Strategies for Time Management Challenges of the First-Year Secondary School Music Educator

Despite the number of first-year music educators, there is a lack of research on the challenges of time management that first-year teachers face. Time management affects first-year secondary music teachers in areas that challenge their success in the classroom. This study recovered first-year music educators’ perspectives and experiences in the music classroom, specifically regarding time management challenges. Guided by Husserl’s phenomenological research model, this qualitative phenomenological research study identified perspectives that must be explored and documented concerning first-year music educators’ time management challenges. Perspectives on lesson planning, classroom management, and mentor assistance have emerged as themes through studying a small amount of existing literature and personal interviews with first-year secondary school music teachers. First-year secondary music educators illustrated their experiences by participating in a survey about their time management experience. This work was essential because time management is vital for the success of first-year music educators, which will lead to longevity in the profession. Since the future of music education depends on music educators, this study and the challenges of time management in the music classroom could benefit the longevity of music educators in the profession. This study and the experiences of first-year secondary music educators could encourage further research by other phenomenological researchers to apply this research method to classroom management, pre-service preparation, and mental health.