If you had to pick only 3 important traits/skills that a music teacher would possess, what would they be?

Man that sounds like such an easy question until you really dig into it. The first time that anyone asked me that, I felt like I knew it cold. If you were to ask me 5 years ago, I would say that they need to be a talented musician, have a passion for music, and be in charge of a large ensemble that plays really tricky music.

Now, after years of working with very talented teachers, and reading a few different books, I have changed my opinion. After reading Frank Battisti's book On Becoming a Conductor, and Peter Boonshaft's book Teaching Music with Purpose, I realized that it's not all about being a super talented musician yourself, or standing up in front of a huge ensemble.

Would those things be nice? Yeah, I guess they would be. But, only if they were getting the most out of their time with me and learning about the inner working of music as well as having fun. 

OK, enough dreaming. Battisti writes in numerous places (and I couldn't agree more) that one of the most important traits of a great music teacher is that they have a true passion for music.

Without a true passion for music, how are you going to be able to motivate your students to look at it the same way that you do. There needs to be an underlying drive that keeps not only you going on those long days, but also the kids. They need to understand why you think what you are going over is so important and realize that it is even more important for them.

Boonshaft talks about presuming excellence from our students. Awesome! But....there is something that is even more important that he covers. No matter what, we need to be able to see greatness in each and every one of our students. I'm not talking about saying great job to them when they play that really hard lick perfectly for the first, second, and third time in a row. I'm talking about seeing the greatness in their abilities in and out of band, but more importantly, in them as a person. If you can show your students that you truly care about them, it will be a much more enjoyable experience. 

The final trait I feel is important in any music educator works is kind of a morph of two. The ideal music teacher will have passion and the ability to see greatness, but where to go from there. There needs to be a vision and a commitment to reach that vision. By having a true passion for music and seeing the greatness in each and every one of their students, a great music educator will be able to see where they want not only their program to go, but what they want their students to achieve by the time that they leave them. While it sounds great, that same ideal educator needs to have the commitment to challenge their kids to reach the greatness he/she sees in them. 

So you ask me...what are the 3 important traits/skills that a music teacher needs to possess?

• A true passion for music and a need to share that passion with others
• The ability to see greatness in each and every one of their students. At all times.
• The vision/commitment (visimmitment) to see the greatness that their students can achieve and encourage them to want to reach it.