Hattie Saunders 11/19/20

Philosophy of Music Education

In the words of doctor and philosopher Debasish Mridha, “Music can heal the wounds that
medicine cannot touch.” In my young life, both musically and through the mentoring of powerful
role models, I have come to know the incredible force that music indeed does have in the lives
of young people for creating moments that celebrate unity, diversity, and healing.

One of the formative experiences on my path to becoming a music educator was, in actuality,
the perpetration of an assault in my choir classroom during my junior year. As one might well
imagine, the shock, terror, trauma, and loss of safety that this criminal event inflicted on
everyone left permanent scars. Nonetheless, it was my high school choir director who navigated
these incredibly painful waters for us. I well remember the day after, when our choir director
asked us to sing with her and led us in our show choir ballad that year, “Like Breathing,” from
Edges, an off-Broadway musical. In our show, the song symbolized growing up, and how you
can’t rush it or hold back from it, you just have to let go and “let it be like breathing.”

That day, music became about healing and how we couldn’t rush it, but that we had to let it
happen and eventually move on. At that moment, safety began to return. I have never felt so
loved, cherished, and safe in all of my life, despite the worst of human experiences occurring
just hours prior. From this wisdom, I know that I have the ability to make my students feel the
same love and safety that my teacher provided me that day. In addition, I know that music can
have the same effect on a student if something is happening in a student’s life that I know
nothing about; I know that music can make them feel safe in a scary world.

As a music teacher, I hope to not only be a source of knowledge for my students, but also a role
of encouragement and support in their academic and personal endeavors. I hope for curious
learners that ask thoughtful questions to make others (including myself) think critically about
music and beyond. I hope to provide my students with the tools they need to become lifelong
music learners, giving them the avenues to pursue any musical endeavor they want, regardless
of their future professions, hobbies, or lifestyles.

In terms of curriculum, I plan to teach students about classical, jazz, musical theatre, hip-hop,
and pop music and the different cultures these genres developed from, in addition to the music
theory behind these works. Using my research in trauma-informed music education, I plan to
incorporate many songwriting projects into my lessons to give my students the avenues to
express themselves in a musical and therapeutic way. Additionally, I will use my research of
music as a means of social justice and relate this to the cultures and historical contexts of the
varying genres of music we will explore. Through these entry points, my career will be to unify
my diverse students and bring the world together through the healing power of music, one
student at a time.