The Candle at Both Ends – Assessing Burnout in Music Educators and
their Students
Burnout
• “A state of mental, emotional,
and physical exhaustion brought
on by extreme devotion to a goal,
the achievement of which is
dramatically opposed to reality.”
(Rotella et al., 1991)
• Maslach Burnout Inventory
(MBI) – “Burnout is a
psychological syndrome of
emotional exhaustion,
depersonalization, and reduced
personal accomplishment that can
occur among individuals who
work with other people in some
capacity.” (Maslach et al., 1997)
Teacher Burnout
• Most K-12 music teachers are
moderately burnt out primarily in
the realm of emotional exhaustion
(McLain, 2005).
• The level of burnout music
teacher experience is increasing in
all three factors of the MBI
(Bernhard, 2016).
• Poor relationships with other
teachers, parents, and
administration leads to higher
levels of burnout (McLain, 2005)
along with disconnect from the
community (Bernhard, 2016).
Isaiah Ortiz
MUED 373 - Advanced Methods and Materials for Instrumental Music
Solutions and Next Steps
For Students:
• Increase availability of mental health
resources for students.
• Utilize a Multitiered System of Support
where all school staff are actively involved
in improving each student’s mental health.
(Desrochers, 2015)
• Designing curriculum with Universal
Design, winding forwards and backwards
when needed. May include
providing/incorporating music therapy into
the music classroom. (Patterson, 2003)
• Build a classroom culture that supports
music making without idolizing it –
teaching healthy competition.
• Leading students through musical goal
setting. (Cornett, 2015)
To Right: A survey used to assess K-12 music
teachers’ mental health and burnout levels.
Taken from Elementary and Secondary School
Music Educators: A Replication (Bernhard,
2016)
For Teachers:
• Establish good relationships with
administration as soon as possible.
• Find a mentor at your school (Bernhard,
2016). Teachers burn out faster when they do
not feel as though they have support at their
school (McLain, 2005).
• Develop better classroom management skills
(McLain, 2005).
Student Burnout
• Sources of stress for student
athletes include “low levels of
success, difficulties with coaches,
high competitive demands, time
and energy demands,
regimentation, and lack of
authority” (Rotella et al., 1991),
and can oftentimes lead to
cynicism or apathy towards
academics (Bask & Salmela-aro,
2013).
• Burnout is “contagious,”
students in the same friend groups
tend to have similar levels of
burnout (Kiuru et al., 2008).
• Approximately 13-20% of K-12
students struggle with some sort
of mental health disorder, with
less than 20% of those students
receiving the help they need
(DeKruyf, 2013).
Musicians put so much of themselves
into developing their craft –
practicing, performing, perfecting.
However, when things do not go
according to plan, disappointment
and potential burnout ensues.
Teachers have to manage their own
burnout by paying attention to their
own mental and physical health in
order to effectively serve their
students who may be experiencing
similar feelings.