I was recently discussing a typical day of teaching at DSM and DLP with my bestest friend Gracie. She thought it was funny that I spent more time telling her what I had learned from my students versus what I had taught them. She suggested I write a blog about this idea, and though it's probably not exactly what she had in mind...here goes:
6 Things I've Learned While Teaching Music
6.Teaching music is a calling... a much different calling than being a musician. If you are a great player but can't relate to people, then please go concentrate on your gigging career. And thank you in advance from our profession.
5.If you are teaching music and don't enjoy it, you should seriously consider choosing another line of work.Your students can tell if you like what you do or not. If you are lucky enough to teach music and enjoy it, congratulations and welcome to the club!
4.Teaching music requires interpersonal skills. If you are a 'people person' you might be a good music teacher. If your idea of a perfect day is being alone with your i-pod and the Oxford Companion to Music, you may want to seek out a library position.
3."Liking music" and or "knowing music" have little to do with "teaching" music. Your students want to know that you care about them, not the music they are learning.
2.Having the best curriculum, the best 'chops', the best instrument, or the best facility does not guarantee that you will be a successful teacher. Good teachers will be successful without these things and conversely, they will not help a bad teacher very much... if at all.
Scott Ashby has reformatted his blog at Music Teacher Cafe and it looks great. He recently read our post from March 10, 2009 that talked about people wanting a shortcut, a magic pullet, a secret potion for learning music whereby they can bypass 'all that note reading stuff'. His quote "Why is it that some people count not reading music as a virtue?" is right on. It prompted me to put together this reply:
Music educators have done a woefully poor job of promotion through the years; beginning with Lowell Mason and the Boston School Board and continuing now with 'Save the Music' programs (which are couched as being 'for the kids' but in reality, they're simply trying desperately to save band, choir and orchestra jobs).
Instead of capitalizing on the popularity of Rock Band, Guitar Hero and all other advances in technology, we choose to stick our collective heads in the ground and wonder why school music programs are dwindling.
There's a right way to go about it that will lead to a lifetime of joy for all who choose to partake. It's about relationships as well as delivery. Part of the current 'process' is teaching students to play Jingle Bells by the week after Thanksgiving - what adult cares about that? What kid in 2009 for that matter? That is equivalent to going for golf lessons and spending the first 6 months learning to master 'the windmill hole'.
We need to promote music education as a viable commodity without relying on academia for a market. It's dwindling anyway. The general public need to hear the message: enjoy the process of learning the language of music. There's no need to become a 'star', just enjoy music as a hobby like you would golf, gardening or reading. If we are successful, we can rejuvenate a struggling music education profession through private enterprise and 'save the music' programs will be a thing of the past.
I recently came across this post which ran in its original form at the beginning of the school year in 2008. I have made a few changes but in general I though it has held up well. Enjoy!
TEETH T=Take Charge
Your students are looking for guidance, they want direction; don't allow them to dictate the course of action, that's your job! Do not fall into the trap of teaching the way YOU were taught. As well as you did with whatever method your teacher used, it is probably boring and outdated by now.
E=Energy
Leave your problems at home. Your students (and colleagues) want you to be at your vibrant, upbeat best each day. If you're not happy or feeling 100%, then fake it. Help yourself to a cup of coffee and if you still need extra energy, see any one of your colleagues or administrators, they usually have plenty to go around.
E=Engage
Meet and get to know the families in your school - even if they do not belong to your students. Greet your students cheerfully, they want to know you are excited to see them. Engage your students in the learning process and ask about their 'day'.. Perform for them, play along with them, share what you know with them.
T=Teach
Your students are not going to show you how much they've practiced this week (and by the way, they haven't practiced very much if at all). They are in music because the like music and want to know more about it. They trust that you can help them learn.
If you thought the "T" might stand for 'talent', (as in the talent you display on your instrument) guess again. Because you have a degree in music doesn't mean you can be successful teaching it. And your success will most likely not be judged by how well your students play or perform, but whether they like you or not.
H=Have Fun!
Fun after all, is what students really want. If you can make the connection between 'fun' and 'teaching moments', then you will be successful. So smile, show some teeth, and inspire!
The following is an insightful post by Nancy Flanagan, a 30 year music education veteran from Hartland, Michigan. It's always great to hear from colleagues who have similar feelings about our profession. And who isn't intrigued by a blog titled 'Teacher in a Strange Land' or a post that begins in part:
'If I were named Divine Minister of All Music Education, and could change five things about music education in America, these would be my picks'.
Well written Nancy, keep up the great work. Your students are lucky to have you!
Click on the image below to read the Divine Minister's 5 Things to Change in Music Education.
Sir Ken Robinson is avisionary cultural leader, he led the British government's 1998 advisory committee on creative and cultural education, a massive inquiry into the significance of creativity in the educational system and the economy, and was knighted in 2003 for his achievements. At the 2006 TED Conference, Sir Ken made 'an entertaining and profoundly moving case for creating an education system that nurtures (rather than undermines) creativity'. I think all educators would be wise to invest 20 minutes and watch the following lecture. It is inspiring and thought provoking and it may just make you rethink your teaching style from student to student.
The talk was especially compelling to me as a music educator in a community school that services very young children, teenagers, professional adults and senior citizens. Regardless of their age, they seek the tools with which to be musically expressive and my challenge is to deliver students quality information without educating them 'out of their creativity'.
So grab a cup of coffee and be prepared to be entertained, to laugh and to learn.
Where will the profession of music education be when school systems no longer support K-12 general ed. programs? Are band, orchestra and choir programs next on the chopping block?
I just read an interesting post from an English teacher in the Bronx who has been told he will be teaching music this coming fall. There's just one problem; he has never played an instrument and knows nothing about music, let alone how to teach it. If this is the type of solution that school boards and administrators are proposing, how long will it be until traditional music programs simply give way to attrition altogether? What state will the profession be left in when the well runs dry?
This is not a new or recent problem. Music programs in schools have been on the decline for 25 years yet our college educational systems continue to groom future teachers for these ever dwindling positions. This is the 'elephant in the room' for the profession of music education but current curricula rarely if ever offer any alternatives to traditional academic teaching.
Many of the universities I researched employ a standard mantra within their core curriculum that goes something like this; '..our goal is to help the student become eligible for licensing to teach in a public school..'. They of course omit the rest of the sentence...'of which fewer and fewer jobs are currently available'.
Perhaps the opportunity that the internet provides as a delivery system for information and real time communication will create a stronger market for music education in the private sector. And if the old adage proves true that 'success breeds success', maybe more universities will begin to include business oriented courses into their degree programs. Then future educators will not only be well prepared for these options but they may begin to embrace them as an equal or even more enticing opportunity.
I have visited many music education related blogs over the past few weeks and have thoroughly enjoyed reading the opinions of my colleagues across the country and the world. We are an amazing group of thoughtful and intelligent professionals! Among the plethora of sites I visited however, there were a number that make fantastic and sometimes outlandish claims:
Cut 'your learning time in half' boasts one, offering 'tons of shortcuts' that evidently have never before been revealed. Another site has this bold and amazing statement; 'YOU DO NOT HAVE TO KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT MUSIC' and after just 30 minutes you'll be playing 'DOZENS OF SONGS WITHOUT STRUGGLING, WITHOUT BORING EXERCISES AND YOU DO NOT EVEN HAVE TO READ MUSIC'!
Now I am all about entrepreneurship, especially in our profession - believe me, but I am just as passionate about promoting quality music education throughout our communities. So rather than name names, I thought I'd cast this sobering thought out to the blogosphere; embrace the process, beware the shortcut. Remember, this goes for both the learner and the teacher.
I hope that teachers with passion will encourage learners to embrace the process of discovering musical concepts and manage the challenges that come with applying those concepts to any instrument. And I hope that music enthusiasts choose to embrace their amazing journey with excitement, optimism and realistic expectations.
Christopher Small, a very wise music philosopher once said that 'music should be viewed as an act instead of a thing'. He called the act musickingand claimed it to be valid at every level. Rather than searching for shortcuts, let's all remember that the connections formed around the act of hearing, learning and making music are what really matters.
So to teachers and students alike I say, choose your materials wisely and enjoy the process!
