PHILOSOPHY
I believe that the purpose of education is to empower students with the confidence that they need to be successful in their futures and to chase what inspires them. However, in order for this goal to be possible students must be liberated to dream freely, liberated to change the social order if it oppresses them (Counts, 1978). For that reason, it is critical that the educational environment strives for equity and aspires to eliminate the achievement gap. The primary role of educators is to empower students with the tools that they need to be successful in their future, but this goal extends beyond teaching them knowledge and skills. It relies on facilitating students’ discovery that they are capable of more than they once thought possible. Furthermore, the purpose of education is to prepare students to be members of society and to be responsible global citizens. To achieve this goal, we must affirm students as individuals and teach them to be ethical actors (Jorgensen, 2002). Musical ensembles provide a unique environment to accomplish this goal, because they allow students to pursue excellence while developing their sense of esteem and self-actualization within the safety of a caring community, and these effects can be heightened when utilizing innovative rehearsal techniques that engage students by giving them greater ownership of the rehearsal process (Hebert, 2005; Edgar, 2014).
From my experience teaching at a title one school, I have seen that students often do not believe in their own potential to achieve and feel that their destinies are predetermined. If we value equity in education, it is critical to demonstrate to students that their potential is limitless. I believe that through their experience in instrumental music, my students can learn that lesson. The journey to a performance is a long process that requires students to continue working at something that initially frustrated and challenged them. This develops their growth mindset—teaching them not to groan when a challenging piece of music is put in front of them, but instead to relish the challenge and look forward to the reward of success. There is nothing that compares to the way that students look back at you at the end of a piece when they know that they have made magic, when they know that they have worked so hard and overcome so many challenges to reach that point.
Excellence in performance is certainly thrilling and teaches students that hard work will pay off. By utilizing innovative and student-lead rehearsal techniques that give students greater ownership and empower them during the rehearsal process, the impact on students’ esteem and sense of self can become even greater. Regelski (2002) argued that by engaging students’ critical knowledge interests, teachers can activate students’ inherent desire to learn and scaffold their musical learning in ways that empower them to be musically capable independent of the teacher. In the quest to create a quality musical performance, it can be tempting to use student musicians as techne bearers of the conductor’s “musicianism” (Regelski, 2012; Regelski 2002). While this can feel more efficient in yielding results in the short term (and can certainly lead to stunning performances), this stunts the students’ musical development by disenfranchising them and lowering the academic standard that they are asked to reach. When students are asked to listen to the playing of the full ensemble during rehearsal and make musical decisions, they are reaching a much deeper depth of knowledge than when they are merely told what to do to sound better (Danielson, 2009). The more time that is invested in allowing students to develop their musicianship in rehearsal, the more efficient rehearsals become, as students are empowered to begin making adjustments without being asked to do so by the conductor. This innovative approach allows students to become co-creators of the performance, rather than an instrument of the conductor. This results in engaged and empowered students who are confident in their creative voices, helping to foster equity for students who did not have this confidence to begin with. I believe that this confidence carries with them into their future and allows them to be successful in life.
Musical ensembles are also powerful because they create a safe and supportive learning environment. When asked to describe the band, “family” is one of the first words that students come to. The ensemble environment is quite different than a math class, because in order for the ensemble to succeed every member must perform at a high level. This encourages students to work together to help their peers succeed and creates powerful and trusting bonds. The students rely on each other musically and wind up relying on each other in life as well. The band room becomes their safe space on campus. If I believe that the purpose of education is to prepare students to be part of society, then I must teach them how to care for others and to value this action by modeling care and giving students the opportunity to practice caring behaviors (Edgar, 2014). Instrumental ensembles create many official leadership positions, but unofficial student leadership is just as important to a thriving program. By creating a culture of caring, students collaborate and help each other to be successful—preparing them to be contributing members of society. Students cannot achieve educational goals until they have a sense of love, belonging, and connection (Maslow, 1943). Through building strong relationships within our “band family,” I aim to fulfill this need for students so that they will have the ability to reach esteem and self-actualization (Maslow, 1943). Students must know that I value them beyond their contributions to the band program, and I am very conscious of making sure that I am available to them for whatever they need support in, even if it is unrelated to music (Edgar, 2014).
Measuring Success
I must not only measure my effectiveness based on the students’ acquired musical knowledge and skills, but also measure it by their ability to independently pursue their musical interests and act upon them (Regelski, 2002). Furthermore, I must consider my success in the way that students learn to interact with one another in my classroom—are they treating each other with caring and empathy (Edgar, 2014)? Finally, I must ask if my students are empowered with the liberation and confidence that they need to chase their dreams and create meaningful futures. While this goal is difficult to measure, as a music teacher I am uniquely placed to develop lasting, caring relationships with my students due to the continuity that I have with them (Edgar, 2014). Framing my success in terms of this question will allow me to hold myself accountable to my philosophical goals and strive to continuously improve my practice.
References
Counts, G. S. (1978). Dare the schools build a new social order? Carbondale, IL: Southern Illinois University Press.
Danielson, Charlotte. (2009). Implementing the framework for teaching in enhancing professional practice. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.
Edgar, S. N. (2014). An ethic of care in high school instrumental music. Action, Criticism, and Theory for Music Education, 13(2), pp. 111-137. Retrieved from: http://act.maydaygroup.org/articles/Edgar13_2.pdf
Hebert, D. G. (2005). Music, cooperation, and community: an ethnography of Japanese school band (Doctoral dissertation). Available from ProQuest Dissertations database. (UMI No. 3163382).
Jorgensen, E. (2002). The aims of music education: A preliminary excursion. Journal of Aesthetic Education, 36(1), 31-49.
Maslow, A. H. (1943). A theory of human motivation. Psychological Review, 50(4), 370- 396
Regelski, T. A. (2002). On "methodolatry" and music teaching as critical and reflective praxis. Philosophy of Music Education Review, 10(2), 102-123.
Regelski, T. A. (2012). Musicianism and the ethics of school music. Action, Criticism, and Theory for Music Education 11(1), 7-42. Retrieved from http://act.maydaygroup.org/articles/Regelski11_1.pdf