Marigrace Maley

Philosophy of Music Education

As teachers of music education, it is our job to influence our students to have

some sort of joy of music whether it be appreciating and being able to listen to it and feel
something from that or to perform it. But, what are we supposed to do with the students
that have no type of interest in music and shut down every time they are in class? It is
our job to find a place for those students in class and to not marginalize or give up on our
students. Every student in the music classroom is equally important. In other words, all
students, whether they excel in music, hate music class, or are the amateur musician, need
to be included. Every student brings equal creativity to the classroom.
In our music classroom, no matter what branch of music or what level we are
teaching, we will be responsible to inspire students of all types. From the child who
absolutely loves music and thrives in it, to the child who absolutely despises music class
and finds no point in it, we must find a way to understand them and encourage them to
keep open minds. David Elliot states in his philosophy of music education that as music
teachers, we are handing our skills down to the next generation. I could not agree with
this statement more. It is my goal to be able to give my students all the tools they need to
be successful in music. I hope that all my students can grasp on to something that I have
taught them and come out of my classroom having learned something that they did not
know before. I hope for my students to be well cultured in music and be able to speak
about a certain topic when asked about it. Mostly, I hope to make every child in my
classroom to feel equally as important. In a music classroom especially, there is so much
room for creativity that everyone holds a very important job to let creativity thrive.
When my students leave the classroom I want them to feel inspired and feel joy towards

music. With that said, of course this wont be the case always. It is inevitable that there
will be students in the classroom that dont necessarily enjoy what is being taught in the
music curriculum and are there to earn the credit, not because they are passionate about
music. I believe that students need to understand David Elliots belief that music is
something people do. It is a human experience that is highly satisfying. I think that if
students anywhere from being passionate or with little to no interest in music are aware
of this they will see music in a different perspective and will be able to appreciate it
more.
It is very important to have students understand that any music that they are into
and enjoy listening to is totally okay. I think that sometimes nowadays, children taking
music classes think that the music that they listen to outside of class is irrelevant. This is
absolutely not the truth. David Elliot said, I propose, also, that developing our students
musical creativity (in all forms of music making) overlaps and extends the process of
developing our students musicianship (Music Matters, N.D). Having students that
listen to all different backgrounds of music makes them even more creative. It is crucial
that these students are aware of this. Many times the students, who dont have as big of
an interest in music as other students may have, feel that the teacher gives up on them and
does not care. I want my classroom to be nothing of this nature. I want all of my
students to feel that they can connect with me in some way whether it may be music
related or non-music related. My focus is to think outside of the box and to be capable of
making music fun and exhilarating to learn for students of all types.
A lot of the time, music class is usually identified as only focused on classical and
choral music. Sometimes this may either scare students away or causes some students to

enter the music classroom skeptically. Although this is pretty accurate in regard to the
type of music that is mostly in focus, I think that students who enjoy different types of
music such as pop and rock should keep an open mind and be excited to try something
that happens to be out of their comfort zone. I, as their music teacher, want to help them
to step out of their comfort zone and help them to experience the classical side of music.
I believe that I should be challenging my students to step out of their comfort zone, while
at the same time, my students should be challenging me to step out of my comfort zone as
well. As an educator, although I am the one teaching my students, I believe that there is
so much that I learn from my students. It is important to let all different types of students
in the classroom have a voice. Some claim that music is only important for a few
talented children.These claims provide further incentives to think carefully about the
nature and significance of music education.(Elliott, 5) I am excited to learn about all the
students I may have. I am eager to know their likes, dislikes, and their background in
music, whether they are very gifted or are the amateur musician. I think that as a teacher
I will better myself by having every kind of student in the classroom. Although I know
that not every student is necessarily going to be enthusiastic or cooperative, I need to
keep myself open to them. I will never give up on a student, as I hope that my students
will never give up on music.
While in the classroom, having students of all types, it is definitely extremely
important to understand who our students are as well as who we are as their teacher. I
think that one big aspect of the music classroom is how the students feed off of the
teacher as well as how the students feed off of each other. Having students of all
different likes and dislikes is a huge advantage because these students are being put in a

situation where they must work together and share their creativities with one another. For
example, it could be very beneficial for students who have a love for classical music to be
put in a classroom with students who may have a love for rock or pop music. These
students can learn from one another and maybe find that they enjoy a type of music that
they never thought they would. I suggest that music making (of all kinds) and, of
course, the rich kind of music listening required to make music well should be at the
center of the music curriculum (Music Matters, N.D).
Music is so important to have in the lives of young people especially. It is hugely
important to not only teach students to be able to identify and perform music decently,
but it is also a huge necessity to encourage students simply to appreciate music. Some
students will be taking music class simply because they enjoy it, not because they
necessarily want to start a profession in music. Accordingly, the aims of music
education include the development of critically reflective listeners and musical amateurs
who possess the understanding and motivation to give music an important place in their
lives and the lives of others in their communities (Music Matters, N.D). I believe that I
should be encouraging students to love music, but even more so, I should give them the
tools to be able to sophisticatedly listen to music and understand it. It is my job to open
my students eyes to all different genres of music whether they love the specific genre or
hate it. Any kind of music listening is beneficial. It needs to be understood that a student
excelling in music doesnt necessarily always mean that they are great at performing it.
If my students can listen to music and be able to explain the piece that was listened to, in
my eyes they are excelling in music. Students in music class should be encouraged to
perform and build a life in music, but on their own terms. The last thing that a music

teacher should do is force their students into music. Students should never be forced into
loving music. My biggest hope for my future classroom and students is that I can create a
safe environment where nobody feels left out and can find a joy in some way for music.
This philosophy recommends, further, that to achieve the values of music, music
teachers ought to emphasize the interpretive nature of music as a performing and
improvising art and that composing, arranging and conducting (all of which demand keen
listening) should be taught frequently (and in direct relation) to a reasonable diversity of
Musics (genres, or musical practices) during the course of our students musical
education (Music Matters, N.D). Students should be exposed to all different forms of
music making in the classroom. It is important for students of every background in music
to form experience all different kinds of creativity while being in music class.
Music class is absolutely something for all students to take part in. It is a
necessity for every student in the classroom to be treated equally. Level of talent or
passion of music should not come into consideration. I believe that every student in the
music classroom, especially bring all different creativity and ideas. We need to find a
way to keep the students interested and engaged, but the students need to also meet us
half way and want it for themselves too. Music is music. In other words, any kind of
music that the students in our classroom listen to is acceptable and makes them even
more knowledgeable in music. It is our job to make students understand this and give
them all the tools that they need to be successful. It is my hope for my future students
that I can be of inspiration to them and help them to find a love of music along the way.

Works Cited
Elliott, David J. Music Matters: A New Philosophy of Music
Education. New York: Oxford UP, 1995. Print.
"Music Matters." David J Elliott. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Apr.
2014. <http://www.davidelliottmusic.com/music-matters/>.