Lesley Levin

November 22, 2014

Intro to Music Education

Philosophy Statement
Nelson Mandela once said Education is the most powerful
weapon which you can use to change the world. Universally,
everyone undergoes some form of education not all occurs in the
classroom, but all have the same fundamental purpose, to teach an
individual so they can become knowledgeable. Essentially, educators
teach so their students can learn. Throughout history, teaching
methods have evolved and branched out in many different directions
yet, not all are suitable for learning. While teaching methods are
continuously changing and arent stagnant, there is a method that
surpasses the rest which is progressive teaching. Progressivists
believe that education is found in the needs and interest of the
students. They encourage individuality, progress and try to make
school interesting and provoke curiosity. This form of teaching is
centered on a proactive involvement by the students rather than just
memorizing. With a more direct involvement in the learning process
and being able to understand the root of the problem, students
increase their critical thinking skills and are able to deal with
everyday situations.
It seems foreseeable for education to include philosophy.
Philosophy is the study of the fundamental nature of knowledge,
reality and existence. These topics can be further elaborated through
analyzing and reading. Its accepted that in order to be a teacher you
need to be extremely patient and through the use of philosophical
methods you can try to understand the psyche of an individual and
see how a human brain functions. As stated by Jorgensen, Philosophy
is both a body of ideas and a way of thinking. The reason why music
education can encompass an array of subjects is because music
education derives ideas from other areas such as music, education,
psychology, sociology, anthropology, and philosophy.
Philosophy
allows an educator to be self-critical, be able to examine ideas, and
justify their decisions in philosophical ways. This assist teachers with
designing a curriculum that embodies their decision of what should be
incorporated into the class and allow students to not be given so
much content but to explore certain things intensively. (Jorgensen 19)
It is critical to provide students with a well-rounded musical
curriculum that upholds the caliber of traditional styles and also

incorporates modern influences. Current music curriculums are based

on a systematic teaching method that can be archaic. There is a
standard music curriculum that music educators must comply with.
These standards give the classroom a form of structure and a
foundation that assists a teacher. Standard music curriculums are
beneficial in certain aspects but can at times limit the range a
professor can teach. There are new studies that show how sometimes
exploring beyond a standard curriculum can be rewarding and show a
brand new perspective. For example, a program that is called El
Sistema which translates to The System was implemented almost
35 years ago in Venezuela. Underprivileged children from Venezuela
were given the opportunity to learn how to play instruments in an
intensive assemble program. This program is now being incorporated
into other countries due to its positive effects on a childs academic
progress. (Hicks 2) New creative innovating ideas like El Sistema is
not a replacement to current curriculums but it can be used to
improve what we currently have.
In recent years with limited school budgets, extracurricular
classes such as music are usually the first to be cut from the
curriculum. Recent studies have shown that music, contrary to belief,
has a more significant effect on a persons intellectual ability. As
suggested by George Hicks, there seems to be a connection in both
children and adults - between learning to play an instrument and how
to improve executive functioning, like problem-solving, switching
between tasks and focus. If this were to be proven true then music
would no longer be seen as an extracurricular class but as a required
class like science and mathematics. Also, studies on the effects of
classical music have revealed that compared to students that dont
listen to classical music their standardized spatial scores were
significantly higher. Another study in the Journal of Neuroscience
suggests That musical training before the age of seven has a
significant effect on the development of the brain, showing that those
who began early had stronger connections between motor regions.
Although this concept is still a relatively new area of study, the effects
of music on the brain can help prove the importance of music. Im a
firm believer that music can be a creative outlook and motivate a
student to work better in school and strive for success.
A proper learning environment is necessary to nurture a
students growth. According to Sheffler, The classroom environment
should do as much as it can to foster cooperation and acceptance as
the teaching methods that the teacher uses. The type of
environment that Sheffler speaks of is constructive that allows growth
and encourages a students creativity. It becomes the instructors
responsibility to provide a productive learning environment. Music is
known in some aspect as a free form of expression that encompasses
an array of topics and is boundless. Therefore, music students should

be able to express their feelings freely in a classroom setting through

their music. Studies show how active participation can enrich the
classroom setting while stimulating a persons intellectual ability.
Ultimately, educators should be open to incorporating philosophy into
their daily lesson plans and practices in order to provide a student
with a platform to elevate their potential. Society is continuously
changing and growing and with the advances in technologies, society
as a whole needs to be flexible to the expansion of music, so students
can fall in love with music from an early age and therefore inspire
future learning and learners.

Works Cited
1. Concordia University. "Early music lessons boost brain
development." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 12 February 2013.
<www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130212112017.htm>
.
2. Hicks, George. "How Playing Music Affects The Developing
Brain." CommonHealth RSS. 17 July 2014. Web. 23 Nov. 2014.
<http://commonhealth.wbur.org/2014/07/music-languagebrain>.
3. "The Twelve Benefits of Music Education." Music Education
Online. Web. 23 Nov. 2014.
<http://www.childrensmusicworkshop.com/advocacy/12benefits
/>.
4. C. J. Steele, J. A. Bailey, R. J. Zatorre, V. B. Penhune. Early
Musical Training and White-Matter Plasticity in the
Corpus Callosum: Evidence for a Sensitive Period. Journal
of Neuroscience, 2013; 33 (3): 1282
DOI:10.1523/JNEUROSCI.3578-12.2013
5. Sheffler, Julie L. "Creating a Warm and Inclusive Classroom."
Electronic Journal for Inclusive Education. 1 Jan. 2009. Web. 23
Nov. 2014.
<http://corescholar.libraries.wright.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?
article=1102&context=ejie>.
6. "Progressivism." Progressivism. Web. 23 Nov. 2014.
<http://www.siue.edu/~ptheodo/foundations/progressivism.html
>.
7. "Progressivism and Philosophy." 123HelpMe.com. 23 Nov 2014
<http://www.123HelpMe.com/view.asp?id=31987>.