Make the Most of the Post-Convention Glow

Introduction

It’s convention season! Whether you attended your state MEA or a national convention, you no doubt were inspired by the quality of the sessions, the speakers you heard, the ideas you gathered, and the plans you want to implement…so, how’s that going?

Just after an inspiring convention you feel so motivated! You can’t wait to share all the insights you gained, the conversations that sparked creative solutions, and so much more. You are anxious to implement a new technique or technology. Immediately following the convention there’s a flurry of activity on Facebook and LinkedIn to make connections with all the new friends you made. It’s an exciting time—the “post-convention glow.” You feel inspired to start new initiatives and be innovative.

But, you also have an overstuffed email inbox to attend to, and there’s the classes you have to prepare for, and meals to prepare, and seventeen birthdays to celebrate in your family this month…

Despite your best intentions, many of the amazing ideas you gathered at the convention never get off the ground. The relationships you started with new colleagues don’t get nurtured. You get that terribly guilty feeling when, while making arrangements for the next year’s convention, you re-examine your notes from the previous year and recall the concepts, tips, and inspirations that have been sitting neglected for a year. But not this year! This year let’s make the most of what we learn and the connections we make at music conventions.

Here’s how we do it:

Write a convention summary

Keep it as short and sweet as you like, but get it down on paper/in an email/Google doc/whatever. List the sessions you attended and anything you learned from each. Include the presenters name and their school or company. Write out a list of the people you had meaningful conversations with. Make a list of the suggestions that inspired you, and don’t edit yourself by leaving out anything that doesn’t seem possible in your situation. Include some actionable items—what did you pick up at the convention that you can or need to take action on immediately? (Be sure to share this summary with your administrator or anyone who makes the decision about whether you attend again next year.)

Share your experiences with your colleagues

Share your experiences with other teachers in your building, your accompanist, your prinicipal. Find a formalized way to speak about some of the highlights of the convention. You don’t have to go into great detail but hit those big “lightbulb” moments that got you thinking about your classes. This recap is bound to spark some conversations and lead to some accountability for you about the ideas you want to implement.

Make a plan

Choose 1–3 ideas and construct a plan of action for making them happen. Is there a new rehearsal technique you want to employ? Do you need to order a piece of music you heard performed? Did you see a demonstration of SmartMusic that you want to follow up on? Did a clinician inspire to use a new method or resource? Get to work now on a plan, with deadlines, to make these things happen. Only focus on 1–3 items—you don’t want to overwhelm yourself. Once you have success with these items you can dive back into your convention summary to find more to work on!

Nurture your network

Music education conventions feature an amazing group of people with a shared passion. You don’t want to lose track of the new people you met and who have shared their battles and successes with you. Refer to your convention summary or a registration list, then get on your social media platforms and connect. Find or start a Facebook group and start a conversation. Pick up the phone and call to encourage the first-year teacher you met, or to get advice from the college professor you ran into. Send an email or write a handwritten note to say thank you, or welcome to the profession, or I hope you are doing well.

Conclusion

These are all things we know we should be doing, right? It can just be so hard to see them through after the “post-convention glow” wears off. There are so many benefits to following through—validating your attendance at the convention, increasing your value to your program, your own professional development, and strengthening our relationships with the broader network of educators. Make the most of your attendance at conventions this year and share your successes with us! —tell me what you are doing to maintain the “post-convention glow” in the comments below.