Running Head: Philosophy of Music Education

Philosophy of Music Education

Camille Watson
Westminster Choir College of Rider University

Philosophy of Music Education

Philosophy of Music Education

The teaching profession is unique because in the process of becoming a teacher, we have
also had the experience of being a student. So, by the time our college education is complete, we
have already been in our workplace for 17 years! While attending school, we learn what we like
and dislike about our teachers and the ways in which they teach. There are those few occasions
when we connect with a teacher that touches our hearts and changes our lives for the better.
Often, these are the teachers who inspire us to want to become teachers ourselves.
I am experiencing an interesting transition as I go from being a student for so long, to
learning how to become a teacher. After taking my first critical pedagogy class, I have started to
develop my own personal beliefs about music education and why it is important for every
student. Confucius once said, Music produces a kind of pleasure which human nature cannot do
without (AOSA). Confucius was right. Music education allows students to express themselves
and give them opportunities to grow emotionally, physically, and mentally. However, I
personally believe that learning music is not only important because it makes our soul feel good,
but it is also teaches important, universal concepts that can be applied in all areas of life. In a
study done by Arts Education Partnership, it was found that music education can prepare
students to learn, facilitate academic achievement, and develop the creative capacities for
lifelong success (Music Matters, 2012, pg. 2). In this study, music has been found to enhance
memory; Musicians are found to have superior working memory compared to non-musicians.
Musicians are better able to sustain mental control during memory and recall tasks, most likely
as a result of their long term musical training (Berti et al., 2006; Pallesen et al., 2010, pg. 3).
This is just one of the many examples of how music education can be beneficial to students

Philosophy of Music Education

learning. Musics value can be transferrable to so many different aspects of life, which is why it
matters, and should be a part of every students curriculum.
Music education is unique in that it is very social. It develops team-building skills that are
necessary to function in society. The goal of music education is not to produce music majors; it is
to produce self-reflective students. Music students are able to develop many social skills by
having to work cooperatively with others. This is especially true in ensembles when students
communicate verbally and non-verbally with their conductor as well as with each other. So, even
if a student does not want to pursue music as their career, they can still gain skills that will help
them be successful throughout their life, regardless of what they choose to do. Ive always been
one to believe that what we learn in school prepares us to become educated, progressive
members of society. A philosopher named John Dewey would agree with me. He believed,
Education should guide people to use their diverse gifts and talents for productive interactive
lives in order to promote a progressive society that values freedom, individualism and the overall
betterment of society (Kirylo, 2013, p. 30).
Music has the power to connect to so many different aspects of life, which is why it is so
important to teach. One standard of music education that resonates well with this philosophy
would be in the Connect section of the NAfME National Music Standards. It reads,
MU:Cn11.0.T.IIIa: Demonstrate understanding of relationships between music and other arts,
other disciplines, varied contexts, and daily life ("2014 Music Standards (Ensemble)", 2014).
In Frank Abrahams article, The Application of Critical Pedagogy to Music Teaching and
Learning, he explains how the connection between music education and the outside world can be
a revelation for students. He writes,

Philosophy of Music Education

[Critical pedagogy] places music into a social, political and cultural context that results
in a connection of what Freire calls word,which in our case is the music, toworld.
In the end, students and their teachers attain a level of conscientization. In other
words, they know that they know. When this type of transformation happens, and
self-knowledge results in a moment of Aha! a feeling of revelation one may claim
that music learning has occurred (Abrahams, 2005, pg. 8).
People often confuse music with black dots and lines on a page. It is not something one can
hold. Rather, it is something that has deeper meaning, touches emotion, and is used to tell
historical and cultural stories. Understanding this connection between oneself and the outside
world is critical in music education. It takes a dedicated teacher to guide students in
understanding this connection.
Philosophy of Teaching
As a student, I typically found myself thinking more about how my teachers would
teach, rather than focusing on the content being taught. I studied how teachers would speak, their
body language, and how they presented the content. I have always been interested in how a
person can captivate a group of people and teach them something. And, it greatly upsets me
when a teacher or presenter is unable to convey their thoughts or the material in an effective way.
As a future music educator, it is frustrating when I see a teacher lecture students until they go
cross-eyed, when I know there are many other more effective ways to get their message across. A
teachers knowledge is only as valuable as their effectiveness to teach it. From what Ive learned
in my critical pedagogy class, students retain knowledge better when material is presented in
creative, interactive ways. No matter what is taught in music, whether it be music history, theory,
or how to play the maraca, one must teach it in creative, interactive ways.

Philosophy of Music Education

However, before any kind of learning can take place, I believe teachers need to develop a
healthy relationship with the students. In Case Studies in Music Education (Abrahams & Head,
2005) there is one case study in which a teachers morals were challenged when she found out
that her class virtuoso admitted to drinking alcohol on the school tour. The teacher was shocked
that her leading virtuoso would have been in the room with alcohol, and she was eager to prove
her innocent (Abrahams; Head, 2005, pg. 90). If I were the teacher in this situation, I would
have explained to the class virtuoso that she would receive the same consequences as any other
student would. Everyone should be treated fairly, whether they are the class virtuoso or not. If
the teacher in this situation treated the class virtuoso with favoritism, it would be difficult for the
other students to continue to trust and respect the teacher. Once this trust has been broken, it
would be difficult to maintain a healthy student-teacher relationship, which is so necessary when
making music together.
In high school, I took a marketing class with a teacher I highly respected. When it came to
classroom management, his rules was incredibly strict but reasonable. The rules were the rulesno exceptions. He held every person accountable, so even the best student in the class could not
get away with breaking a rule. He balanced his strict set of rules with his funny, friendly
personality. His lessons were always creative and interactive. His standards were high, but
because he was fair as well as friendly, he was respected. Everyone ended up wanting to
participate in class for an intrinsic reason, not for an external reward. With his marketing
background, he also understood that it was absolutely necessary to present material in a
captivating way. The fonts, pictures, and quotes he used in presentations, and the way he used his
body language while presenting, all contributed to making learning interesting. All this
contributed to making classroom management in his class easy. I will use his classroom

Philosophy of Music Education

management and presentation of material as a model for my own teaching. In this way, I will
earn the respect of my students, which will lead to a healthy student-teacher relationship.
Music connects students to the world in a way that no other subject can. And, by learning
this word to world connection, music students learn many transferable skills that can be
applied to their everyday lives. Without a dedicated teacher who utilizes creative and effective
teaching methods, these valuable connections and skills would be more difficult to obtain. Before
this learning can take place, however, a level of respect between the teacher and students needs
to be established. As a music student, I have experienced the positive influences music has had in
my everyday life. It is my mission to creatively teach music to my students so that I can have a
positive effect on their futures.

Philosophy of Music Education

References

2014 Music Standards (Ensemble). (2014). Retrieved December 2, 2016, from

http://www.nafme.org/wp-content/files/2014/11/2014-Music-Standards-Ensemble-Strand.pdf
Abrahams, F. (2005). The application of critical pedagogy to music teaching and learning.
Visions of Research in Music Education, 6. Retrieved from http://www.rider.edu/~vrme
Abrahams, F., & Head, P. (2005). Case studies in music education (2nd ed.) 90. Chicago: GIA
Publications.
American Orff-Schulwerk Association. (2016, November 2-5). Retrieved December 11, 2016,
from http://aosa.org/music-quotes/confucius/
Berti, S., et al. (2006). Different Interference Effects in Musicians and a Control Group.
Experimental Psychology, 53(2), 111-116
Kirylo, J. D. (2013). A Critical Pedagogy of Resistance: 34 pedagogues we need to know.
Rotterdam: Sense
Music Matters. (2012, August). Retrieved December 4, 2016, from http://www.aep-arts.org/wpcontent/uploads/2012/08/Music-Matters-Final.pdf
Pallesen, K. J., et al. (2010). Cognitive Control in Auditory Working Memory Is Enhanced in
Musicians. PLoS ONE 5(6): e11120.
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