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Chantia Brown Dr. Johnathan Vest Introduction to Music Education 260 November 2, 2012 Philosophy of Music Education It is imperative for one to know why he or she is doing something, how to do it, and why it is important. The previous statement is no exception when it comes to music education. I believe that every student deserves music education. It is a standard subject and a way to express ones self. I believe listening skills should be focused on in music classes in addition to other skills. I also believe that in the end, good people a product of music education. As stated in the No Child Left Behind Act of 2002, Title IX, Part A, Section 9101, the arts, which includes music, is an educational subject (NAfME). I consider music a subject because it gives students the skills necessary to work together in a constructive manner. I believe all students who cannot afford to pay for private school have the right to learn about music in school. All unique, necessary subjects, music included, offer a great variety of secondary values. Some of these values, while not unique, are nevertheless desirable for all. For example, it is beneficial that performance groups offer an opportunity for students to involve themselves with others in a common cause, because doing so can be a very positive life experience. (Reimer 8) I believe every student should get the opportunity to learn about music and be involved in

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this positive life experience. Music is culture. A good measure of world and American culture is directly related to music. I believe it is important for students to gain an understanding of how music has affected their everyday lives. For example, patriotic songs such as My Country Tis of Thee and The Star Spangled Banner hold a great significance in American culture. Without music education, students will never get the opportunity to understand why these songs are so important or what these songs mean. In the world today, there is so much chaos and negativity happening. I believe that music is a great escape from those things. Music is a way for one to express his or herself. The arts are not just affective and expressive. They are also deeply cognitive. They develop the tools of thinking itself: careful observation of the world, mental representation of what is observed or imagined, abstraction from complexity, pattern recognition and development, symbolic and metaphoric representation, and qualitative judgment. We use these same thinking tools in science, philosophy, math and history. The advantage of the arts is that they link cognitive growth to social and emotional development. Students care more deeply about what they study, they see the links between subjects and their lives, their thinking capacities grow, they work more diligently, and they learn from each other. (Rabkin 19) I strongly believe that music educators shouldnt necessarily focus on creating great performers, but more importantly better students. I believe that teaching the students how to express themselves and assess problems is extremely important. These things can be done by making students listen to music, sing age appropriate literature,

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learn the art of improvisation and composition, master skills on their respective instruments, have a working knowledge of music history, and performance experience. There are many approaches to teaching music education. Personally, I like Elliotts approach called musicing. (Vest) This involves listening in whatever the students are doing, whether it is performing, improvising, composing, arranging, or conduction. There are any ways to make this happen. I believe that as a music educator, one way I can achieve teaching the students is letting the students listen to whatever they do in the classroom. With this approach of teaching, the students will learn how to do the above skills. Keep the student in your minds eye. Assessment of student achievement is still just one piece that makes up exemplary music teaching and comprehensive music learning. (Parkes 12) In addition to the skills, the students become better people. They use music as an outlet instead of resorting to drugs and alcohol. I believe that through music education, the world can become a better place.

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Works Cited
http://musiced.nafme.org/resources/why-music-education-2007#life PowerPoint presented by Dr. Vest. Developing a Philosophy of Music Education. Teaching Music. NAfME. October 2012 V20 No. 2 Assessing the Landscape of Music Teacher Evaluations Musician & Teacher. Campell. A Philosophy of Music Education. Bennet Reimer