wisconsin music educators association president
Envisioning a Both/And Approach in Music Education Paul Budde, WMEA President
Although I had heard rumblings on the news, I had no idea just how quick- ly life would be turned upside down by COVID-19. In a matter of weeks, everything changed.
The early months of 2020 ushered in un- precedented changes for music education, as we pivoted from face-to-face to distance learning. This shift required extensive use of technology for synchronous and asynchronous teaching, a reality for which many of us had little training. Further, the pandemic brought to the forefront an is- sue that had been largely ignored for too long: stark disparities regarding access to and support for the technology and high- speed internet that made online teaching possible.
As we quickly learned, the use of technol- ogy was one of many challenges we faced. The pivot to distance learning required wholesale changes in teaching pedagogy, as the ways we were accustomed to inter- acting with students in face-to-face set- tings simply did not translate to online formats. Further, the pandemic shifted our focus from academic content and grading
to the well-being of our students, with flexibility, empathy, mental health, social emotional learning and community build- ing seated front and center.
Whether teaching in person or online, music educators faced an additional chal- lenge: performance-based music classes – a staple of music education across many generations – needed to be fundamentally altered. New safety protocols were put in place to mitigate the spread of aerosols, including face coverings, instrument cov- erings, distancing, equipment sterilization and more. For those teaching online, music making and even basic communication were often derailed by connection glitches and latency issues. Disabled cameras and Zoom silence became our new realities. All of this is to say the pandemic turned our personal and professional lives upside down – in every way imaginable.
As weeks turned to months, our desire to return to normal grew exponentially. We longed for handshakes and hugs, hang- ing out with family and friends, eating at restaurants, and moving about in public without the need for face coverings. Through it all, we longed for a safe re- turn to our classrooms, joining hands for music-and-movement activities, rehears- ing with our ensembles, performing for in-
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“Rather than planning for a return to normal, it may be more beneficial to reflect and act upon what we have learned in the last year.”
person audiences and more. I’m guessing we have all thought at some point: I can’t wait for life to return to normal.
As we look ahead to fall 2021, though, I can’t help but wonder if a return to normal is the best option for our students. Simply put, what benefits from the past year might be lost if music education simply returns to normal next year? Consider, for example:
• the student who lacked confidence when making music in class, but now has found her calling as a songwriter
• the student who rarely contributed to class discussions, but now is sharing in-depth thoughts about music in his weekly listening journal
• the student for whom you extended a deadline after finding out during an online check-in that they are now taking care of their siblings in the evenings because of the pandemic
• the student whose grades have soared, now that they have improved access to the internet
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April 2021
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