collegiate NAfME
Don’t Lose Sight Abigail Pulvermacher, CNAfME Member
“Why I Teach Music”
Not because I expect you to major in music
Not because I expect you to sing or play all your life
Not so you can relax Not so you can have fun
But…
So you will be human So you will recognize beauty So you will be sensitive
So you will be closer to an infinite beyond this world
So you will have something to cling to
So you will have more love, more compassion, more gentleness, more good…
In short, more life.
Of what value will it be to make a prosperous living unless you know how to live?
~Anonymous
Take a moment and consider this quote. What does this mean to you?
My freshman year of college my high school band director sent me this quote in an email. I have kept it posted above my desk for the past five years and reflect on it frequently. Initially you may not understand and absorb everything stated, that’s ok. The important thing is that you reflect over time and let the mind open up to new ideas.
Here we stand as college students, trying to figure out our philosophy, trying to create a literature list and trying to cram in every piece of knowledge possible to help us prepare for the future as music educators. But how many of us take the time to reflect on the knowledge we have gained, and make it personal? How many of us lose sight of the task at hand?
I think we are all guilty at some point or another, we forget our role as a future music educator. Our visions and minds are easily blurred by the world around us. How can we escape the distorted view?
The answer may be easy for some of us, or maybe you had to think about it for a mo- ment. Either way, I’m sure you answered the question with “music!” We use music to allow us to be human and to be sensitive to the world around us.
As future educators we are called to bring this music alive in the classroom to help others be more human, sensitive and com- passionate. Currently, our responsibility is to keep the music alive in our hearts, keep the energy vibrant and keep compassion in our eyes. No one can take away the love and desire that we have to be music educa- tors. We are committed to do whatever it takes to see that children receive the best education possible because we know in our hearts that music makes a difference. And this is how we know we haven’t lost sight of “why we teach music.”
Abigail is a Collegiate National Association for Music Education (CNAfME) member, serves on the WMEA CNAfME Steering Committee and is UW-Whitewater CNAfME past president. Email:
pulvermaaj11@uww.edu
Recognition for Teachers With 25 Years of Service
• Were you a first-year teacher in 1987 or prior to 1987? • Have you taught for 25 years (or more)? • Have you been an NAfME member for at least 10 of those years?
If the answer is yes to all of these questions and we haven’t previously honored you, then now is the time. WMEA is planning to recognize teachers with 25 or more years of service in Wisconsin State Music Conference materials and the September issue of Wisconsin School Musician.
Simply complete the
25 Years of Service form at
www.wmeamusic.org/awards/25years.htm. Submissions must be received by May 11, 2012.
Wisconsin School Musician 59
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