u/Travisjd93

TL;DR: seeking advice on graduate and post graduate degree paths from people who went back later after having kids.

I happily taught elementary music for 10 years, and last year made the jump to secondary. The school I’m at now I am surrounded by phenomenal leadership that has pushed me to grow in ways I never was in public school.

On top of that, I’ve started playing in a high level brass band. All of that has awoken a real spark in me to grow. I really want to get a masters in conducting but the only school close to me is USF and they’ve told me it’s basically a non-starter to do it while I’m teaching. They steered me towards their revamped masters in music ed, but to be honest I really don’t want two ed degrees because I’m worried that if I ever decide to go for a doctorate I’ll be pigeonholed. On top of that we have four kids under 5 at home so not working for two years isn’t an option for me. I have considered doing trumpet performance but I’m not sure how much it aligns with my real goals. I’ve also considered composition but again, I’m not sure it will open enough of the right doors.

Those of you who went back later for graduate and post graduate degrees, what would you do different and what did you learn along the way?

I started teaching band at a Christian school this last school year and one of the things that disappointed me was the lack of Christian music for pep band. obviously it’s hard to touch staples like “Go Big Red” but there’s so many Christian songs that go just as hard as Iron Man. The only band it’s easy to find arrangements for is Skillet.

so, I’ve set myself a goal of fixing the problem by writing some myself. First off, they have to be songs that kids are singing, and second they have to have that stadium rock energy that translates well to a drumline and horns.

I’ve got a little playlist going right now of songs I think would work, but I wonder if anyone here has some cool songs that you think might sound awesome at a football game!

Can anyone point me to a scope and sequence for band that’s tied to national or Florida standards? only thing I’ve found is a 2012 document from New York that looks like what I need, which covers 5th-12th. I’d love to have others to compare and draw from while I work on my own.

I teach private Christian school, so I have no network, and no collective framework to draw from. Bonus plug: if you teach in the Hillsborough area at a Christian school I’d love to connect!