As a music educator, the contents of Standard 4 are implemented into our music learning and

teaching constantly. Having the knowledge and ability to implement music listening, analyzing,
description, and performance at all times are crucial to my own learning, and the musical
learning that I can support my students through. If I implement these concepts continuously
within my teaching, students will grow exponentially in their musical abilities.

Throughout my musical experiences, I have had countless opportunities to listen to, analyze,
describe, and perform music. Daily, in rehearsals, the classroom, and personal practice, I am
constantly using these different tools to aid in my development of the music making experience.
Listening to music is an important building block for the other aspects of Standard 4. Listening
to music provides a model of what our performance sounds like, what the specific issues or
enticing parts of the piece, and what mood is being displayed in the performance. Oftentimes, we
tend to listen to music or even conversation, but do are not active in that process. Actively
listening in the music classroom is a crucial starting point, so that students are able to reflect and
analyze what they have just heard, furthering them in the creative process. In my music
education courses in college, Music History and Theory courses have provided building blocks
in developing skills to analyze and describe a variety of musical genres, styles, and periods.
Using the knowledge learned in Music Theory, I can confidently analyze music that I am
learning, rehearsing and performing. In my teaching, I can incorporate the historical context,
musical form and analysis, and textual analysis of a work. By understanding how to analyze
music with these concepts in mind, I am able to describe the music to my students that will
positively impact the learning process of the music, and eventually the performance. In my
undergraduate degree, I had the opportunity to analyze John Rutters For The Beauty of the
Earth, breaking down the form, chordal analysis, expressive considerations, conducting patterns,
and textual use. This project, along with future analyses of pieces, will allow me to gain a better
grasp of what characteristics are within a piece, that will impact the music learning. Music
performance, to me, is a culmination of music listening, analysis, and description. Performance is
one endpoint that comes through the incorporation of these concepts, resulting in a final creation
of the art. I have been fortunate to have had over 150 public performance opportunities in my
undergraduate career, and have continued performing in community ensembles, to further myself
as a musician. While an emphasis should be put on the learning process more than just a
performance result, a performance opportunity allows for students to combine all that they have
learned, creating one final project. If the teacher does not possess the knowledge and skill
necessary in listening to, analyzing, describing, and performing music, there are very limited
possibilities that my students will grow in their abilities to do so.

Students begin listening, analyzing and describing what they hear, and performing from an early
age, and can continue that process throughout their formal music education, and onwards.
Listening is often one of the first tools that students are introduced to in a music classroom. Call
and responses activities in elementary school, or simply just listening to a song, provides
students with an idea of what the music that they will eventually make can sound like. Listening
activities can aid students in their confidence, even before the lesson begins, so that they have
some prior knowledge before beginning to practice the music. Analysis and description are
useful to students for comprehension, so that they gain insight on why and how the music that
they are learning is made, and with what purposes they are learning it for. These tools of analysis
and description allow for students to reflect and collaborate on aspects of the music that may not
be on the page, or may be on the page and will enhance their music learning and making
experience. Performing music, as previously stated, is often seen as an end goal in the learning
process for students. While this does provide students with an objective, they should understand
that the learning process, and the prior listening, description, and analysis were necessary so that
they are able to reach that point. All four concepts allow for students to think critically, in a
singular and collaborative fashion, and gain insight on what may not be clearly put in front of
them. Listening, analyzing, describing and performing music are incredible aspects in the
musical process to aid students in their development as informed musicians.

Music listening, analysis, description, and performance are concepts that should, and are
constantly integrated into lessons in my classroom. The use of the four aspects allow for students
to be aware, reflective, and informed throughout the learning process. I will continue to discover
new and engaging ways of incorporating listening, analyzing, describing, and performing into
my classroom, to aid in the development of young musicians.