Educational Philosophy:

Philosophy of Music Education 

Music is not just the "universal language"-- it is a universal experience. Every country, culture, ethic group, religious group, from huge capital cities to small village tribes, have their own music. Music allows us to express every emotion in the human experience and music brings healing to the people creating it and receiving it. When the right words for any given situation are hard to find or cannot be spoken, music allows for meaningful expression. Music brings people together and holds them together. 

Music is math, science, social studies, history, literacy and foreign language all rolled into one subject. Music aligns with every core subject and music is now considered part of the common core due to the "Every Child Succeeds Act" of 2015. Although music connects to every other subject matter, music stands on its own because it is an academic subject as well. Because music allows for creative expression, it brings balance to the rigors of other academic classes and allows students the opportunity to collaborate with others to create a product that brings joy and not just "correct answers." 

A combination of instrumental and vocal music should be taught in school. Students should have the opportunity to choose what appeals to them the most in terms of performance opportunities. On the elementary level, general music should be offered so that students learn the basics of music literacy with pitch and rhythm. Music representative of many cultures should be taught, as in folk songs of America and foreign countries, through song and dance. A variety of genres should be taught as well, from classical music to reggae and jazz. Students should learn that music is as diverse as they are. Students should be allowed to have their preferences, however, if they are given the opportunity to hear and perform music of all genres from all over the world, we as teachers have provided them with the tools and knowledge to be open to all kinds of music. As long as they are exposed to music that is diverse, we have done our jobs correctly. 

Every student should have the opportunity to learn the fundamentals of music and the opportunity to be a part of some kind of music ensemble, whether vocal or instrumental. As early as pre-school, children naturally respond to music in movement and in imitation, and they continue to respond in more complex ways as they grow. They move from imitating what the music teacher demonstrates to being able to create their own music independently. As they study all of the elements of music, they learn how to create their own compositions, and perform them with their voices and various instruments. They progress from reading and notating simple rhythms to understanding more complex patterns, and singing simple melodies using "sol-la-sol-mi" to harmonies in two-part singing and rounds. They also grow in their understanding of how music ties to all of their other subjects in schools, like math, social studies and language arts. The National Association for Music Education, child's bill of rights, describes that a music education is the right of every child. This association states that every American child should have the right to instruction in music and demands that these rights are “recognized and guaranteed by educational funding authorities, school administrators, and the public”.