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A Personal Philosophy of Music
Education
The Art of Teaching and Teaching the Art of
Music
I can honestly say that I grew up in a classroom. Some
of my earliest childhood memories include getting my mother’s
classroom ready for another year of second grade
students. I realized that I loved teaching many years
before I decided to become an educator. When school
ended every spring, the first day of summer vacation I would
set up “school” in our garage for all the kids in the
neighborhood. While cadet teaching in high school I
learned that educators can gain as much satisfaction from
teaching as the students do from learning something new.
I discovered that I loved helping students learn more about
music, and in turn, learn more about themselves.
My
physics teacher, Mr. Michael Baer, once said, “Teaching is not
a science, it is an art.” There are several qualities
that I think a teacher must possess to become a master of the
art of teaching. First, teachers must be leaders and
motivators. Energy and enthusiasm are two teacher traits
that help me motivate students to learn more about music, they
are the bright colored paint that helps my musical artwork
come to life.
A master
artist must know about art history and the elements of design,
drawing, and sculpture. Teachers must have knowledge of
the subject matter they are teaching. The best artists
continually want to improve their craft through practice and
discovery. Teachers must want to continually become
better educators. A year from now I will receive a
diploma and begin teaching in my own classroom. I look
forward to incorporating all I have learned at Ball State
University into my classroom instruction. Currently I am
an apprentice teacher, just like an art student, I am still
learning the elements of quality teaching through practice and
experience. Leonardo DaVinci did not paint the Mona Lisa
in one night, and the best teachers do not become great
teachers over night, years of experience are needed to perfect
and refine the “art” of teaching.
Through
teaching, I help students learn the art of music. When
students leave the my elementary general music classroom, I
want them to love and appreciate music. I want to
instill in them a desire to constantly learn more about music
throughout their lives by listening and/or performing. I
want my students to be able to connect with music. Each
student connects with music in an individual and personal
way. My role as a teacher is to present students with
the experiences of music: singing, playing, listening, moving,
creating, reading, and writing. I will use the National
Standards for music education to help guide and formulate my
lessons plans. I have an eclectic variety of methods to
select from in teaching young students. I will include
elements of the Kodaly, Orff, and Comprehensive Musicianship
methods to help all students connect with music. I will
vary instruction to accommodate different learning
styles. Students walk into the classroom as a blank
canvas, my job is to give them the “musical art supplies” that
will help them love and appreciate music. Through the
general music experience I want students to gain knowledge,
improve musical skills, and create. The beauty of
teaching a subject like music is that students are not
expected to “paint by number” or “color within the
lines.” Music gives students opportunity to be
creative. I want to encourage students to create,
compose, express and evaluate music. I also want to help
students understand how music relates to other subjects and
cultures. My goal is that each student walks out of my
classroom knowing more than when they walked through the
door.
I want to
create a musical environment where students can be
successful. Success occurs when students are able to
reach their own personal goals and master concepts that will
help them take pride in completed work and their own
creativity. Music education should be filled with
positive, memorable musical experiences. Every child in
America should have music as part of their education.
Music education provides students with the opportunity to
explore music and perform. Through performing, students
learn about professionalism, discipline, and how to work
together toward a common goal. Music education is more
than just preparing for performance. Just like an
artist, the process of learning and the product of the process
are both important to a complete educational experience.
By learning the art of music, students learn more about
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