Music is an integral part of children’s development so they may become high functioning

members of society. To be able to achieve that success, however, the students must be able to

express themselves holistically. As students move through their education in music, not only do

they grow as musicians, but as people as well. Giving students the tools to see the world through

the lens of an artist will give them more tools to be successful in the world around them.

The classroom is a place for children of all ages to expand the pool of knowledge that

their brains can hold. It is a sacred space that needs to be built in just the right way to optimize

the process through which the students learnwhat is being taught. This carefully created space is

what I believe allows for students to open their minds and absorb all of the material.

My classroom will be organized such that every piece of music, every folder, and every

chair will have a place. When things are in disarray, it takes time away from rehearsal. Students

will help with the organization process by putting everything back in its place at the end of the

day. Having every member of an ensemble is important. Every student will have a schedule for

the academic year as soon as I have cleared our dates with the school, so my students have time

to section out those days ahead of time with their work places/parents.

Music education should be a place in which every student feels safe. Without the

students feeling 100% secure in what they are doing, they will not open their minds to ideas

outside of their comfort zone and will not feel able to interact with other students in a pleasant,

constructive manner. Teamwork is something that students will never escape. Music is an

activity that takes some of the stress out of learning to work in teams, but also reinforces the idea

of self-discipline, and of having to show up prepared to rehearse with parts learned. Music can

influence the student’s overall character as a person, so they are able to work with other students
or coworkers after they graduate. With a strong moral character built through music, students can

move through the world demonstrating a solid sense of right and wrong.

Students should be able to express themselves in a way that is cathartic. Too many times

musicians suppress their emotions, which can have dangerous effects on their mental and

physical health. Taking music classes gives students the power to express themselves in a

positive way. Without that positive way to express themselves, students could do things that

could very easily cause difficulty in all aspects in of their life.

Besides the abilities of music to build the extra-musical skills of self-expression,

discipline, and character, the knowledge and content of music itself is important. You need to

somehow bridge the paragraphs above, all talking about emotion and character, with the more

practical words in these paragraphs about content of what is taught. You don’t have to use my

suggested sentence, but you do need to add something to bridge the gap. My students will be

taught the basics of theory. Theory is an integral part of what we do as musicians, and I believe

that everyone should understand the simpler parts of theory. It’s a dense subject, but not every

part of it needs to be understood to make music.

My students will be also be versed in many genres of music. Often times, directors focus

on one specific genre they like. Exposure to all different kinds of music gives students an

appreciation for things that are outside their comfort zone of music that they listen to and sing

outside of class, while incorporating more familiar songs that occur every year to give students

something to look forward to.

My classroom, with the statements above, will be the best way for me to teach my

students the wonders of music. With everything above in mind, I believe that my students will

flourish and grow as not only musicians, but human beings.