Skip to content

My Happy Teaching Life

A blog about how to make teaching music a more enjoyable career.

Menu

  • Home
  • Need a presenter?
  • Blog
  • About Me

Year: 2023

You are here: My Happy Teaching Life > Blog > 2023

Fun Ways to Get Kids to Practice

a diligent girl playing violin

January, February, and March are tough months to get through. We just finished all the fun December holidays and spring festivals, tours, and year-end events are still so far away. How do you get your students to stay strong and

megthorup December 22, 2023December 22, 2023 Creating a Culture of Excellence, Happier Teaching Read more

Creating a Culture of Excellence: Sharing Your Vision

Creating a Culture of Excellence: Sharing Your Vision

I have felt kind of stuck for the last couple of years. I get frustrated with myself and my students pretty frequently, and I’m tired of feeling mediocre all the time. This year I’m trying an experiment to see if

megthorup August 12, 2023August 12, 2023 Creating a Culture of Excellence, Happier Teaching, Orchestra Tips Read more

Why Should Teachers Get Paid More?

Why Should Teachers Get Paid More?

Teachers, can we talk about this for a minute? We all want better pay, but I think we’re going about it the wrong way and we’re doing ourselves a huge disservice. Let me explain by giving you a few examples

megthorup June 14, 2023June 14, 2023 Happier Teaching, Uncategorized Read more

What Makes a Successful School Year?

What Makes a Successful School Year?

What makes a school year successful? How do you know you’re a good teacher? Can we just talk about this for a minute? It’s the end of the school year and the last few weeks have been a rollercoaster of

megthorup May 27, 2023May 27, 2023 Happier Teaching Read more

What to Do When Your Students Aren’t Motivated

What to Do When Your Students Aren’t Motivated

Do you feel like your students are just not very motivated, or does it seem like students are less motivated than they used to be? If so, you aren’t alone. Lack of motivation is one of the most common excuses

megthorup March 12, 2023March 12, 2023 Happier Teaching, Orchestra Tips, Uncategorized Read more

Warmups for Orchestra Part 4: Left-Hand Technique

Warmups for Orchestra Part 4: Left-Hand Technique

Left-hand skills are the ones generally covered in method books, so it’s likely you are already teaching most if not all of these skills in your classes. Still, left-hand technique covers a lot of ground, so it’s good to take

megthorup February 11, 2023February 12, 2023 Orchestra Tips, Warmups for Orchestra Read more

Warmups for Orchestra Part 3: Right Hand Technique

Warmups for Orchestra Part 3: Right Hand Technique

I’ve heard professors say on multiple occasions that students are often two years behind in right hand skills compared to left hand skills when they get to college. I don’t have any evidence to back that up, but I believe

megthorup January 14, 2023January 14, 2023 Orchestra Tips, Warmups for Orchestra Read more

Recent Posts

  • Warmups for Orchestra Part 5: Improv Practice

    Warmups for Orchestra Part 5: Improv Practice

    March 15, 2025
    As a classically-trained violinist, I didn’t learn improvisation at all until just a few years …Read more
  • Maximizing Rehearsal Time: Keeping Students Engaged When You’re Working with Another Section

    Maximizing Rehearsal Time: Keeping Students Engaged When You’re Working with Another Section

    February 16, 2025
    Every music teacher has been there—you’re working with one section of your ensemble fixing a …Read more
  • Giving People an A

    Giving People an A

    January 19, 2025
    I’ve been reading a book called The Art of Possibility lately, and in the book, …Read more

Recent Comments

  • Felipe Morales-Torres on Warmups for Orchestra Part 4: Left-Hand Technique
  • James on Need a presenter?
  • Heather Roskelley on Redefining Your Identity
  • Marjan Fairclough on Redefining Your Identity

Archives

  • March 2025
  • February 2025
  • January 2025
  • December 2024
  • May 2024
  • January 2024
  • December 2023
  • August 2023
  • June 2023
  • May 2023
  • March 2023
  • February 2023
  • January 2023
  • December 2022
  • November 2022
  • October 2022
  • September 2022
  • August 2022
  • June 2022
  • April 2022
  • March 2022
  • February 2022
  • January 2022
  • October 2021
  • September 2021
  • June 2021
  • March 2021
  • February 2021
  • January 2021
  • December 2020
  • November 2020
  • September 2020
  • August 2020
  • July 2020
  • June 2020
  • May 2020
  • April 2020
  • March 2020
  • February 2020
  • January 2020

Categories

  • Creating a Culture of Excellence
  • Happier Teaching
  • Letters to Parents
  • Orchestra Tips
  • Teaching Intonation
  • Uncategorized
  • Warmups for Orchestra

Contact Info

  • Meagan Thorup
  • Email: megthorup@gmail.com
  • Website: happyteachinglife.com

Recent Posts

  • Warmups for Orchestra Part 5: Improv Practice

    Warmups for Orchestra Part 5: Improv Practice

    March 15, 2025
  • Maximizing Rehearsal Time: Keeping Students Engaged When You’re Working with Another Section

    Maximizing Rehearsal Time: Keeping Students Engaged When You’re Working with Another Section

    February 16, 2025
  • Giving People an A

    Giving People an A

    January 19, 2025
  • Using Accountability Partners in Your Ensemble

    Using Accountability Partners in Your Ensemble

    January 18, 2025
  • Make a Class Composition that You Can Perform at Your Next Concert!

    Make a Class Composition that You Can Perform at Your Next Concert!

    January 4, 2025
Copyright © 2025 My Happy Teaching Life. All rights reserved. Theme Spacious by ThemeGrill. Powered by: WordPress.
  • Blog Full Content
  • Need a presenter?
  • About Me
  • My Account