My Teaching Philosophy

As an educator, the concept that I hold central to the work that I do is the concept of holistic education. The term “holistic” refers to the consideration of a whole as being greater than just the sum of its parts. “Holistic education,” then, is concerned with the development of all aspects of a student. It focuses on developing students as well-rounded people – people who are physically, mentally, and spiritually capable of being valuable contributors to our society (Darken, 2009). 

As a teacher, my goal is to be not so much an authority in students’ learning, but rather “a friend, a mentor, a facilitator, or an experienced traveling companion” (Forbes, 1996). Embedded within the theory of holistic education is a concern for a student’s ability to eventually facilitate their own learning and development, and then go on to do the same for others. I want my students to be leaders in their own learning, so that they can grow as independent musicians and independent thinkers. My job is to provide them with the tools and guidance needed to do so. 

As a music educator, I teach a discipline that carries immense power. Music is much more than sound. Although the development of the physical skills and intellectual capacity needed to make sounds are useful in the field of music, there is much more to the practice and the art form as a whole. Music can inspire and ignite change in society. Keith Swanwick, a prominent figure in music education discourse, has described music as having “the potential to take us beyond ourselves, our own small space in time and our local tribe” (Campbell, 2008, p. 35). Music has historically been a communal activity. It allows us to connect to each other on many levels. Ensemble music making is a group activity – it requires the cooperation of many people in order to achieve a shared goal of making music. As an ensemble member, you are sharing a part of yourself, while also being a part of something larger than yourself. As a singer in choir especially, sharing your voice, something so personal, with other people sends an incredibly powerful message.

  On a broader level, music exposes us to and teaches us about the diversity of our world. Music teaches us about community, empathy, and respect. In addition, through the exploration of a broad repertory, musicians can be transported in time and learn about how the past and present have led to the development of music and our society. Another essential characteristic of music is its aesthetic value. Bennett Reimer, a proponent of so-called “aesthetic education,” believed that students could grow as people by realizing that “the depth of feeling that is experienced in life [. . .] can also be expressed in music” (Campbell, 2008, p. 33). Music carries meaning and emotion in sonority, text, and the ways it is composed, analyzed, or performed. Music feeds our souls and stimulates our minds to search for beauty in the world that surrounds us.

It is my goal to encourage the development of my students’ technical skills, and just as importantly, their people skills. Music is an incredible vehicle through which people of all ages, abilities, languages, races, cultures, sexual orientations, gender identities, and socioeconomic statuses can learn about the world we live in. In addition, it sets them up to go on a search of their own – a search in which they will learn more about themselves, their friends, or people they’ve never met before. It is because I received an education like this that I am on the path I am on today. This is a profoundly fulfilling profession for me. I care deeply about my students, and I genuinely enjoy watching them develop as musicians and individuals. Who knows where I will be in ten, twenty, or thirty years? I do not know. Nevertheless, I am better equipped to explore what this world has in store because of my experiences in music, and I hope that my students will feel the same way too.

References

Campbell, P., Demorest, S., & Morrison, S. (2008). Musician and teacher : an orientation to music education (First edition.). New York ;: W.W. Norton and Company.

Darken, R. (2009). Holistic education. In E. F. Provenzo & A. B. Provenzo (Eds.), Encyclopedia of the social and cultural foundations of education (pp. 417-417). Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications, Inc. doi: 10.4135/9781412963992.n195

Forbes, Scott H. (1996). Values in Holistic Education. Paper presented at the Third Annual Conference on Education, Spirituality and the Whole Child. Roehampton Institute, London