Why Music Teachers and Their Programs are Important

I know many music teachers who want to be like everyone else. They want their subject to be respected and considered seriously. They want grades to count, and administrators to take the time to REALLY understand and appreciate what they do. And that certainly is not unreasonable. After all, in many instances, they have larger classes (especially in ensembles), horrendous spaces in which to teach (often a cafeteria/auditorium/gymnasium sometimes with a study hall in the back or children eating lunch). They must resort to photocopies because the budget is too meager to purchase the materials they need to be effective. In many places they are the last to get technology for their classrooms. Pianos are tuned once a whenever, usually just before a performance.

The fact is, that we are not like everyone else. We teach beyond the cognitive domain and touch the body and the spirit. I would bet that students engage with music more hours in a day, listening to iPods and watching music videos outside of school, than they engage with many other subjects they study in school. Yet somehow, we are often at the bottom of the list of priorities in schools.

What makes us different is that our interactions with children in music classes, applied lessons and ensembles engage musical imagination, musical intellect, musical creativity and musical performance. Together, I suggest that these form the components of what some call musical intelligence (Gardner) or musical aptitude (Gordon). Those teachers applying Bernice McCarthy’s 4MAT cycle of learning could argue that musical imagination engages the Type 1 imaginative learners and musical intellect accommodates Type 2, the analytic learners. Musical creativity stimulates the hands-on preferences of the common sense Type 3 learner and musical performance unlocks potential in the dynamic Type 4 learners. That may or may not be true. Musical imagination is engaged by problematizing, musical intellect is addressed in the prescription where new content is presented. Engaging individual creativity personalizes the experience and performance brings celebration and closure. Changes in perception, that “aha” moment, may happen throughout and all conjoin to ensure value-added experiences.

In addition, this approach to lesson sequencing is a catalyst for problem posing and problem solving – hallmarks of Critical Pedagogy for Music Education. If one embraces the goal that a purpose of schooling is to prepare students to live in a global world, the ability to see multiple solutions when they unfold in a musical experience is a desired skill. It enables success in all areas of children’s lives. School music is unique. It empowers musicianship and teaches skills that prepare children for future success. As their music teachers, we are the facilitators. What do you think?