Embarrassing Moments from Embarrassed Music Teachers

We’ve all experienced embarrassing moments. The kind that leave us red-faced with humiliation and wondering if we’ll ever live it down. While it’s easy to beat yourself up over stuff like this, just remember; we’re all human. That means we might occasionally lose a button in an inconvenient location or have a conversation with our turtleneck. In light of this, I enlisted the help of a few brave friends to share some of their own embarrassing moments as music teachers. Because what good is an embarrassing moment if you can’t laugh about it later?

First up is my friend Elizabeth. She is author of Organized Chaos, a blog loaded with amazing tips for music teachers and moms alike.

In the first few months back after maternity leave (at a new school, I might add), there was one day I apparently walked around school with a chunk of poop on my sleeve for a few hours. The PE teacher told me at lunch, after a full morning of teaching where nobody said a word. Must have been from a quick diaper change that morning! From that day until my daughters were fully potty-trained, I kept a spare set of clothes in my classroom.

Shelley is a fellow blogger and friend over at Pitch Publications Blog, where she shares fantastic ideas ranging from ukulele storage to time-saving tech.

My friend Jane is the author of SillyOMusic, where she shares awesome lesson ideas, such as how to use pocket charts to teach primary songs and using sticker charts to track progress on the recorder.

I have a hard time sleeping the night before a concert. Once, I didn’t end up falling asleep until 5am when chorus was set to perform at 7:30 for the Rotary Club. I missed my alarm and woke up to frantic voicemails from my coworker. I got dressed in about 30 seconds and ran out the door. I looked like a hot mess in my wrinkled school polo, mismatched shoes, frizzed-out hair, and no socks! My administrator had mercy on me because the kids sang well, but I still couldn’t look her in the eye when it was over.

And finally, here is my own embarrassing story. I have plenty, but this one involves the most people, which makes for maximum humiliation.

I had just finished co-directing a musical and the audience was out in the lobby. I’d received a framed picture of the cast as a thank you gift, so I was feeling particularly good. I started to make my way to the lobby, and just as I’d entered the view of everyone, my foot caught on the hem of my pants. I was still holding the picture frame with both hands when I fell face down. The glass shattered, creating such a loud sound that everyone in the lobby came to a complete halt to see what had happened. The embarrassment had already set in, when a kind teacher came to help me up. He asked if I was hurt, and I answered truthfully, “only my pride.”