Standard 7: The teacher of PK-12 music demonstrates professional responsibility and reflective

practice.

Music holds an powerful position in the community due to its capacity to bring people together. Also, in
schools it has a special place because students who participate choose to do so on their own. By itself,
that at least denotes an amount of interest which can provide the foundation for a lot of growth and
impact. What an opportunity! As an educator, I hold a responsibility to recognize that opportunity and
take advantage of it in order draw out strengths in my students and help them to develop. To best serve
this end, it is important to evaluate the effectiveness of my efforts and to continually reflect on and
implement improved methods and practices.

In regard to professional responsibility, it is important that students leave my classroom as functional

musicians with both understanding of how to utilize their talents and experience in doing so outside of
the classroom. I believe performance and service opportunities are effective ways to develop students in
a way that this goal is accomplished. This is because these experiences serve as opportunities for
students to apply what theyve learned. Through varied performance and service opportunities,
students are able to develop context in regard to their musical learning. These real world experiences
help students to develop skill and efficacy in their ability as they are provided more opportunities to
perform in untamed spaces outside the classroom. To facilitate these experiences, I prioritize the
development of a strong network of collaborators. Through active participation in professional
organizations like the National Association for Music Educators (NAfME) and the American Choral
Directors Association (ACDA) I frequently connect with other educators to explore resources which will
best support my students development and find ways to engage them in the community.

To aid in my ability to provide my students with the support they need, it is also important for that I
regularly reflect on my practice and research ways to improve. Over the course of the last couple of
years, Ive engaged in two research projects within Kansas State Universitys College of Arts & Sciences.
The first was a self-led music therapy study (under the guidance of Teri K. Holmberg, licensed music
therapist and researcher) where I explored the use of a social story song in supporting positive social
behaviors among adults with intellectual disabilities. Through this project, I worked with a campus
drama troupe for adults with IDs in preparation for an upcoming musical. Aside from the use of songs to
promote positive behavior, I learned many other effective practices which can be easily applied to the
classroom environment. My latest project is being carried out alongside Dr. Ruth Gurgel (Kansas State
University, School of Music, Theatre, & Dance) and explores cultural and social barriers to access in
Music Education across the schooling experience (K-12 and beyond) through interviews with students.
The study has truly provided insight into the ways that teachers unintentionally challenge student
participation in music, and generated methods for teachers to instead open access where it currently is
lacking. These interactions have served to improve my teaching, and ability to connect with students,
and I through continued exploration and development I intend to develop my approach to teaching
daily.