While I try not to be one of those people who proudly snub others for wasting time on social media (because believe me, I find enough ways to waste my time), I must admit that I post very infrequently. I don’t have a Twitter account, my Snapchat is limited to only the closest friends and classmates, and my Instagram consists of only four posts from high school about marching band.

My Facebook account is as locked down as Facebook allows – only friends can view anything on my account (even my profile picture and basic information) and I changed the settings so that if a friend tries to tag me in a photo, I must approve it first. And even though it is locked down, it doesn’t contain anything I would want to hide. My timeline mostly features events related to the university and scenic photos from my recent study abroad adventure.

When I Google myself, the results lead me to pictures of myself receiving awards at high school banquets, my university-sponsored study abroad blog, and a Facebook account that appears devoid of content.

I keep my social media presence pretty minimal (I try not to waste too much of my time scrolling and posting) and very clean (before posting, I always ask myself “Do I want my future superintendent or my students/students’ parents to see this?”) I do, however, have an account on a popular free dating app that I plan to delete before I begin my teaching career.

While I prefer to keep my social media presence limited, I could make more content I post, share and like about issues related to arts education advocacy. Perhaps, instead of having no Twitter account, I could start an account dedicated to spreading the word about the value of music education and amplifying the voices of those advocating for comprehensive arts education.

Furthermore, social media doesn’t only have to be something personal that you try to completely separate from your professional teaching life. Many school districts and band programs maintain their own social media page. As long as teachers follow their district’s social media guidelines, a public Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter page highlighting an ensemble’s activities and achievements can be a great way to promote the music program and build community support.