college & university “How are you?”


Centering Student Voices in Music Education David Potter, WMEA State Chair, College & University


After years of teach- ing music in New York, Pennsylva- nia, Tennessee and Michigan, I came to UW-Superior after being asked one question. As I sat with a group of music majors at the


school, having prepared myself for what- ever interview questions or comments would come, I was touched by the first question that a student asked me: “How are you?” Rather than being compelled to articulate external sources of knowledge, this preservice music teacher’s question invited me to share internal thoughts, emo- tions and experiences. The question was a powerful reminder that music teaching and learning is “not about content or terminol- ogy – it is about people.”1


Prioritizing students over content can be a very liberating endeavor that encourages narrative driven music teaching and learn- ing. When students’ ideas and experiences serve as the starting points for scaffolding, then teachers can begin to teach respon- sively, basing their work on the voices of students in their classrooms, rather than the distant objectives of a predetermined curriculum document. This was especially salient to me when I taught elementary music in Memphis, when a question on the relevance of music in my students’ lives led to them writing and performing a musical on the 1968 sanitation workers strike that included protest signs from the past like “I am a man,” and protest signs from the present like, “Black Lives Mat- ter.” In other words, students synthesized their present experiences with past events, deriving new meanings and insights that enriched the learning environment. The same can be said for higher education, and while contexts may vary, one idea remains


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consistent: The most meaningful music teaching and learning happens through sharing stories with one another.


In the aftermath of COVID-19, it is im- portant for music teachers and learners to continue engaging in meta-cognitive discussions built upon solid foundations of knowledge, including the experiences that students bring in from outside of the classroom. “How” and “why” questions in music teaching and learning can be especially meaningful for facilitating experience-based conversations. Some examples may include:


• How can music be described? • Why is music important?


• How does music connect to our lives?


• How can music be used to get to know one another?


The visual in this article provides some of the variations of musical inquiry that might take place within a process-based, student-centered curriculum that also considers the national/state standards for music education.2


Consider, for example,


the Wisconsin music standard, “Connect,” which states, “Students will relate prior knowledge and personal experience with music to cultural and historical context.”3 When we consider the standard using a question-based curriculum, we can draw upon student experiences to scaffold into deeper levels of inquiry. In other words, if we start by asking how we can use music to get to know one another, we can consider deeper questions pertaining to this standard:


• How does music at school compare and contrast with music at home?


• How can narrative be used to influ- ence musical concepts?


“Prioritizing students over content can be a very liberating endeavor that


encourages narrative driven music teaching and learning.”


• How do individuals from alike and different backgrounds make music together?


• Why is music a cultural practice?


• How does community impact a music making experience?


• How has music been used to shape society?


• How have musicians expressed themselves in ways that have devi- ated from socialized norms?


• How have cultural norms shaped the ways that individuals and com- munities engage with music?


• How are beliefs concerning music used to convey and/or solicit emo- tions?


When we engage students in answer- ing questions like the ones above, our students’ experiences outside of class become part of our curriculum inside the classroom. Moreover, if we can encourage students in higher education to speak about their experiences and ask new questions, we open opportunities for new voices in developing policies in music teacher education.


Continued on page 20 September 2021


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