from the desk of the executive director Music Education: A Critical Component
to Educating the Whole Child Timothy J. Schaid, Executive Director
On behalf of Wis- consin School Mu- s ic As sociat ion (WSMA), Wiscon- sin Music Educa- tors Associat ion (WMEA) and Wis- consin Foundation for School Music (WFSM), I welcome
you to the 2013-14 school year! We wish you nothing but the best as you unfold the ideas, innovations and plans on which you contemplated over the summer recess to assure high quality music instruction and opportunities for your students. We are proud to be in partnership with you as you work to provide your students with a high quality music education.
As you embark on a new school year, I encourage you to take some time to reflect on why you are in the music education profession. When I ask music educators to tell me why they went into music educa- tion, most tell me it was because they felt a calling; remembering vivid childhood and adolescent musical experiences that fostered an innate desire to facilitate the creation of similar experiences for oth- ers. Parker Palmer (1998) would call this innate desire to teach authentic because it “ultimately [came] from the voice of the teacher within, the voice that invites [one] to honor the nature of [his/her] true self” (p. 29).
Music educators who feel they are teach- ing as a result of a calling will most likely be in harmony with what Palmer (1998) says is a difficult truth about teaching, i.e. an understanding “… that what we teach will never ‘take’ unless it connects with the inward, living core of our students’ lives [and] with our students’ inward teachers” (p. 31). Music educators understand how music has the ability to touch and speak to the very souls of their students. This
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provides students with an understanding of their own unique authenticity, which in turn gives them access to skills they will use in all aspects of their lives. Students who receive high quality music educa- tion instruction learn to tap into and hone their skills in creativity, communication, teamwork, problem solving and critical thinking; the very skills for which the educational standards are calling no mat- ter what the discipline. This is why music education is such a critical component to educating the whole child.
The 2013 Wisconsin State Music Con- ference theme, “Music for Body, Mind & Soul,” exemplifies the need for all students to have access to a high quality, standards-based music education taught by a certified music educator. As such, a significant number of sessions have been tailored to provide music educators with professional development opportunities on how current state and national educational reform efforts are and can be occurring in the music education classroom. There will be an abundance of sessions available to attendees that focus on the following topics:
• Use of Technology/1:1 Computing • Literacy • Authentic Assessment • RtI • Common Core Standards • PDP Development • Educator Effectiveness • Active Learning Strategies • And Much More!
The 2013 Wisconsin State Music Confer- ence is scheduled for Wednesday, October 23 through Saturday, October 26. A letter of support for you to attend this year’s Wisconsin State Music Conference was sent to Wisconsin administrators last spring. You may access this letter in the
“Music educators understand how music has the ability to touch and speak to the very souls of their students.”
state conference Attendee Resource Cen- ter at
wmeamusic.org/attendee. As you make plans for attendance to this year’s conference, you may wish to review the letter and this article with administrators in your district. We hope to see you at the Wisconsin State Music Conference this fall!
In closing, I want to remind you that as executive director of WSMA, WMEA and WFSM, I feel a tremendous sense of responsibility to meet the needs of Wisconsin schools, music educators and the students they serve. As such, do not hesitate to contact me with your thoughts and ideas on how the associations and foundation might further develop our partnership with you. Know I am just a telephone call or email away. Better yet, the next time you are in the Madison area, make a stop in Waunakee and visit with me personally at the Wisconsin Center for Music Education! My best to you for a great school year!
References:
Palmer, P. J. (1998). The Courage to Teach. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Timothy J. Schaid is executive director of WSMA – WMEA – WFSM at the Wisconsin Center for Music Education.
Email:
schaidt@wsmamusic.org September 2013
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