Philosophy of Music Education

Music is invaluable to human culture. It is a part of people's daily lives around the world. It allows people to connect with each other and with themselves to discover a deeper meanings of human emotions and interactions. Music Education is a necessary means by which all students can express themselves and discover their own emotions. Music classes give students opportunities to grow emotionally, mentally, and physically while also providing a support system of peers. Music Education provides necessary life skills such as self-discipline, self-expression, responsibility, patience, and teamwork. Music Education is a way to instill a love of music that will carry on for the rest of students lives.

All students should be allowed to participate in school music programs. It is a rewarding subject that enriches all ages and contributes to an individual's well-being and well-rounded lifestyle. Music should be offered at minimum twice a week for elementary students. These sessions should be approximately thirty minutes in length. In addition, a music class should be mandatory at least once during their time spent at middle school and high school. Time allocated for music in middle school should span from forty-five minutes to an hour and high school students should have anywhere from an hour to ninety minutes allocated for musical study everyday of the week. Materials needed for music instruction include: a piano, general music books or music theory books depending on the level of the students, classroom instruments, band instruments, music folders, music storage, music stands, and an appropriate performing venue, such as an auditorium, with professionally engineered acoustics.

A K-12 music program should offer a variety of courses to students. Students should be able to select from instrumental classes such as concert band, class guitar and piano as well as vocal ensembles such as choir, women's choir and select choir. Non-performance based classes such as music history, music appreciation, and general music should also be offered. These classes help students explore music and the many cultures from which it comes. Through the teamwork of ensembles striving toward a common musical goal and non-performance based classes that encourage discussion and freedom of thought, these classes allow students to make incredible bonds with each other that last a lifetime by expressing their common love of music.

Music should be taught by certified professionals who have a comprehensive knowledge of their subject. Teachers should have a wide knowledge of performance practice, history, theory, and should have good communication and organizational skills. An effective music educator is enthusiastic and passionate about music and working with students of all abilities. Lastly, I believe that affecting children through music is the most rewarding profession, and being able to share my love of music with students would be the most amazing job I could ever ask for.