Early-career secondary school music teachers navigate many challenges as they settle into the profession. These include consolidating their knowledge of subject content, gaining classroom confidence and honing skills in classroom management. In addition, their sense of belonging can be enhanced by working at collegial relationships within their faculty, across the school and feeling a part of the wider school community. These factors can elicit a ‘make or break’ response for continuing in the profession.

This paper reports on a case study of an Australian early-career secondary school music teacher, in her fifth year in the profession. The case study, as a part of a larger study, sequenced quantitative and qualitative research methods, allowing insight into the music teacher’s working life and enabled the researcher to understand factors that impact daily practice. Themes explored in the study include motivation, perception of value, stress and the difficulties of securing permanent employment. The music teacher presented a positive approach to her work through her development of resilience and shared her future goals and dreams.

This research offers suggestions on how schools and education authorities can best support early-career secondary school music teachers to enable them to become resilient, confident and valued practitioners for the future.

职业生涯早期的中学音乐教师在适应这个职业时要应对许多挑战。这些包括巩固他们的学科内容知识、获得课堂信心和磨练课堂管理技能。此外，通过在教职员工内部、整个学校建立同事关系，并感受到自己是更广泛的学校社区的一部分，可以增强他们的归属感。这些因素可能会引发对继续从事该职业的“成败”反应。

本文报道了一位澳大利亚初出茅庐的中学音乐教师的案例研究，她当时是该职业的第五年。该案例研究作为更大规模研究的一部分，采用了定量和定性研究方法的顺序，使研究人员能够深入了解音乐教师的工作生活，并使研究人员能够了解影响日常实践的因素。研究探讨的主题包括动机、价值观念、压力和获得永久就业的困难。这位音乐老师通过发展韧性展示了她对工作的积极态度，并分享了她未来的目标和梦想。

这项研究就学校和教育当局如何最好地支持职业生涯早期的中学音乐教师提供了建议，使他们能够成为未来有弹性、自信和有价值的从业者。