Episode 13: Music, Math, and More with Jesenka Filipovic

Ready to Teach Podcast

Music teacher and math interventionist Jesenka Filipovic joins me from Metro Nashville Public Schools. Jesenka is a band director, music teacher, and math teacher at a magnet middle school specializing in math and science. We talk about the unique role of the music teacher in schools, what makes teaching music unique, what makes it just like teaching any other subject! Takeaways from this week’s episode: 1) Students are able to learn more effectively when they are relaxed and having fun. 2) Music can be leveraged as a way to reach students who are struggling in core subjects, especially math and reading. 3) Teaching music requires just as much expectation setting, classroom management, and behavioral management as teaching any other subject. 4) Set expectations early in every area that students and parents need to know. 5) Music teachers - as well as non-core subject teachers and coaches - bear the unique burden of having to prove the value of their subject to their students, parents, administrators, and even district-wide supervisors. Resources: READYTOTEACH.COM