Teacher-to-Teacher
Our theme for this issue is Music: Central to a Well-Rounded Education. What specific things in your classes speak to that goal?
Phil Chambers Lincoln Middle School Band
Green River
Taking the topic one step farther - music is central to the human experience. We all have those key experiences that led us to become music teachers, and they each touched us in a deep emotional
way. We have a long tradition here in Green River of honoring our war veterans on Veterans Day. This multidisciplinary unit involves all of our intermediate school students in choir and our middle school band. The students get to meet local veterans in their classrooms during the week to better understand their service/ sacrifice and to ask questions. The unit culminates in a celebration involving speeches, skits, and many musical performances. Towards the end of the program we honor the veterans with the Armed Forces Medley and have all of the vets stand during the playing of their service song. I can best describe the experience as pure electricity and pure emotion. Everyone attending this annual event walks away feeling
more empathy, more connected, and proud of our community. Someone once said that “music is what feelings sound like.”
It
is often the glue that binds us together and helps us to make emotional connections in our daily lives. We should take advantage of each opportunity to infuse/integrate music with other subject areas in our school. Talk to the teachers in your school and see if there are possible ways to collaborate and integrate their subject content with your music classes. You will be amazed at the power of these connections and impressed with the impact on the learning process.
Aric Hageman Director of Bands and Percussion
Riverton High School
I want to preface my response by saying that I am answering this discussion through my high school classes’ perspective. My
Music Education philosophy has evolved over the years.
It used to be the Music for All approach that we all had while taking our music education classes. I do think that as a general concept,
Fall 2017 |
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this still holds true, but I don’t think that I only teach music. This is what I teach; Accountability, Responsibility, Teamwork, Respect, Work Ethic, Self Respect, Independence, Self Discipline, Musicianship, Music Literacy, Self-expression, Passion, Emotion, and Communication.
It is through this
process that my students are able to create music. I believe that these traits are essential to a well-rounded education, and students must use them in all of their classes. For example, when I am trying to teach my students about these traits, I refer to a chain. It takes all the chain links to be strong in order for the chain to work, or to be well-rounded. Our school motto is about creating productive members of our community. I believe that these traits are a huge part of that motto. My plan in my classroom is to have an achievable expectation level for all my students. Sometimes that expectation is not as high as their parent’s expectations, but usually their parent’s expectations are lower than mine and in my eyes not high enough. One trait that our students (and many of the adults) have issues with is communication. Most kids in this generation have learned to “Ask for Forgiveness, rather than for Permission.“ This is especially true with conflicts. I would be willing to work out a solution prior to the conflict but after the fact I am less lenient. I hope your school years are off to a great start! See you at
All-State!
Janelle Ellis 6-12 Vocal Music Educator Newcastle
Music: Central to a Well-Rounded Education…What specific aspects of your class speak to that goal? I’m sure we all started our music education journey because we have a passion for making music and sharing that passion with others. I’m also equally certain we weren’t aware at the beginning of that journey just what a broad scope music education encompassed. But, that is the world we entered. So, let’s take a look at what that really means. Of course we know all of the benefits of how music can enrich lives and help us reason better, but can we use our classes to help mold each young person that passes through our door into a well-rounded student?
Our students understand, for the most part, what role music
plays in their maturation, or they wouldn’t be doing everything physically possible to take our classes. They know music classes
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