My Educational Philosophy

My philosophy at this point in time is progressive. Progressivism relies on the theory that the student should be the focal point. By adjusting the curriculum and teaching techniques to reflect the student's needs and interests, the teacher is encouraging the student's desire to learn. The student will then ask questions without feeling angry or disgusted.

Another theory of progressivism is that of a democratic system. Students will fare better in life if they are exposed to the ideas and cultures of different ethnicities and personalities early. By encouraging group work, instead of solo work that will lead to competitions, the students will be more open-minded and will be better prepared for a diverse world.

Progressivists believe that education should mirror life. Education often uses past experiences to gain more knowledge, much like life. Therefore, education should be taught as life. By breaking experiences apart into the different problems, one can do this. The students will gain more from this problem solving technique than by memorizing information for a test.

There is one more theory to progressivism. I don't agree with the statement, but here it is: the teacher should act as a guide rather than an authority figure. I do think the teacher should be a guide for students, but without some level of authority, the classroom will cease to function as such and could become a circus rather than the productive learning environment it is supposed to be.

My Philosophy of Music Education

Music is an art form, as well as a form of communication. It is an art form because many people appreciate different forms of it, with the understanding that appreciation is in the eye of the beholder. It is a form of communication because the conductor and performers are conveying the composer's emotions to the audience.

I believe that music should be taught through listening and performing. Learning music through listening is very important, but I don’t believe that one can fully “learn” music without also learning to perform as well. For example, in my high school band, we learned to perform music, but we were only able to perform the music well because we were given the opportunity to listen to the music that we were going to be playing beforehand to hear how our parts fit with the rest of the ensemble.

Music is a crucial subject that should remain in the education system. It is one specific body of knowledge that can be taught only as music itself. Not only will this knowledge help create a more musically aware society, but studies have proven that the disciplines acquired through the study of music also translate to better grades in non-musical classes.

Music should be taught to everyone. The general music courses should not stop at the eighth grade, as it does in my former school district, but continue through the high school years. But, why stop at the end of high school? I am a firm believer that to truly gain knowledge in the field of music, it should be a life-long lesson, or series of lessons, that will eventually lead to the above mentioned musically aware society.