Philosophies of Music Education

Having a defined music philosophy is a must. I feel that this is the starting point for the way that you will structure your course of study, program the music that you will play, choose which adjudicated events to perform in, and I would argue most importantly, justify your program to the community and to the students in your program.

Why is what you are doing important? That is the starting point of any philosophy and I feel that a clear and logical answer to this question will help justify your program to your students. A well defined philosophy is something that can be shared with the students that you are teaching; a goal that the band (or choir/orchestra) is working towards. As Dr. Peter Boonshaft says in his books and sessions, sharing the goal is vital for the success of a program so that everybody has a defined direction and is working towards a common endpoint. I feel that Lehman's article specifically addressed this while the other articles only touched on it: music is an indispensable part of the human experience.

Most of the articles in the reading also addressed the final goal as either the product (the final performance) or the process (the way in which you get to the final performance). After reading all of these articles, I feel that my philosophy is more in line with that of stressing the importance of the process. I feel that it is certainly possible to rote teach notes and rhythms to the extent of getting a superior contest rating, but does the child actually learn and assimilate anything? I would argue not, and I feel that Dodson's article supports this point.

I feel that these articles significantly helped to refine my philosophy of music in education. I feel that music is an intricate part of the human experience that is to be shared. Additionally, there are so many avenues for development in a music classroom (both personally, emotionally, and technically) that it should be a part of any complete education.