Music Education Philosophy Paper I Believe Rebecca Allen January 28, 2013 ED3601

What is music? Who should learn music? Should it be taught in schools? Who should teach it? Why do we need it? When developing ones own music philosophy these questions are asked over and over. After much thought and reflection on my own experiences in music I have come up with the most relevant answers to the questions above, and have evidence from other musicians and authors that these answers are appropriate for our contemporary society. The following ideas are my own beliefs about Music Education. The most important part of music education that I believe in is that students need to start their music education at a young age. In a study completed by Frances H. Raucher and her colleagues did a study on preschool students who were given weekly piano lessons and they linked this practice to the development of their memory and temporal area of their brain. Through the various tests that were completed the students showed great strides in many of the memory and spatialthinking activities. (Rauscher, 1997). Music training causes long-term enhancement of pre-school children's spatial-temporal reasoning. Music in elementary education is also a great social tool, it helps students develop confidence in singing or playing instruments in front if the peers and teachers and it allows the students to learn that it is okay to be creative and different. Each day in my PSI placement (in a first grade class) I sang a simple hello song with the students. The difference between how the students sang it from the first day we sang it to the last was astounding! Singing the names of their peers helped them connect with new friends and students that they had perhaps never

really spoken to before. Teaching students to develop this confidence in their voice and musical skill is important as they travel through elementary into secondary school. I believe that all students have the right to a music education. Music has something for everyone to learn, and it depends on the teacher and the student to decide what to take from music. Music can also be taught in many different ways. I believe that teachers need to try many methods of music education so that students can discover what they love. There are so many wonderful aspects of music education that can be taught and learnedtheory, aural skills, how to play an instrument, how to sing, the history, the composers, and genres. Music educators have the somewhat daunting albeit exciting job of introducing their students to as many different aspects of music that they can, there is something for everyone! Music should not just be available to students in a private studio or conservatorythese can be costly for parents and can have very strict views on how much should be taught. I believe that students should have access to affordable music in public schools because that way all students have a chance to experience it. Personally I do not know where I might be had it not been for music education in my schools. As a child who moved a great deal with my family, I could always count on my new music class as a place to challenge myself and meet new people. No matter what city I lived in, I could count on finding other students that were just as driven as myself to excel at our instruments or our choral parts. These friendships have lasted a lifetime and I cherish our similarities. 3

I believe that music educators are different than most other teachers. Music Educators should have a great love for what they dohow could they not? Music is not just a subject that is taught in school, it has a direct emotional tie to the heart and soul of a person. A music teacher is special because they have been a performer for most of their lives, and they understand the work that must go into a piece of music in order for it to be accessible to those who are listening. This is not a skill that can simply be taught. There is a great deal of hard work that goes into not only learning a piece of music, but giving that piece extra magic that brings it to life. A music teacher should be a lifelong learnersomeone who is willing to try different teaching methods and styles and always striving for excellence, not only for their program, but for themselves too. I believe that students should learn about many different kinds of music at a young age. There are a lot of studies based on The Mozart Effect, which is the practice of playing classical music, Mozart, in particular to babies to help their brains develop (Cunningham, 1998). As interesting an idea this is, I believe that students should also be exposed to other types of music, such as world music and popular music. These other genres are just as important I think because they are of the aural tradition and teaching students a simple melody by ear is a great method and also an important skill for students to have. Steve Giddings talks about this idea in his paper, Popular music is an aural tradition. Most popular musicians rely on their ears and memories more than classical musicians or even jazz musicians. Many famous rock musicians cannot read music but have fantastic ears.

Playing popular music in the schools would put a much bigger emphasis on aural training and dictation which are very important skills that the traditional instrumental program often neglects. There were many instances during rehearsal with The Afterhours [authors band] where we would mention a song that one of the guitarists wouldn't know. Because of the amazing ears of the members in the band, the songs were able to be learned quickly with surprising accuracy. All of us can read music but there is no reason why we should and why we would have to with rock music.(Giddings, 2008) An interesting method of introducing music to young children is the Kodaly method. This method is designed to teach children to be completely music-literate. Kodaly wanted children to grow into music performing adults who could simply look at a score and understand what it sounded like and how it should be played.

Kodaly based his method on the child-developmental approach rather than the subject-logic approach. In the child-developmental approach there is a sequence within an academic discipline that organizes the subject matter into patterns that follow the natural learning abilities of the child at various stages of development. The content is taught in the sequence in which the child learns. (Lane, 2006) I believe that it is very important for young students to learn how to enjoy music before they are taught the complicated concepts of theory and note value. I was placed in Kodaly classes at the age of 3 and quickly learned that music is a fun and inviting place, where a child can explore their creativity and imagination. As a future teacher I would want to build this sense of fun and joy in all of my students, regardless of age.

I also strongly believe in the Orff program, which has a foundation in listening skills. The Canadian composer R. Murray Schaffer strongly believed in using Orff in school programs. It has strong roots in folk and traditional music that can introduce students to different sounds and compositions. As a future music teacher I will use the Orff foundations in my classrooms to help students with improvisation skills and aural skills. The music curriculum should include just as much general music as playing music. Students should have the opportunity to try their hand at composition, to have a deeper understanding of musical theory, and to learn about the composers who wrote the music that they are performing. All of these skills combined with performing can lead to a full appreciation of music as a whole. When students are given the chance to try more things than just perform, they find other aspects of music that interest them. I think this is very important because music is not just about playing an instrument or singing. Music is about expressing yourself and finding your passion. Music does not have just one purpose- it has the ability to influence many subject areas and topics and has an important place in many aspects of life. Raucher et al discovered that there is a link between memory duration, spatial-temporal reasoning in students that had been exposed to classical music (Mozart Sonata K. 448) or had been taking piano lessons. This creates a link to subjects such as math or science because many students have difficulties in the areas of proportions and spatial awareness, which are heavily used in both subjects. (Raucher, 1997) In North America schools put a great deal of importance on classes in math, science, and

languages but music can help in those areas as well. Vitale also states that music makes students smarter by development of problem-solving skills and out-of-thebox thinking. (Vitale, 2011) I believe that when students are in a music program they learn so many skills that will help them not only in other subjects but help them in every day tasks. Skills such as organization, discipline, patience, and goal setting are all attributes that are commonly used in the music room. If students are exposed to some music lessons every week in schools I believe that they will not only develop a general love of music but that they will also develop these vital skills that will help them in all areas of their lives. For example: when a student begins playing Trumpet in the school band, he or she is expected to practice on their own for a certain amount of time a week. This practicing will require time management skills, organizational skills and patience. As a student who has ADHD I found music to help with my focus. In my other courses I always had a difficult time with keeping my focus on my work or the task at hand and teachers would become quite frustrated with my work and me. However, once I got into the band room I was the most focused student there. Music and Music teachers do not expect a moderate amount of effort from their students they expect 100% of your hard work, every class. This taught me to strive for my best effort, to work as hard as I could, and to be the best performer I could be. I have taken this work ethic with me into my other areas of study, and found I no longer needed medication, because music and its practice taught me other ways to monitor my behavior.

After reading Edwin Wasiaks Making a Case for Instrumental Music in Canadian Schools I foresee a great number of challenges that come with being a music teacher in our world today. There are budget cuts in the school boards, increasing class and school sizes, and money is tight for a lot of people in our country. Music always seems to be cut first because it is not as practical as math, science and language classes. But music is good for the soul. It helps create imaginative people who are confident in their talents, people who could go on to help create wonderful solutions in our ever changing world. Above all, I believe that the implications that music education brings with it are positive, helpful, and very much needed when times are difficult. As I am not a teacher just yet, I have so many dreams and goals that I have yet to put into practice. I am very much looking forward to trying new methods and ideas in my classroom and constantly changing my Music Education Philosophy.

Cunningham, D. (1998, Oct 19). Roll over Beethoven and tell sesame street the news: Classical music may make babies and adults smarter and more serene [Mozart effect CD]. BC Report, 9, 38-38. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/207175152?accountid=12063

Giddings, S. (2008). POPULAR MUSIC EDUCATION: A different type of musicianship. The Canadian Music Educator, 49(3), 31-35. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/231067124?accountid=12063 Lane, M. A. (2006). Teaching children to read music: A comparison of two methods for elementary music teachers. The Canadian Music Educator, 48(1), 39-43. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/231202743?accountid=1206 John, L. V. (2011). Music makes you smarter: A new paradigm for music education? Perceptions and perspectives from four groups of elementary education stakeholders. Canadian Journal of Education, 34(3), 317-343. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/903202577?accountid=12063 Rauscher, F. (1997). Music training causes long-term enhancement of pre-school children's spatial-temporal reasoning. Neurological Research, 19, 2-7.