Behnke 1

Philosophy of Education

Music is a part of almost every culture in the world. From turning on the radio to

performing or experiencing a concert, music moves people. For those who choose to study music

in school, a quality education should be readily available. In order to achieve this, a set of goals,

or a philosophy, should be understood by teachers so that students reach their highest potential.

The primary goals of a music educator should be to provide a high-quality education to all

students, teaching that is responsive to students’ needs, and a culturally relevant program.

Music has proven to be beneficial to all students. There is a significant correlation

between participation in music and academic success in all areas. The best programming should

be accessible for all students and therefore the opportunity should be given to everyone. There

should be no bias based on ability or identity of any kind and all students should be given the

chance to learn. Music education should also begin as early as possible. It should be a part of the

curriculum in all schools with extra-curricular opportunities also available. Schools have a

responsibility to provide students from kindergarten to twelfth grade with access to music

education and reliable teachers to deliver this.

All areas, urban, suburban, and rural, should make music education programs a priority.

You shouldn’t have to live in a certain zip code to be involved in a music program. This is

something easy to overlook in urban schools as they often struggle with overcrowding, a lack of

funding, and below-average test scores. However, this is all the more reason to include music in

schools because it can help combat the academic struggles and provide an outlet to students who

do not have secure housing or live in an area with a lot of crime.

 Behnke 2

Teaching needs to be responsive to individual students’ needs. Equity should be a

primary concern as teachers work to make the experience of music education as meaningful as

possible to students of all backgrounds and abilities. A teacher should also be willing to put time

into planning small group sessions. This would allow the teaching to be much more personalized

to address areas of concern and build confidence in students. Knowing students as individual

musicians will allow teachers to pick music that taps into their strengths and addresses their

weaknesses.

Teaching music is a process that requires a deep knowledge or the willingness to learn

subjects that would be beneficial to your students. This means that instruction should be

culturally relevant. The teacher must first know their students and find out who they are.

Students should be exposed to many different styles of music and understand the cultural

significance of them. This also means that a teacher should take the time to know each child and

find out who they are. By building relationships, a teacher is able to create a program that

reflects their individual cultures and backgrounds. The diversity of the school population should

be represented by the type of music played and the composers studied. The teacher also has a

responsibility to paint their room with images that are meant to inspire all students. This could

include having pictures of white and colored musicians, and also pictures representing men and

women in music.

In the past, these goals have often been overlooked by teachers. Many see building a

music program as a way to simply make good music. However, by providing a high-quality

music education, a responsiveness to all students, and a culturally relevant teaching style, the

teacher may be able to equitably build all students into well-rounded musicians and people.