Philosophical Thoughts of Music Education
University
of Wisconsin Oshkosh
April
1, 2002
A world without
the arts would be a dull one indeed. There would be no television or movies
since people wouldn't act. There would be no comics to read because they
involve drawing (creating visual art). No dancing would be allowed (another
visual art). How would we entertain ourselves? There wouldn't even be aural
arts to invigorate our senses. That, perhaps, is the most daunting idea for a
future music educator. Without J.S. Bach, Gabriel Faure, F.J. (Papa) Haydn,
and, to an extent, Arnold Schoenberg, the arts (and the world in general) would
become devoid of a powerful emotional experience. The arts, music in
particular, play an important role in the lives of people around the globe.
Because music is so important, and because children must be taught to see the
magic in the arts, music education is an extremely important calling.
Music is
important, dare I say essential, to all human beings. At first glance, it
appears to only give us a creative or emotional outlet. While this is true,
upon careful consideration, music is so much more. Even though we may not
recognize it, music continually surrounds us and has been woven into the fabric
of our everyday life. One does not notice the scores in movies, elevator music,
or the music in a doctor's waiting room. This music is made to subtly blend
into our awareness and enhance our understanding of what goes on around us.
More importantly, some music is used for specific purposes. For instance, music
therapy has become a well-respected form of treating patients. The calming
influence it exerts over some is a powerful psychological tool. Music, in
general, fills every corner of our waking days and adds, along with the other
arts, a touch of color and excitement to an otherwise lifeless environment. It
is a wonderful device in our lives, one that applies to everyone, everywhere.
Parents want to
provide their children with a well-rounded education. This important task is
given to the school by the parents. Teachers are, in turn, entrusted with the
learning of these children. As teachers, we should feel an enormous amount of
responsibility to our students to provide them with the best we can give them.
A well-rounded education (a liberal arts education) aims to provide students of
every age with the proper knowledge to function and participate in society
outside of school. Society is formed by culture and music is an important
characteristic of cultures worldwide. By simple deduction, one can see how
music should be valuable to a child's education. Unfortunately, due to
circumstances out of the hands of school boards, "extra" programs, as
some think music to be, are being cut due to lack of funding. This is so
detrimental to a well-rounded student. Music is an avenue to express our most
secret thoughts and ideas. It exposes new worlds by opening the door to the
other arts and other academic pursuits. Not providing our young people with a
musical education will limit their otherwise full experience of life. The arts
provide another outlet for our emotions, energies and thoughts
As a music
educator, I just may be biased, but I feel that music should be a core program
in every school. Chorus should not be considered an "extra".
Believing so would put a limit on what musical studies could accomplish in a
students personal life and limiting is exactly what the schools swore they
would never do. Providing a musical education, however thin it may be, will
benefit every student. Through music, one can learn many things. There are, of
course, the musical gains. A child might learn to read musical notation or play
the piano but every student will gain a better appreciation for fine music.
There are the psychological aspects to music. Playing music or composing your
own can, akin to poetry, help the writer express his deepest emotions. Music
can revel and communicate our most secret emotions across every barrier.
The academic
benefits of music are overwhelming. There are studies suggesting music will
make children smarter. This research has been coined "The Mozart
Effect" and is continually being justified and advocated by individuals
nationwide. These people are not "just" music teachers either; they
are ordinary people that have witnessed the power of music in a life. I see
music as an important subject in the schools because of its ability to tie in
to any subject being taught outside of the music classroom. Music can assist in
teaching fractions, foreign languages, and history and still has time to
ingrain individualism, coordination, and teamworki. I believe that a
subject this inclusive, even if it is deemed a "frill", should be
present in the school system. It is an advantage to all students. Unlike
sporting programs, which are still assets to any school, music includes
everyone. At all times, each member of the band is crucial to the success of
the whole. On a sporting team, if a player is in a slump, he may be taken out
of the game, but in music, everyone is a star player. This mentality will boost
the students' self-confidence and self-image.
Because music is
so beneficial to all students, I believe teachers can learn a lesson from this.
All students' profit from music, so each and every one of them deserves a
chance. But when faced with integration of special-needs students, we often
worry about our class as a whole. Music teachers fret over the quality of their
performing ensembles. Yet, with the correct steps taken to make the students'
learning as thorough as possible, the quality of the ensemble can only be
helped. Typically, other students will assist in making the student's
experience in music nothing but positive. This results in a positive learning
environment for every student.
The government, by
law, requires each child to receive a "free and appropriate
education." Teachers are obliged to provide an education that will best
help he child to function normally in society outside of the school. Since
these students often require specialized educational programs tailored to their
needs, teachers need to be involved in making decisions regarding the child's
placement in classes. More often than not, music teachers shy away from this,
thinking it really isn't their placeii. Their involvement with
setting the students' goals will ensure correct placement in a music class
where this child will learn the most and benefit from his or her time spent in
music.
In many states
around the nation, it is not required to have studies the arts for graduation
from high school. This stipulation is resulting in a generation of young people
that, for the most part, have no informed opinions about music. This is truly
unfortunate because music is such a basic part of the culture these students are
living in. We are graduating students without providing them a liberal arts
education. I believe that music should be required for all elementary school
students. Their involvement in music while their minds are developing cannot
hinder their learning. Music is also a fun thing for these children to
participate in. Seeing the joy in little faces as they sing makes one realize
that music is ingrained in us from the start. All little children enjoy making
music yet, as society sees fit; they rob young people of that joy by making
them think it isn't socially acceptable to sing. How wrong they are. In the
higher grades, participating in a musical ensemble should be optional. However,
taking a set number of semesters in fine arts related classes will still give
the students an appreciating of the arts even if they are not studying music.
This brief knowledge will serve the student well in later years.
Music classes
should not be structured only around performing a concert at the end of the
year. Music encompasses so much more than that and, as teachers, we owe our
students knowledge of what all goes on in the world of music. The Music
Educator's National Conference (MENC) has developed a set of national standards
for music teachers as to what each student should know about music. This forces
music teachers to become flexible. Instead of concentrating on performing, the
history and development of music should be given an equal footing in the music
classroom. John Cage was quoted as saying "It is better to make a piece of
music, than to perform one, better to perform one than to listen to one, better
to listen to one than to misuse it as a distraction, entertainment, or
acquisition of culture". I believe that music classrooms should give a
child to experience all of those aspects of music. Students should be able to
compose, perform, listen intelligently, and yes, and use music as an
acquisition of culture.
As to what kind of
music should be taught in the schools, a music teacher has to be flexible.
There are pieces out there that I would consider standard repertoire. Some
would be chosen because of their musical content or their difficulty level,
other pieces for their use in teaching other subject matter. The music teacher
should be picking music not just from the 20th Century but also from the
medieval period if circumstances allow. Music from all over the world is
appropriate as well. Multiculturalism is, in fact, one of the national
standards developed by MENC as a way to encourage diverse learning in the music
classroom. Music is a truly universal subject and learning music of various
cultures enhances a student's acceptance of diversity. One way a teacher can do
this is by selecting pieces that are not from the western tradition. Learning
as music as they can, explore the setting of the piece, what it is used for in
it's native culture, how it has been passed down through generations, and even
what it has in common with western music. Having this armful of knowledge will
help the teacher pass the information along to the students as they study music
from cultures unlike our own. This process increases a student's acceptance of
different people and their respective heritages.
It takes a special
person to aspire to teach music. Just as teachers are special people that
dedicate their lives to teaching others, a music teacher teaches about the
beauty in life. Aesthetics are often under appreciated in society unless one
has an understanding of the arts. A music teacher has the goal to reveal the
magic in the arts to their students. The best teachers are the ones who desire
to make a difference in the life of, if even one, student. The trained music
teacher wants to make a difference through music and expose their student to
more than just the facts. Facts are what make life work; beauty is what makes
life worth living. A music teacher's life has been changed through music and
they are able to show students how music can, in turn, have a profound and
positive influence on their own.
Music is a truly
interactive field of study. It involves the brain and factual learning but it
also encourages the growth of the artistic side that each person possesses. For
that reason, music should be taught by trained music educators wishing to open
new worlds to their students. The study of music will encourage an
understanding of the beauty that surrounds us each day and help students
appreciate what a stunning and diverse world we live in. They will seek to
preserve the finer things in life and help others to see the magic in the arts.
NOTES:
iCassidy, J.W. (l990). Managing in the
Mainstreamed Classroom. Music Educator's Journal, 76(8), 40-43.
iiAtterbury,
Betty W. Mainstreaming Exceptional Learners in Music. New Jersey:
Prentice-Hall, Inc., 1990 (p.12).