My Personal Philosophy of Teaching Music

 

The philosopher Plato is quoted as saying that "music is a more potent instrument than any other for education."  I believe that this is true because of the many by-products which music education provides. Music educators not only have the responsibility for teaching music fundamentals, reading and performance, but must also be aware of these by-products in order to seek to educate the entire person.

 

Among these by-products are the following:

1)  Perseverance is learned through the repetition necessary to master a piece of music.

2) Opportunities for self-expression are provided as a student has opportunities to perform, improvise and create music.

3) These performances also serve to refine the student's sense of poise and self-control, which will be so valuable to the student in many areas of life.  

4)  The ability to concentrate and focus is constantly being challenged and improved upon in each musical encounter.

5) Students must learn to exercise patience through every stage of musical growth.

6) Learning music requires one to set goals, which in turn leads to developing organizational skills.  Goals must be broken down into small, manageable portions, then must be assimilated as each task is mastered.

7) The valuable art of problem solving is honed as students seek different methods of practice in order to reach a desired goal.

8)  Time management is learned as busy schedules are examined and time is found to devote to practice, and as the student allows time within each practice session for those tasks which must be accomplished.

9)  Research has demonstrated time and again the positive effect of music instruction on brain development.

10) Finally, music study provides opportunities for developing relationships with others who share the same goals and interests.