MY PHILOSOPHY OF MUSIC

EDUCATION
Mr. Drake Middleton

VOCAL AND INSTRUMENTAL EMPHASIS

KANSAS STATE UNIVERSITY (2022)
BUTLER COMMUNITY COLLEGE (2020)
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It is my belief that every human being is capable to learn and grow. I think it is vital for
humanity to be educated on the past, present, and looking towards the future. This is how we
learn and grow from our mistakes; so, we don’t repeat them. By having a well-rounded
education, each student is given an opportunity to choose their own path and contribute to
society. Education is a constantly changing profession where needs are assessed, and problems
are solved. Education needs to be guided like a roadmap; we call this roadmap curriculum.
Curriculum establishes benchmarks and goals necessary for growth and development for each
student we teach. This process is vital when showing evidence of students’ growth over time.
Curriculum in education sets the foundation for learning in the classroom. Students can build off
this cornerstone (called a schema) and apply their new experiences with their base knowledge of
that content. Education as a whole needs to focus on meeting students where they are at and
provide “real-world” applications to what they already know, and/or what they are learning in
that content area. The purpose of education is to equip students for whatever they choose in life
so they can contribute and be successful individuals.
Education is a tool that can be used to equip and train students to solve problems in a
professional domain, but also as an overall need to be successful. Music education is a great
organization that includes all aspects of the traditional classroom; reading physical sheet music,
music deals with math when counting rhythms, also includes history through examining
historical time periods in music, technology and science when creating sounds in the classroom,
another aspect of music is the literature behind major works and operas. Music education was
one of the first organization to establish standards in the public-school setting (Symposium on
Music in Schools). Back in 1957, graduates of Yale collaborated with other music educators to
establish a standard for music education in schools. After that time, a national convention known
as the Tanglewood Symposium formed a national charter where music education would be a
foundational aspect of a well-rounded public education (Tanglewood). Music education is vital
for public schools because it puts into practice the skills taught in the common core classes.
Examples of this can be listening skills while other students are singing/playing instruments,
communication skills while a whole ensemble plays together, responsibility for learning their
own music, even collaborating with other students. These skills are necessary in the real world
and music education puts them into practice. In the public school system, it is our job to train and
equip young individuals to be literate, competent, and well-rounded individuals. By this, students
will be ready for the workforce, and apply what they have learned in school. What better
application of “Real-World” skills is there, than in music education.
I value the process by which students learn and grow without me always having to be in
the classroom to facilitate it. I want my students to be able to solve problems without me and
make musical decisions appropriate to the piece and how it should be performed. My goal as a
music director is for my ensemble to be able to perform without me. I want to train young
students with the ability to detect errors and fix them. Not only do I want my students to achieve
excellence in my classroom, but I also want them to further their musical endeavors once they
leave my program. I want to model my teaching where I am teaching students about music rather
than teaching them to perform at a concert. I believe that my job should be focused on teaching
students about music and giving them a chance to experience what it is like to make music in the
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classroom and on stage. If I can create a culture of inclusion, respect, humility, work ethic, and
determination in my classroom; then it will spill into their other classrooms and with their fellow
students too. Imagine the impact this could have on a class, department, school, district, county,
state, even country. To that end, my desire is for my students to pursue excellence each day so
that excellence is a habit and not a lofty goal. While pursing excellence; not only from a music
education standpoint, but as future businessmen, firefighters, principals, and employers. My wish
is for my students to work hard at whatever they do after they walk out of my class.
Music at its basic level is organized sound. On a deeper level, music is a living and
breathing art form. In our modern day and age where popular culture is always changing, music
is a reflection of that time. Just like in art, the meaning behind music can be intrinsic, giving way
for various interpretations. There will be ‘generally accepted’ answers, but music isn’t something
to be boxed up, it is meant to be shared with others.
I believe that music should be available to any person in and out of the classroom. Music
should not be kept from students and given to others just because they can afford it, music really
is for all. Having said that, I do realize that students have a variety of equity needs when it comes
to music education literacy and access. I want to remain sensitive with the cultural needs and
diversity aspects of every classroom. I think that allowing appropriate celebrations of cultures is
important especially when the class has a diverse population. As an educator, I want to do my
best to provide services in and out of the classroom to ensure that my students are having access
to music education.
I firmly believe that it is my job to be there for my students, music or non-music related.
Before I had even started middle school, my middle school choir director had made sure that I
knew that her door was always open to me, music or non-music related. That had a huge impact
on my life from that moment forward. To think that a role model like her could take a few
minutes to connect with me personally really changed how I view education as a whole, and as a
musician. Even in high school the music department was my ‘safe-space.’ I vividly remember
finishing a history class and walking to choir with great anticipation of seeing my director. She
always made the time to greet everyone before class had started to make that small connection
with each person in her ensemble. As I reflect on my time as a student, I remember and cherish
all the wonderful times I had in music classes. I realize that it is every ‘in-between’ moment that
can really matter in the long run. Yes, the getting a trophy at state is the goal, but the process is
just as important to me. My middle school choir director didn’t have to take time out of her busy
schedule to meet with my crazy middle schooler self, but she cared about me and saw my
potential as a student, and that is what I want to pass on to my future students.
When learning a concept in any field of education, it takes practice and discipline to achieve
mastery of that concept. There is another way our brain can process and retain that information
more efficiently, called learning styles. It makes sense how children are taught nursery rhymes
and can recite many nursery rhymes years later. In music education, almost all of our content
deals with the different forms of learning styles. The different types are Visual (spatial), Aural
(auditory), Verbal (linguistic), Physical (kinesthetic), Logical (mathematical), Social
(interpersonal), and Solitary (intrapersonal) learning strategies. Music deals with each subset of
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these learning styles, visual skills are used when reading a piece of music, aural skills are needed
when listening to pitches and identifying their intervals, verbal skills are used while singing or
counting aloud, physical skills are great for learning complex activities such as Show Choir or a
dance class. Logical skills are needed more with counting the metric units and rationale behind
the music. Both social and solitary skills are needed for finding the meaning behind a solo, this
could be an intrinsic question, or even a real social event. Music education is a need for public
education services.
In conclusion, music holds a vital place in the educational system. Music education is an
overarching umbrella that reaches all the subjects covered in a public school. Music education
was one of the first subjects to establish standards for public education. Music is meant to be
shared with others and should be available to every student in the public schools. To me its not
just about the music, it’s about the investment into the future generation. Music is the content
that really does connect people from all areas of life. Above all, music educators are here to
serve and help students, that is my job.

Works Cited:

MENC: From Tanglewood to the Present - Nafme. https://nafme.org/wp-

content/uploads/2015/12/5-MENCFromTanglewood.pdf.

“Symposium on Music in Schools.” Yale School of Music, https://music.yale.edu/symposium.