Tyler Long

MUSIC 512 | Dr. Phillip Payne

Philosophy of Music Education

21 September 2023
 Public education plays a vitally important role in the lives of all members of our society.

There are countless benefits students receive from a public education, such as equal opportunities,

preparing individuals to be successful and functioning members of society, and diverse social

environments. It is our job, as educators, to ensure the goals we have for students are met in order for

them to reap these benefits. Public education, more than anything, ideally provides students with

equal access and opportunities that may not be accessible outside the system, such as with private

schooling, homeschooling, and more. In a public education system, students are generally provided

the same opportunities as their peers and are provided with equal access to succeeding in the

classroom environment. Additionally, not only does public education prepare students for the

workforce and life beyond secondary schooling, but it also has the intention to produce productive

functioning members of our society. Consider the words of Paul R. Lehman, as he states in his

article, Another Perspective: Reforming Education – The Big Picture, “...the purpose of education is

the pursuit of truth and beauty, the development of human capacities, and the improvement of the

quality of life.” It is the duty of an educator to ensure they are not only teaching their course material,

but also ensuring students are making real-world, lifetime connections to this material. Consequently,

students will be given the tools to live a quality life as a productive member of our society. Finally,

public education offers a diverse social environment for students to better develop skills to be

successful later in life, such as social, critical thinking, leadership, and time management skills, along

with many more.

Above all, perhaps the most important factor in a public education setting is the educator. An

educator has the potential to be one of the most influential people in a student’s life. This can be

achieved in a multitude of ways. First is the environment the educator creates and maintains in the

classroom. Producing an environment in which students feel safe, comfortable, and motivated is

vitally important when it comes to their academic success. Students will not receive the tools to be

successful in a classroom environment that is anxiety inducing and uncomfortable. As the educator, it
is our job to ensure an environment that promotes student success. Additionally, professionally

forming relationships with every one of our students is another vital factor in promoting student

success. It is important that every student feels welcome and valued, which can be achieved by

developing relationships with each student while setting professional boundaries on these

relationships.

These goals of the public education system and the educator may easily be accomplished in a

music classroom, given the educator is allowing for this to occur. Music is a collaborative art form

that allows for self-expression, cultural recognition and celebration, and personal development.

Through music, students are allowed the opportunity to creatively communicate information, as well

as their feelings and emotions, leading to a greater opportunity for emotional development and

maturity. Music is a large part of every individual’s life, whether that be intentional or unintentional.

Human beings have historically been exposed to music in many facets of life, whether that be

regarding cultural events, listening to the radio, hearing music in a public establishment, or

otherwise. Regardless, music is unavoidable in our society and should therefore be celebrated. In the

book, Music as a Second Language, the author writes, “Music is everywhere that people are. There is

no known culture that does not make its own music. It lives in our minds and bodies. It expresses

every emotion we’re capable of feeling. It tells our stories. It’s played everywhere.” This

entertaining, creative, expressive, and valuable innately human trait is an art form that should

rightfully be acknowledged as such, as many have before us.

Due to the innate human trait music is, it is incredibly important that it be accessible to all

students in a public educational environment. Every student should have the same access to music

education in the classroom, and it is our job, as educators, to ensure this is carried out. However, as

music educators, our job is not to “direct” an ensemble or a class, as many are falsely convinced.

Instead, consider our role as a “guide” in place to help lead students to success. In his article, Music

Education at the Tipping Point, John Kratus says, “...people who lead school ensembles are called
‘directors,’ not ‘teachers…’ In many cases, the ensemble director selects the music, takes all the

artistic decisions regarding interpretation, and shapes the resulting performance through tightly

managed rehearsals to match a preconceived notion of the piece, correcting errors along the way. It is

an autocratic model of teaching that has no parallel in any other school subject.” As educators, if we

take the creative decision-making away from the students, how have we helped them to succeed?

Instead, it is vital that we allow students to make informed creative decisions on their own. Students

should play an active role in their education, allowing educators to act as a guide to assist them along

the way.

Throughout this process, students will have the opportunity to successfully learn the

fundamentals of creative music making, leading to more meaningful outside musical experiences.

Additionally, music education provides a diverse environment for students to learn about cultural

identities and backgrounds. Successful music education celebrates diversity and allows for the

expansion of cultural knowledge. Therefore, as educators, it is our duty to immerse ourselves in the

cultures and traditions of our students in order to better relate to each student and allow for the

celebration and respect of diverse cultures. Music education also offers cross-curricular connections

that will allow students to better connect with other core content areas. Through music education,

individuals are learning history, literacy, problem-solving skills, critical thinking skills, and much

more, all of which are incredibly important in any course, as well as future endeavors throughout

their life.

Our ultimate goal as music educators should not be to create professional musicians, but

rather to create lifetime music makers who make music for enjoyment and will have the tools to do

so for the remainder of their life. In the book, Music as a Second Language, the author states, “We

need to be clear that the goal of music education is no more about producing musicians than the goal

of math education is to produce professional mathematicians or the goal of science education is to

produce professional scientists.” Just as these core content areas hold an important place in the public
education system, music education holds the same value and importance due to the skills students

develop throughout their musical education and the cross-curricular connections that are present in a

music classroom. Music education should play an integral role in the life of every student, and to do

so, we must make it accessible and relatable to each individual. In the article, Music Education at the

Tipping Point, John Kratus mentions, “Not only have in-school music experiences become

disassociated from out-of-school music experiences, but tried-and-true music education practices

have become unmoored from educational practices used in other disciplines.” It is vital that our

music classrooms allow for creativity while maintaining relevance and applicability to the students

involved. Music education is accessible for all students when every individual feels that they are

gaining tools that will be useful throughout their lifetime, not just in the educational environment.

Just as public education plays a vitally important role in the lives of every individual, music

education plays just as important of a role within the educational environment. Music, as an innate

human trait, offers a space for individuals to creatively express information and emotions, and allows

individuals to develop necessary lifetime skills. Music education must be an accessible tool to every

student in the public education system. It is important that we allow for a space where students feel

comfortable and welcome in the music classroom to allow for these skills to develop and the

cross-curricular connections to be made. All students have the right to equal and fair musical

experiences, which relies on our ability to allow this to happen. As educators, it is our responsibility

to communicate with students through music, allowing them to have the tools to speak the language

of music.
 Works Cited

Kratus, John. “Music Education at the Tipping Point.” Music Educators Journal, vol. 94, no. 2, Nov.

2007, pp. 42–48, https://doi.org/10.1177/002743210709400209.

Lehman, Paul R. “Another Perspective.” Music Educators Journal, vol. 98, no. 4, 19 June 2012, pp.

29–30, https://doi.org/10.1177/0027432112444404.

“Why This Book?” Music as a Second Language: A Teachers Guide to the Highly Inclusive,

Culturally Responsive and Student Centered Music Classroom, Unknown, p. 5.