page

The Secret Sauce with Kip Shubert

Visit Page

Learner-Centered Spaces

Visit Page

Catching Up with Casey

Visit Page

Balance Your Teacher Life: Tips for Educators to Avoid Burn-Out and Achieve Bett

Visit Page

Making the Grade Podcast

Visit Page

Lead with HOPE Podcast

Visit Page

powerED Up

Visit Page

GotTechED the Podcast

Visit Page

The Pixel Classroom Podcast

Visit Page

Schurtz and Ties: A podcast about education and culture

Visit Page

The Dips of Doubt

Visit Page

plAI Around and Find Out!

Visit Page

The Gifted PLaCe

Visit Page

The Embrace the Messy Podcast with Shannon Schinkel

Visit Page

Teach Better Talk

Visit Page

Design Cast

Visit Page

The Define YOUniversity Podcast with Lindsay Titus

Visit Page

The Principal Leadership Lab

Visit Page

#EduCrush

Visit Page

1stgenteacherlens

Visit Page

The Dash (RETIRED)

Visit Page

The Good News, Brad News Podcast (RETIRED)

Visit Page

The Out of the Trenches Podcast

Visit Page

The Present Teacher Podcast

Visit Page