wsma board perspective
The Stuff That Lasts! Jon B. Gilliland, WSMA President-Elect
Since 1932, Wis- consin School Mu- sic Association has been at the forefront of assisting schools and music educa- tors with provid- ing significant and meaningful music exper iences for
Wisconsin’s students.
Hundreds of thousands of Wisconsin citizens can boast that they participated in WSMA music events over the past 84 years and can attest to the power and long- lasting effects of WSMA programs. Many of these former students have continued to make music long after they graduated from high school, enriching their own lives and the quality of life in their communities. Some of these former students have be- come professional and semi-professional musicians, providing for themselves and their families through their musical abilities and skills. Some of these students studied music in college; more than a few have become music educators.
WSMA is much more than a vehicle for providing Wisconsin’s students with opportunities to participate in solo and ensemble events, elementary listening projects, large ensemble festivals, march- ing band events, and middle and high school honors bands, choirs and orches- tras. In actual practice, WSMA continues to develop and refine music experiences for Wisconsin’s students providing op- portunities for them to participate in sig- nificant events that nourish the soul.
One of the important reasons for music instruction and participation is that music speaks to the “soul” of the performer AND the listener. This aesthetic experience – and affect of music and participation in “making music” with others – is one of the unique benefits of instruction in music and is one of the most meaningful ways we discover what it means to be
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It is entirely possible for students to dis- cover means other than music that address their emotional and aesthetic development. Indeed, personal interests and motivation can lead a student to study literature, po- etry, visual art, dance, or theater and to im- merse her/himself in this effort, deriving emotional and aesthetic satisfaction from the experience. Although these are very powerful and rewarding pursuits, there are few, if any, comprehensive programs in these areas that foster student participation on a scale rivaling that of WSMA.
WSMA programs and sponsored events provide some of the most positive and emotionally charged experiences for students and offer outlets for creativity in composition and improvisation not normally seen in any other school pro- gram. The music composition projects and improvisational aspects of some solo and ensemble events encourage the develop- ment of discrete musical skills, critical thinking and analysis, and a great deal of personal self-reflection.
In addition to the significant – some would say, the most important – emotional and aesthetic benefits of music participation, music is a collaborative and communal endeavor. When they perform for and with others, musicians, even student musicians, have the opportunity to hear, see and exchange ideas with like-minded sing- ers and players from other communities and schools. When they perform with an ensemble, singers and players encounter feelings of “belonging” and contributing to the overall success of the group.
fully human. Through music instruction, students receive educational experiences that involve discussions regarding musi- cal meaning and the evocative nature of music. Classroom discussions about the emotional and “feelingful response” to the musical experience – i.e. the feelings that result from an especially moving performance – are what make a lasting difference in the lives of students.
“WSMA programs and sponsored events provide some of the most positive and emotionally charged experiences for students…”
Through its wide range of student- centered programs, WSMA supports and encourages not only school bands, choirs and orchestras, but also community-based music ensembles. Many Wisconsin com- munities have instrumental and vocal ensembles populated by former students who enjoyed many WSMA-sponsored events. Members of church choirs, com- munity bands, string ensembles, dance bands, choral ensembles, ethnic ensem- bles, polka bands, big bands, barbershop groups and countless similar groups can trace their participation in music back to their WSMA experiences. The scope of WSMA programs is lasting and reaches far beyond the school.
We know that although students may for- get what the teacher has taught, they will never forget how the teacher made them feel. Students who participate in WSMA programs may forget the specifics of a particular festival, however, they remem- ber the feelings they experienced through those events, and their lives are enriched in unimaginable ways… and, in the end, this is the stuff that lasts.
Jon B. Gilliland currently teaches music education at UW-Milwaukee, serves as an arts education consultant with several Midwestern school districts and is president-elect of the WSMA Board of Directors. Email:
jonbgilliland@gmail.com
April 2016
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