1.
Engaging Lessons and Active Participation:
I believe that engaging lessons
that allow the students to be actively involved in their education can inspire
students to be creative, self-motivated, and excited about the class material.
Music is an inherently interesting and engaging subject, however, students
often still get bored in their music classes. Music teachers must strive to
maintain excitement toward music through strategies such as: movement, music
that interests the students, a variety of rehearsal techniques, and allowing
the students to present ideas.
2.
Clear Expectations Regarding Rules and
Routines
I believe that an effective and
engaging learning environment includes rules and routines/procedures that are
clearly and consistently communicated to the students. The first few weeks of
school are spent establishing these rules and routines very consistently and
strictly with many reminders throughout the class period. (Wong and Wong, 2009,
pg. 165) Following these first few initial weeks, one can ease up a little bit,
as students now know what is expected of them.
The following are some examples of
rules and routines that would be appropriate for a music classroom.
Rules:
·
Be respectful of teacher and peers.
·
Be responsible with your body and instruments.
·
Actively Participate.
Routines:
·
Be in your seat with the appropriate
instrument/music/materials when class starts.
·
Warm-up quietly in your seat at the beginning of
class
·
Look at the board for the songs/activities for
the day. Get your music in the correct order.
3.
Develop Relationships with Students and
Foster Community in the Classroom
I believe that a teacher can have
an extremely well-managed classroom, with students performing to the highest
levels, yet fails to be a great teacher if he/she doesn’t take the time to get
to know the students. Community is so deeply necessary to music, especially
through ensemble playing and collaboration, and a music classroom should
reflect this. Often ensembles, especially at secondary levels, function almost
like a family, and I believe this should occur in every classroom. Students
ought to feel comfortable to be themselves around their teacher and peers, and
I believe that the teacher being real, honest, and vulnerable, when appropriate
around students accomplishes this.
4.
Prepare for Lifelong Learning and Love of
Music
I believe that my job as a music
educator is to instill a love of music that will carry through the lives of my
students while equipping these students with the necessary skills and knowledge
to continue music beyond my classroom. I believe music is powerful and has the
ability to communicate in ways words can’t, change lives, and build
communities. Therefore, I believe my job as a music educator extends far beyond
the walls of my classroom. My goal is to develop lifelong musicians, who
possess a never-ending fascination and curiosity towards music, are never
satisfied with mediocrity, and use their music to better themselves and the
world that surrounds us.
References:
Wong,
H.K. and Wong, R.T. (2009). The First Days of School: How to be an
Effective Teacher. Mountain View, CA: Harry K. Wong Publications, Inc.