Rebecca Pereira Philosophy of Music Education CP I McBride Today, as humanity continues to grow, as civilization continuously develops, the accomplishments

and contributions to mankind have become more important than the people whom they were designed to benefit. Society only seems to further prove its primitive existence. Still, the earth we inhabit will continue to rotate. The incessant ticking of time proves to be greater than anything mankind could ever accomplish. Now, we spend years searching for answers, theorizing, and attempting to prove ourselves worthy of time. What if we stepped outside of the rush for a moment and tried to see what we can do to make ourselves useful, not only to the advancement of society, but in the growth of individuals. To fully appreciate the art of teaching, one must become a life long learner. Understanding our own philosophy of education is the initial step towards knowing who we want to become and what we plan to teach. A good teacher is someone who dabbles into all subjects and is open to different ideas and opinions. It is easy to simply demonstrate to a student how to perform an experiment and have them imitate. The student is without a doubt learning, but ask the student why the chemicals react the way they do or why it matters to them; they won't know what to say. This is why it is essential for a teacher to know the reason for 'why'. For a music teacher to explain to his student why the keys on the piano sound 'lower' or

'higher', a brief knowledge of physics will be required. The teacher must open his mind to the outside world, to be able to provide the most thorough teaching experience for his students. Keeping an open mind also means teachers should understand that what their students have to offer are essential to their own growth as an educator. "The more the teacher refuses to learn with the students, the less the teacher teaches." -Freire Teachers are only going to be able to cater to their classrooms once they understand what their students have to offer and how he can work with what they know and don't. By understanding and learning from them, the educator will understand their interests and will know how to engage them in the material. By creating a more comfortable learning environment, teachers are able to have an easier class with students that are willing to accept new information. Allowing students to make decisions adds another level of responsibility. Students that are allowed to decide the type of assignment are more likely going to dedicate more effort into the task. Knowing each student by name may sometimes seem as impossible as remembering Geometry from the tenth grade four years later. However, it is entirely possible and a simple way to demonstrate involvement in a student's life. When a person in authority knows a student's name, the feeling of individuality apart from the group is certain. Each student in a class will bring with them different backgrounds and life experiences. Proficiency levels will influence the pace and which course materials will

be most necessary. Learning the background of these students is important to not only build a good student-teacher relationship, but to understand means of approaching the subjects in class. Never will two classes be the same, therefore it is the teacher's duty to understand the energy level of the class and which ways of instruction are best. It is imperative that the teacher be confident in what he is presenting. It will be more than likely that young educators will struggle with class management at first. Knowing the material very well is the first step. Once the material is internalized and has meaning to the educator's life, the material will flow out easily. The next step is knowing the appropriate timing for each portion of the lesson. The educator will learn how to do so after being with the class for a while and accessing each individual. Once confidence is built and order is established, teachers will have an much easier time in their classes and they will realize their role as educators in those lives. Why do we teach? What is the role of education? Often we see educators that after receiving their "ten year", seem to forget why it is they began to teach. Difficulties arise and instead of building endurance and seeking alternatives classroom etiquette, they push their procedure onto students. Teachers exist to educate, provide better future citizens, to inspire passion, and provide a unique experience regardless the subject. Education through music is very unique. Music is a part of human nature; it exists as a part of our universe. Even stars pulsate creating sound waves through space. Music is around us in the world, it exists as a means of expression, order, and communication between living creatures. Humans naturally lean towards community,

and to build community people need to connect with each other. Music is one of these means of communication. As Bennett Reimer says, "Music exists as formed sound, expressive of human feeling." Music expresses human feeling; by learning music, students will be able to express themselves. This creates a unique experience because unlike many subjects, the aesthetic experience provided to students allows them to become involved regardless of their level. Though students will be learning about the emotions and feelings evoked through music, it is important to specify that music also requires order, discipline, and collaboration. To have a fine ensemble, the group must be unified and simultaneously working together. This applies to far more areas than music alone. If students are able to learn this in a class, they will learn to apply these skills to other areas of life. In order for an educator to bring a student into their realm of expertise, the educator must first reach out into the world of the student. There won't ever be a class of eleven-year-olds that are all fascinated by Mozart or Bach, instead they will most likely be interested in the music they can sing along to on the radio. It is so important for a music educator place value in the music of the students. They won't be able to connect to anything you introduce unless a bridge between the two worlds is created. Eventually challenging them with more difficult music to learn and listen to will teach them to appreciate what the teacher has to offer. Students should be able to experience music in many different ways. The

experiences provided should introduce different aspects of music, to create an integral learning experience. The creation of music and improvisation is amongst the highest levels of music education. Exposure to different ensembles and immersion along with this observation is critical in the development of skills. The music educator is much more than simply an instructor in front a group of students. This music teacher should be able to provide students with an experience unlike anything they have discovered. To give this to students, it is important that the educator is confident in music and knows that to inspire, they must connect to outside worlds before bringing anyone into their own.

Bibliography:

Swanwick, Keith. A Basis for Music Education. [Windsor]: NFER, 1979. Print.

Reimer, Bennett. A Philosophy of Music Education. 2nd ed. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall, 1989. Print.

Freire, Paulo. Pedagogy of the Oppressed. New York: Continuum, 2003. Print.

Elliott, David James. Music Matters: A New Philosophy of Music Education. New York: Oxford UP, 1995. Print