Philosophy of Education (Spring 2014)
I believe every person should be educated. Every person has the right to discover their full potential and gain the skills and knowledge required to fulfill it through an accessible and equitable education. As a progressivist, I believe anyone should be able to pursue the knowledge that satisfies their needs and interests through methods that best suit them and in a time frame that works to their benefit.
A progressivist curriculum is designed to meet student’s individual needs and interests. My teaching philosophy is guided by a content centered approach known as Comprehensive Musicianship through Performance as well as experience based learning. Through providing students with direct and authentic musical experiences (performing, analyzing, and creating within a breadth of musical variety), I will be able to provide them with the knowledge and skill sets necessary to participate in music at a level and in a format they desire.
The importance of an education is to create a society that can sustain itself through the varied contributions of its individuals and work towards improving our quality of life through advancing areas of common interests. The importance of an education that can fulfill one’s unique personal desires is a large part of that and also nurtures our humanity and lets us grow as individuals. The world exists on such large-scale, complex systems that working together is more critical than ever before. We need to acknowledge the value in the wide array of skills and attributes we all bring to the table. When we allow students to be active participants in the structuring of their curriculum, they become life-long learners who take ownership of their education.
A progressivist curriculum is designed to meet student’s individual needs and interests. My teaching philosophy is guided by a content centered approach known as Comprehensive Musicianship through Performance as well as experience based learning. Through providing students with direct and authentic musical experiences (performing, analyzing, and creating within a breadth of musical variety), I will be able to provide them with the knowledge and skill sets necessary to participate in music at a level and in a format they desire.
The importance of an education is to create a society that can sustain itself through the varied contributions of its individuals and work towards improving our quality of life through advancing areas of common interests. The importance of an education that can fulfill one’s unique personal desires is a large part of that and also nurtures our humanity and lets us grow as individuals. The world exists on such large-scale, complex systems that working together is more critical than ever before. We need to acknowledge the value in the wide array of skills and attributes we all bring to the table. When we allow students to be active participants in the structuring of their curriculum, they become life-long learners who take ownership of their education.
Purpose of Education (Spring 2014)
My purpose of education is to provide students with a medium for discovering and growing the skills and knowledge they need to make positive contributions to the world around them and enjoy the full person that they are and have the potential to be; academically, socially, creatively. I can direct this learning in a music curriculum. Through experiences in creating, performing, listening to, and discussing music, students under my care will be given the opportunity to discover and fulfill their academic potential as well as their aesthetic/social needs and interests, on an individual basis.
Philosophy of Music Education (Fall 2012)
A well-formed philosophy is the cornerstone of a career in education. It should be concise yet encompassing. An educator’s philosophy will change over their career, but at any given point in time they must be steadfast in their philosophy and conduct themselves and their classroom accordingly. A strong philosophy provides direction and consistency for a teacher’s decisions, which in the end is most important because it is our decisions that will be impacting our students every day. As a music educator I have a philosophy regarding the value and purpose of education as a whole and an equally important philosophy for the value and purpose of music education as well. These general education philosophies of what I teach, how I teach, how I treat my students, and how I measure progress intertwine with my music philosophies of what is music’s meaning, purpose, and what is “good” music to guide my daily decisions.
Education is a public service that should provide everyone the equal opportunities to become successful (in whatever way they define that word for themselves). For this to be accomplished, two major components must be in place which are the responsibility of the school. One, students must have a positive, comfortable, supportive environment in which to learn. This is a major vehicle for equal education opportunities. This is achieved through multicultural education practices, which is a whole other philosophy in itself. Two, students have to be supplied with a diverse curriculum that allows them to explore this themselves, this world, and all of the areas they can develop skills and knowledge in. Providing these two components to my students’ education is how I will play my part in giving them a life of continued success. I will make sure every student experiences academic success in my classroom by expecting and reinforcing excellence, but also by setting them up through a carefully sequenced curriculum that allows for success from day one and every class that follows and builds from there.
Music is obviously a hugely significant part of world history and culture and belongs in every curriculum K-12. Every person needs music education. Music is physically, mentally, and emotionally engaging. It gives people the opportunity to express themselves, create something original, understand others, make real-world connections to other subjects, and function at the height of their unique, human capability. Music has inseparable ties to history, language, culture, math, literature, art, and almost any other academic subject. It embodies all that is considered essential in a necessary academic education. Therefore, music is the core of a core curriculum.
Students need ample opportunities to find places they can excel. Music is a door to careers, hobbies, and passions. All students deserve music education as a means to understand and participate in the large part of culture and history that is music. Music classes are a place where every child can experience success and much of this success is relative to one’s self not a prescribed government standard. Whether a student values knowledge, skills, or aesthetics, music education can satisfy them.
Music classes at any age can offer an unparalleled (and extremely overlooked) amount of direction, self-exploration, and personal responsibility that almost all students are desperately looking for during their transition from child to adult. These classes offer students ample opportunities outside of the normal curriculum to discover areas in which they can excel. Music classes can improve students’ interpersonal skills and develop their affective domain while simultaneously engaging them mentally and physically.
Music is the most ubiquitous academic subject I can think of. I can go all day without blatantly encountering math, science, or history. I would have to lock myself in a box to avoid encountering music for a day. Students deserve to be able to interpret, make informed judgments of, participate in, and enjoy the music that surrounds them to the fullest extent.
The purpose of music is twofold. It is both aesthetic and utilitarian, which is quite unique. Students can enrich their minds, their bodies, their emotional depth, interpersonal relations, and happiness through a proper comprehensive music education. Music provides this world with an abundant amount of services both practical and artistic. It gives humans a creative outlet, bringing out the natural and unique artist in all of us. It gives society marketing media, film music, patriotism, entertainment, a vast amount of careers, and much more.
Aesthetic value is completely unique to art alone and that alone gives arts and arts education intrinsic value. No, aesthetic experiences do not have a utilitarian purpose, but the result is a richer, more meaningful life. Mastering the art of living should be our ultimate goal and purpose. Through our health, intellect, ethics, faith, and aesthetic cognizance we can reach our full potential of self-actualization. Nothing could be more important.
My philosophy of music education centers around comprehensive musicianship through performance. Students must create and experience music to effectively learn the content. I teach my content through musical compositions from all genres across all eras. This philosophy lends to creating extremely well-rounded students who have a vast array of knowledge, skills, and appreciation for aesthetics in performance, theory, history, etc. I can help to mold students into lifelong seekers of knowledge with a diverse set of necessary skills.
This is my current philosophical perspective of music education based on what I have learned, observed, and experienced these past few years. It will evolve, and it should. For now though, I guide myself firmly by these ideas I hold to be my truth because I believe they will best benefit my students. My decisions based off my philosophy will provide them with the skills and knowledge they need for a life of success as well as provide them with aesthetic education to assist them in achieving their full, unique, human potential.
Sources:
Collins, Don L. (1999). Teaching Choral Music, Chapter 3: Developing a Philosophical Basis for Teaching Choral
Music, 46-67.
Reimer, Bennett. (1971). Aesthetic Behaviors in Music Towards an Aesthetic Education. MENC, 65-87.
Education is a public service that should provide everyone the equal opportunities to become successful (in whatever way they define that word for themselves). For this to be accomplished, two major components must be in place which are the responsibility of the school. One, students must have a positive, comfortable, supportive environment in which to learn. This is a major vehicle for equal education opportunities. This is achieved through multicultural education practices, which is a whole other philosophy in itself. Two, students have to be supplied with a diverse curriculum that allows them to explore this themselves, this world, and all of the areas they can develop skills and knowledge in. Providing these two components to my students’ education is how I will play my part in giving them a life of continued success. I will make sure every student experiences academic success in my classroom by expecting and reinforcing excellence, but also by setting them up through a carefully sequenced curriculum that allows for success from day one and every class that follows and builds from there.
Music is obviously a hugely significant part of world history and culture and belongs in every curriculum K-12. Every person needs music education. Music is physically, mentally, and emotionally engaging. It gives people the opportunity to express themselves, create something original, understand others, make real-world connections to other subjects, and function at the height of their unique, human capability. Music has inseparable ties to history, language, culture, math, literature, art, and almost any other academic subject. It embodies all that is considered essential in a necessary academic education. Therefore, music is the core of a core curriculum.
Students need ample opportunities to find places they can excel. Music is a door to careers, hobbies, and passions. All students deserve music education as a means to understand and participate in the large part of culture and history that is music. Music classes are a place where every child can experience success and much of this success is relative to one’s self not a prescribed government standard. Whether a student values knowledge, skills, or aesthetics, music education can satisfy them.
Music classes at any age can offer an unparalleled (and extremely overlooked) amount of direction, self-exploration, and personal responsibility that almost all students are desperately looking for during their transition from child to adult. These classes offer students ample opportunities outside of the normal curriculum to discover areas in which they can excel. Music classes can improve students’ interpersonal skills and develop their affective domain while simultaneously engaging them mentally and physically.
Music is the most ubiquitous academic subject I can think of. I can go all day without blatantly encountering math, science, or history. I would have to lock myself in a box to avoid encountering music for a day. Students deserve to be able to interpret, make informed judgments of, participate in, and enjoy the music that surrounds them to the fullest extent.
The purpose of music is twofold. It is both aesthetic and utilitarian, which is quite unique. Students can enrich their minds, their bodies, their emotional depth, interpersonal relations, and happiness through a proper comprehensive music education. Music provides this world with an abundant amount of services both practical and artistic. It gives humans a creative outlet, bringing out the natural and unique artist in all of us. It gives society marketing media, film music, patriotism, entertainment, a vast amount of careers, and much more.
Aesthetic value is completely unique to art alone and that alone gives arts and arts education intrinsic value. No, aesthetic experiences do not have a utilitarian purpose, but the result is a richer, more meaningful life. Mastering the art of living should be our ultimate goal and purpose. Through our health, intellect, ethics, faith, and aesthetic cognizance we can reach our full potential of self-actualization. Nothing could be more important.
My philosophy of music education centers around comprehensive musicianship through performance. Students must create and experience music to effectively learn the content. I teach my content through musical compositions from all genres across all eras. This philosophy lends to creating extremely well-rounded students who have a vast array of knowledge, skills, and appreciation for aesthetics in performance, theory, history, etc. I can help to mold students into lifelong seekers of knowledge with a diverse set of necessary skills.
This is my current philosophical perspective of music education based on what I have learned, observed, and experienced these past few years. It will evolve, and it should. For now though, I guide myself firmly by these ideas I hold to be my truth because I believe they will best benefit my students. My decisions based off my philosophy will provide them with the skills and knowledge they need for a life of success as well as provide them with aesthetic education to assist them in achieving their full, unique, human potential.
Sources:
Collins, Don L. (1999). Teaching Choral Music, Chapter 3: Developing a Philosophical Basis for Teaching Choral
Music, 46-67.
Reimer, Bennett. (1971). Aesthetic Behaviors in Music Towards an Aesthetic Education. MENC, 65-87.