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Robyn Baker

Dr. Holcomb

Art of Teaching Music I

12 December 2016

Philosophy of Teaching

My philosophy for music education is heavily shaped by my past and current

music educators. I have observed many positive and negative approaches and

methods throughout my student career. Through observation and instruction, I have

learned a lot about myself as a future educator, as a person, and as a musician. I have

learned, as a person, that I am very patient and caring. I will always try my best to suit

the needs of others, solve problems, assist them with the difficulties they may face, and

spend the time necessary to help.

As a musician, I have learned the importance of independent and group

environments, honing in on skills to sing by myself and in an ensemble. Being a

musician has made me much more aware of the musicality of the world around me. I

also find myself observing corrections and taking notes much more frequently. As a

future educator, I have learned a lot about my own strengths and weaknesses. I have

learned that I need to always be confident and sure of myself. I have become much

more inclined to observe and learn from others.

In elementary school, my music teacher’s goal was to make music fun. To teach

us the different instrumental families, she created a game where we would have to run

to corners labeled percussion, strings, woodwind, or brass as she said the name of an

instrument. Another game she played was dropping a ball on a giant staff and having to
name the note it landed on. This approach is important in getting children to see music

as something positive.

My high school music teacher was the most influential person in my music

education. My high school did not have choir as a class, so choir was an extracurricular

activity. He had to work a lot harder at keeping control and balance within the choirs at

school because there was no fear of receiving a poor grade. At the beginning of each

year, the upperclassmen in charge of choir would hand out contracts stating the

expectations for the ensemble and when performances and rehearsals were that

semester. Our expectations were to be present and engaged. Because choir was not a

class, there were no expectations of music literacy. He cared more about individual

effort and focus. For the audition chamber choir, expectations were much higher.

Chamber choir was not a class either, but it replaced the normal homeroom you were

assigned. Musical literacy was expected and worked on in the mornings in homeroom.

After school rehearsals worked on repertoire. There would also be trio hearings on

occasion to assure that we had practiced and learned the pieces outside of rehearsal

time as well. The school refused to have choir as a class, so many kids were still

unable to read music because of limited rehearsal time.

Music theory class was much more effective in shaping my values for music

education. Music theory is split into two levels: Honors and AP Music Theory, which

equate to Music Theory 1 and 2. Music theory was a very small and intimate class,

which made for a very cohesive learning environment. In the beginning of the course,

the class moved at a very fast pace, so my my teacher’s initial plans shifted. We spent

approximately a week on the basic components of theory, and he adjusted by giving us


harder homework and work to do to keep us from becoming bored and unmotivated.

When answering homework problems, he kept us from having one student constantly

answering the questions by making everyone have to go in order. If the student

answering the question was having difficulty, he helped them figure out the answer and

why it was correct. He never let anyone struggle and feel embarrassed. When we

messed up, he simply worked with us to help us understand why the answer was what it

was.

Once we progressed into writing chords and chord progressions, he made us

take turns writing our answers on the board. Instead of just telling us something was

wrong and why it was wrong, he let us peer correct first. I found this very helpful and

useful. Having someone at a similar skill level as me correcting me felt less intimidating

and more cooperative. He was able to assess our knowledge and skills for part-writing

and our abilities to catch errors.

I think an important aspect of teaching he demonstrated was genuinely caring

about his students. He never let us fail and always let us come for extra help. We also

were able to come to him with problems outside of the classroom. Because of this, I

believe that a teacher should also be a support system for their students, not just a

fount of knowledge of the subject they teach.

The Art of Teaching Music opened my eyes a lot as to what I want to do as a

teacher and how I should approach my students. Learning about all of the major

approaches to education put ideas into my head. The methods that really stuck with me

were Kodaly and Dalcroze. Kodaly’s approach is to get students singing and feeling

comfortable singing from a young age. Dalcroze encourages expressive movement and
feeling at a young age. I think both of these goals are important in teaching music

because a lot of issues in older children are that the students are embarrassed to move

and sing and are afraid of messing up or being mocked. I really like their methods

because building that confidence early on will create a strong musical foundation and

tool set to use as they continue forward in their musical careers. Although I disagree

with many of Gordon’s ideas about what qualifies as good musicianship, I really respect

and value his use of audiation. Developing aural skills is key to being a well-rounded

musician and will be a very useful tool if they continue into higher music education.1

The case studies we read and discussed forced me to think a lot more as to the

issues and challenges that music educators face. “Up the Creek Without a Paddle”

demonstrated the lack of priority music education has in most school systems. Latisha’s

entire plan was disrupted because she was the last to be considered.2 The case study

that affected me the most was “Best Laid Plans.” Dr. Michaels took no consideration as

to how music education is approached. He assumed that a lesson plan could be rigidly

followed without any consideration as to the skill levels and comprehension of the

students. He questioned if any learning was taking place, which I think is the biggest

insult someone can say to a teacher.3

Teaching a song by rote and teaching the new note on recorder gave me

opportunities to grow and assess myself and others. When I taught the song by rote, I

learned that contouring the melody with your hands and having a confident presence is

extremely influential to the students. Students are very perceptive of the teacher’s body

language and comfort levels. I observed that my peers who seemed more confident

were more successful in teaching their song than those who seemed a little unsure or
nervous. It also made me more aware of how important it is to trust yourself. In that

moment, you are the one in charge, and you are the guidance and leadership of the

group. If you go down, they will follow you.

I gained a lot of knowledge from the guest lectures, too. Dr. Abrahams’ lecture

made me think a lot about expectations for a student. Assuming a student’s knowledge

and skill level makes them feel unintelligent and unimportant. Professor Brashier’s

lecture was more of a hands on lesson, but she gave me a lot of insight into the

Dalcroze approach. There is a lot of simplicity to movement and improvisation in the

beginning, but it builds the skills necessary for more difficult music.4

Visiting the elementary, middle, and high school was very productive for my

understanding of teaching music. At the high school, there were some special needs

children in the choir, and Mr. Metallo made sure they got to be a part of the group, too.

He began every class with some solfege and ear training exercises, which I thought was

extremely important and effective. Ms. Tarxol at the middle school also did ear training

work with her students as well. Mr. Velez at the elementary school was not able to do

as advanced work with the kindergarteners and third graders, but he also worked on the

students’ aural skills and general comprehension of the music they were listening to.

Each of the teachers did not ever spend too long on one topic or skill. They shifted

what they were doing after a short time of practicing to keep the students engaged and

aware.5

I want my future students to be confident in their own abilities and selves. I want

to produce good musicianship within my students, but I want them to be secure and

proud of themselves. Confidence is extremely important as a musician. I want them to


not be embarrassed or ashamed when they make mistakes, and I want them to be able

to use their voice as a tool and not see it as a punishment. My goals as a music

educator are to produce confident and knowledgeable students with strong

musicianship skills. Incorporating ear training and aural skills building into each class is

crucial to developing strong confident musicians. My students should be able to come

to me when they need help inside or outside of the classroom. I want to be a support

system for my students. I do not want my students to ever think I am better or more

important than them. They should see music education as a conversation and skill-

building environment. I want a good relationship with my students’ parents and the

overall community as well. Support and good relations between parents and

departments is important for concerts, events, and other projects that may occur.

My students should be well-rounded musicians. I want to build their singing

abilities, instrumental abilities, understanding of music theory, aural skills, and

improvisational skills. All of these skills overlap and create a strong foundation. Peer-

correcting and group cooperation is important are important to these skills because it

makes the students hold some accountability and responsibility. I want my lesson plans

to be very flexible because rigidity in planning makes it difficult to accommodate each

student’s needs and the needs of the class as a whole. I would select mostly classical

repertoire, such as Mozart’s Ave Verum. I also believe some a cappella repertoire is

important to get the students to listen and tune to each other. I would want at least one

piece that the students had some say in to make them feel present and that their

opinion matters.
I think knowing your students is the most important part of being a teacher. If you

just know things about them, such as their name and what class they have to go to after

yours, then you do not really have an understanding of your students. Knowing your

students is figuring out their reasoning for why they wrote a certain chord and the

processes that led them to the answer they got. Knowing your students also means

reading their body language and facial expressions and what they mean. Knowing also

means knowing how to teach them as a whole and how to cater to each students

needs. If you do not know your students, you will not be successful in educating them.

Although the questionnaires teachers often give students seem kind silly and pointless,

they do give some insight into the student and what their expectations are from the

teacher. Gathering information is not just about the written identification of the student,

you need to really understand them.

______________________________________________________________________
1 Class Notes from 11/3/16
2 Case Studies in Music Education “Up the Creek Without a Paddle”
3 Case Studies in Music Education “Best Laid Plans”
4 Class Notes from 9/27/16
5 Notes from Observations 9/22/16, 10/6/16, 10/20/16

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