Ready or not it’s here! 2017 that is. The “Holiday Over-Indulgence Show” that opened around Thanksgiving has closed and we are left with a new year. It can be a time to set in place new techniques to learn, new shows to consider, new students to inspire, or it can be a time of consolidation of things you're already passionately pursuing. Another alternative might be to simply contemplate how far you've come with your students and programs thus far. Whatever your preferred approach to the new year, it's great to start feeling refreshed and focused. Here are a few ideas to give you a boost.

• Give yourself time - a commodity that is precious to all of us who work with kids and musical theater. That may mean five minutes more for warmups or delegating fundraising to a parent.

• Focus on one new best practice at a time. Revamping your audition procedures AND breaking in a new choreographer in the same month may be a bumpy ride.

• Reward yourself for making progress or achieving a goal.  First time you completed casting in 3 days? I do believe it is worth a Starbucks for you and your team.

• Find a mentor or thank one that has inspired you. As Cindy says… “Creative beings need creative beings to inspire beings to be creative.”

• Talk less and question more – your students will actively engage and take ownership in the creative process.

• Realize that nothing is impossible – it’s a musical!

Break a Leg and Happy 2017!  CR

Read More Cindy Says.