All teachers have an opportunity to change a life, one student at a time. It is a daunting proposition and a weighty responsibility for all of us. I approach the classroom remembering that I am teaching human beings, not just a subject and that musical knowledge is not imparted indiscriminately. My students come to our classroom with a plethora of experiences and a wide range of musical abilities and knowledge, and it is my job to create an environment where they can connect with new knowledge in ways that are meaningful to them. Learning and teaching are intertwined, so how I participate with my students will play an important role in the ways in which they interact and discover more about the world. Inspiring student interaction doesn’t just happen; it must be part of a thoughtful, organized, and well-executed plan, sprinkled liberally with artistry and passion.
Music has been my passion throughout my life. As a teacher, music continues to be the vehicle through which I can interact with and inspire my students. I am not imparting wisdom, but encouraging and pushing for personal growth in knowledge and curiosity. Through my 36 years of teaching, I have never met a student who simply could not learn, but I have met a few who are extremely resistant to learning. It is the resistance that I find fascinating and a challenge to be met. It is easy to help those who excel and are outgoing, just as it is easy to encourage the optimistic in the classroom. Giving up on any student easily is not an option for me. I will investigate, probe, ask better questions, hunt them down, work after hours, and sometimes accept, the reasons for the resistance. The fact that I care about each student and care what and how he or she learns might be a turning point for that student. If it is not, perhaps what I began will be fruitful down the road for them. The influence of a teacher is long lasting, and one is never sure where it starts and where it ends.
The best teachers I know listen carefully to their students and have passion and convictions of their own. It is through listening carefully that I may encourage a student’s personal growth or help her find her own strengths and weaknesses. I want our students to develop the security and confidence to be comfortable with their own questions, achievement, and growth. Without this confidence, students are unable to reach their potential. I see teaching as opening doors and windows to the world, providing opportunities to discover new ideas, helping those ideas germinate, and then assisting, guiding, or stepping out of the way so students continue their own discovery. It is a lofty ideal and sometimes a very painful process, but worthy of striving for each day. I have been fortunate to have the opportunity to hone my skills in some very fine public schools and universities so that I continue to grow and learn about my own teaching in the process.
I don’t believe there will never be a time when I will stop learning and growing as a teacher myself. The interaction with each class provides a rich learning environment and watching other teachers interact with their classes provides an opportunity to gain insight into the craft as well. I am never tired of reading about, going to workshops, or discussing how to teach and provide a rich learning environment for students. I find each day enjoyable and fresh with new challenges and joys.
I identify myself as a music teacher. I am passionately convinced the power music holds for humanity is worth living in service to music education. I am never sorry that I chose to teach a subject that is marginalized and in constant need of advocacy, especially now. The act of creating, performing, talking about, and listening to music is as much a part of knowing the world as it is discovering oneself. There is much joy in the work of teaching music! Sharing that joy of music in the classroom is a privilege and an honor.
Music has been my passion throughout my life. As a teacher, music continues to be the vehicle through which I can interact with and inspire my students. I am not imparting wisdom, but encouraging and pushing for personal growth in knowledge and curiosity. Through my 36 years of teaching, I have never met a student who simply could not learn, but I have met a few who are extremely resistant to learning. It is the resistance that I find fascinating and a challenge to be met. It is easy to help those who excel and are outgoing, just as it is easy to encourage the optimistic in the classroom. Giving up on any student easily is not an option for me. I will investigate, probe, ask better questions, hunt them down, work after hours, and sometimes accept, the reasons for the resistance. The fact that I care about each student and care what and how he or she learns might be a turning point for that student. If it is not, perhaps what I began will be fruitful down the road for them. The influence of a teacher is long lasting, and one is never sure where it starts and where it ends.
The best teachers I know listen carefully to their students and have passion and convictions of their own. It is through listening carefully that I may encourage a student’s personal growth or help her find her own strengths and weaknesses. I want our students to develop the security and confidence to be comfortable with their own questions, achievement, and growth. Without this confidence, students are unable to reach their potential. I see teaching as opening doors and windows to the world, providing opportunities to discover new ideas, helping those ideas germinate, and then assisting, guiding, or stepping out of the way so students continue their own discovery. It is a lofty ideal and sometimes a very painful process, but worthy of striving for each day. I have been fortunate to have the opportunity to hone my skills in some very fine public schools and universities so that I continue to grow and learn about my own teaching in the process.
I don’t believe there will never be a time when I will stop learning and growing as a teacher myself. The interaction with each class provides a rich learning environment and watching other teachers interact with their classes provides an opportunity to gain insight into the craft as well. I am never tired of reading about, going to workshops, or discussing how to teach and provide a rich learning environment for students. I find each day enjoyable and fresh with new challenges and joys.
I identify myself as a music teacher. I am passionately convinced the power music holds for humanity is worth living in service to music education. I am never sorry that I chose to teach a subject that is marginalized and in constant need of advocacy, especially now. The act of creating, performing, talking about, and listening to music is as much a part of knowing the world as it is discovering oneself. There is much joy in the work of teaching music! Sharing that joy of music in the classroom is a privilege and an honor.