Philosophy of Music Education
University
of Wisconsin Oshkosh
April
11, 2003
Music has been an
integral part of my life since I was young. My earliest experiences include
piano lessons which began in 1st grade and participation in church choirs. At
the age of 11, I was started on the bassoon and continued playing this
instrument through college. During my high school years I was involved in
concert, marching, and pep band. Each year I participated in solo/ensemble
which included solos, duets, quintets, and wind ensembles. Not only did I enjoy
the bassoon, I also pursued voice and guitar while participating in choir,
madrigal and swing choir.
During my years in
college I was fortunate to be selected for the UW-Oshkosh Wind Ensemble, the
UW-Oshkosh Orchestra, and the Oshkosh Community Orchestra. During my
post-college years I chose to teach music to students in my community and the
surrounding area in several ways. First would be my love for the piano. In the
past 10 years I taught 25 to 40 students yearly, ages 4 to 80. I accompanied
Lutheran and Catholic church services, funerals, weddings and church choirs. I
accompanied solo-ensemble entries at local, district and state levels, and high
school music concerts and competitions. Second, I taught several beginning
bassoonists in the area when band director's sought assistance. Currently I am
teaching part-time general music at a pre-kindergarten through 6th grade
catholic school in Clintonville.
Through the above
experiences I feel I have an excellent music teacher background and I want to
further pursue my music education degree. Current class work has helped me
towards a degree and assisted me with my current teaching assignment.
Just as music has
been an integral part of my life I believe it needs to be an integral part of
the life of students and adults today. This should include students with
disabilities (mental handicaps, sensory impairments, physical handicaps, or
chronic health problems). Music should be taught as early as Pre-K through 12th
grade and not stop there. Music needs to remain in our life as we get older.
Which leads us to a controversial issue facing many communities today. I am
very supportive of the statement "Kids who study Music do better in school
and in Life". Students in music show higher math scores. Childhood music
lessons actually enlarge the brain, music students score higher SAT scores, and
substance abuse is lowest in music students. Music also shows benefits of teamwork
(working together in bands, choirs and ensembles), self-discipline
(practicing), artistic expression, and abstract thinking. These different areas
are essential to a well-rounded individual.
I believe that in
our changing world of increased diversity and awareness we must also provide
cultural learning to our music curriculum. Using our music studies with other
areas around school helps the student see things on a bigger picture. Students
need to understand music from other cultures to broaden their multicultural
awareness. Music is important to all cultures of the world, not just the United
States.
Finally, teachers
should vary what they teach. A list of music standards will probably include:
interdisciplinary ideals, multiculturalism in music, appreciation of music
history, and music theory. Students should be given more opportunities to learn
different things rather than to fall into boredom from repetitive, mundane
lessons.
In conclusion I
feel an excellent music teacher requires the following qualifications:
- ambition
- perseverance
- patience
- a strong music background
- a love for music
- organizational skills
- communication skills
- and a love for children!
Learning to Play.
(1999). Can music really make your child smarter? [Brochure]. NAMM