tion that are often addressed through music therapy types of activities.


I am not suggesting that music therapy


be in the schools for every child, although that would surely be an ideal situation. I am advocating for new teacher training op- tions that include ways in which music in the schools can facilitate young people’s self- expressions and fears, through the very in- struments and music classes being provided! It is not enough for one to learn to play an instrument and everything there is to know about a composer or music history. Music itself is a self-expression! Release of inner feelings! Music education is not technol- ogy education! Music is an aesthetic expres- sion of human feelings and circumstances involving all the senses at once. Is today’s music teacher trained to conduct music im- provisation classes in which students have the opportunity to do ‘their’ thing, “hear” themselves, and collaborate with classmates on a group improvisation – a group musical interaction that is self-designed and not a Phillip Sousa march? Several years ago I was invited to do a 2-day intensive improvisation workshop with attendees of the Orff group in Denver, Colorado. I was facing some 40 excellent local music educators skilled in the Orff and Kodaly method of music education for young elementary-school aged children. I am very knowledgeable about Orff, Kodaly, and Dalcroze methods, and use many tasks in my clinical music-based treatment interventions. But as the workshop took shape, I was surprised and frustrated to observe how fearful the majority of participants were, to undertake improvised self-expression and spontaneous music- making activities! As the days wore on, the message became clear. There is little point to having music in the schools unless it can also be a vehicle through which children can be spontaneous and self-expressive along the way. It is nice to learn music notation, rhythm patterns, using fingers or lips in proper positions to render melodic tones – but what about the youngster who is doing the playing? How does the youngster’s “persona” fit into the picture? What is that youngster saying about him/herself through the music, or learning about him/herself personally? Yes, some educators undertake some fun improvisational activities, but these are few and far between. Any performer’s “persona” is part of


any performance. Music is not only about Mozart, it’s about me and Mozart because


MARCH 2013


I (or, the child) am the instrument through which we hear and learn about Mozart! It’s about combined personalities. In my book, “Toward The Zen Of Performance: Music Improvisation Therapy For Developing Self-Confidence In The Performer”, I take option with conservatory training for this very reason – that the performer ‘s emotions and needs are by and large not included in the training of skills. It’s all about tech- nique, the composer, and the teacher’s di- rectives! It’s never about the person in the task. In general music education, I have met few teachers who understand why it is important to have music in schools, and how the student can most benefit person- ally - not just cognitively - from the music class. Musical development must be more than just the satisfaction of learning to play an instrument. Although tackling an instru- ment can be conducive to developing posi- tive self-esteem, it is only the beginning of how music helps human development and sense of self.


What I am trying to convey is that music classes that begin very early in a


child’s life, can be one of the first ways of addressing “mental health” issues. If only music educators could be trained to un- derstand more about how the human body and brain work; how to guide students into using music as a form of their own self- expression,;how to conduct music improvi- sation classes in which students understand that the sounds that each is instinctively contributing impact upon what another is contributing – that each person’s individual “sound” impacts upon another’s. A job for the school counselor you say? No! That’s all about talking, and Adam Lanza (the shooter in Newtown) could not “talk” about his needs or express his inner fears and con- fusions in a positive, creative manner. He needed to act out. Music improvisation would have given this young man a creative and positive way to “act out” ! Every growing child is a “special needs”


child, regardless of whether there is a di- agnosis or not. In my fantasies, I imagine Adam Lanza learning to express himself non-verbally, and acting out musically. Beat a drum if you’re hostile. Bang on a gong if


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Purposeful Pathways


Possibilities for the Elementary Music Classroom


By Roger Sams and Beth Ann Hepburn


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Beth Ann Hepburn 800-888-7502 | www.MusicIsElementary.com 49 TEMPO Roger Sams


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