National Association of Schools of Music
Desirable Attributes, Essential Competencies, and Professional Procedures
The prospective music teacher should have:
- Personal commitment to the art of music, to teaching music as an element of civilization, and to encouraging the artistic and intellectual development of students, plus the ability to fulfill these commitments as an independent professional.
- The ability to lead students to an understanding of music as an art form, as a means of communication, and as a part of their intellectual and cultural heritage.
- The capability to inspire others and to excite the imagination of students, engendering a respect for music and a desire for musical knowledge and experiences.
- The ability to articulate logical rationales for music as a basic component of general education, and to present the goals and objectives of a music program effectively to parents, professional colleagues, and administrators.
- The ability to work productively within specific education systems, promote scheduling patterns that optimize music instruction, maintain positive relationships with individuals of various social and ethnic groups, and be empathetic with students and colleagues of differing backgrounds.
- The ability to evaluate ideas, methods, and policies in the arts, the humanities, and in arts education for their impact on the musical and cultural development of students.
- The ability and desire to remain current with developments in the art of music and in teaching, to make independent, in-depth evaluations of their relevance, and to use the results to improve musicianship and teaching skills.
The profession of school music teacher now encompasses a wide range of traditional, emerging, and experimental purposes, approaches, content, and methods:
- Conducting and Musical Leadership - The prospective music teacher must be a competent conductor, able to create accurate and musically expressive performances with various types of performing groups and in general classroom situations. Instruction in conducting includes score reading and the integration of analysis, style, performance practices, instrumentation, and conducting techniques. Laboratory experiences that give the student opportunities to apply rehearsal techniques and procedures are essential. Prospective teachers in programs with less focus on the preparation of ensemble conductors must acquire conducting and musical leadership skills sufficient to teach effectively in their area(s) of specialization.
- Arranging - The prospective music teacher must be able to arrange and adapt music from a variety of sources to meet the needs and ability levels of individuals, school performing groups, and in classroom situations.
- Functional Performance - In addition to the skills required for all musicians, functional performance abilities in keyboard and the voice are essential. Functional performance abilities in instruments appropriate to the student’s teaching specialization are also essential.
- Analysis/History/Literature - The prospective music teacher should be able to apply analytical and historical knowledge to curriculum development, lesson planning, and daily classroom and performance activities. Teachers should be prepared to relate their understanding of music with respect to styles, literature, multiple cultural sources, and historical development, both in general and as related to their area(s) of specialization.
The following competencies apply singly or in combination consistent with the specialization objectives of each teacher preparation program in music.
General Music - Essential competencies and experiences for the general music teaching specialization:
- Musicianship, vocal, and pedagogical skills sufficient to teach general music.
- Knowledge of content, methodologies, philosophies, materials, technologies, and curriculum development for general music.
- The ability to lead performance-based instruction.
- Laboratory and field experiences in teaching general music.
Vocal/Choral Music- Essential competencies and experiences for the vocal/choral teaching specialization:
- Vocal and pedagogical skill sufficient to teach effective use of the voice.
- Knowledge of content, methodologies, philosophies, materials, technologies, and curriculum development for vocal/choral music.
- Experiences in solo vocal performance, as well as in both large and small choral ensembles.
- Performance ability sufficient to use at least one instrument as a teaching tool and to provide, transpose, and improvise accompaniments.
- Laboratory experience in teaching beginning vocal techniques individually, in small groups, and in larger classes.
Instrumental Music- Essential competencies and experiences for the instrumental music teaching specialization:
- Knowledge of and performance ability on wind, string, and percussion instruments sufficient to teach beginning students effectively in groups.
- Knowledge of content, methodologies, philosophies, materials, technologies, and curriculum development for instrumental music.
- Experiences in solo instrumental performance, as well as in both small and large instrumental ensembles.
- Laboratory experience in teaching beginning instrumental students individually, in small groups, and in larger classes.
Specific Music Fields or Combinations - Listed below are essential competencies and experiences for music teaching specialization(s) focused on either one or a combination of areas such as composition, electronic and computer music, ethnic music, guitar, small ensembles, jazz, keyboard, orchestral music, music history and theory, music in combination with other disciplines, music technologies, and popular music; or combinations of one or more of these types of content with aspects of the general, vocal/choral, or instrumental specializations:
- Knowledge and skill in the selected area(s) of specialization sufficient to teach beginning and intermediate students effectively.
- Knowledge of content, methodologies, philosophies, materials, technologies, and curriculum development for the area(s) of specialization.
- In-depth experiences with the creative and/or performance and/or scholarly aspects of the selected area of specialization as required by the nature and content of that specialization.
- The ability to use instruments, equipment, and technologies associated with the area(s) of specialization.
- Laboratory experience in teaching beginning students in the area(s) of specialization, individually, in small groups, and in larger classes.
The musician-teacher must be able to lead students to competency, apply music knowledge and skills in teaching situations, and integrate music instruction into the process of P–12 education. Essential competencies are:
- Ability to teach music at various levels to different age groups and in a variety of classroom and ensemble settings in ways that develop knowledge of how music works syntactically as a communication medium and developmentally as an agent of civilization. This set of abilities includes effective classroom and rehearsal management.
- An understanding of child growth and development and an understanding of principles of learning as they relate to music.
- The ability to assess aptitudes, experiential backgrounds, orientations of individuals and groups of students, and the nature of subject matter, and to plan educational programs to meet assessed needs.
- Knowledge of current methods, materials, and repertories available in various fields and levels of music education appropriate to the teaching specialization.
- The ability to accept, amend, or reject methods and materials based on personal assessment of specific teaching situations.
- An understanding of evaluative techniques and ability to apply them in assessing both the musical progress of students and the objectives and procedures of the curriculum.