Personal Philosophy of Music Education

I believe that music is an experience that should be shared by everyone and that everyone should have equal opportunity to learn and perform music. Music functions in developing the individual and has positive physical effects on the body. It also allows for creativity and imagination and develops students’ cognitive abilities. For these reasons, I believe that a love for music should be cultivated in every possible context for a child.

Unlike most other art forms, music is an intangible art form which engages the individual on an emotional, physical, and spiritual level. Outside of the individual, music is also a force which unites people within the same culture and also people of different cultures.

Music is a discipline which can help students develop positive attitudes towards their academic abilities and help to form their identities in a constructive way. Links have also been made between learning music and the improvement of critical thinking and other skills. It has been found that schools which had more arts-centered programs had students who had more positive views about their academic abilities and even that teens who play an instrument are more likely to positively contribute to their academic environments. Many would attribute this to how music can be an outlet for refined expression and imagination. Apart from developing positive attitudes about abilities and identity, music also aids in the development of spatial intelligence, reasoning, and language.

I believe that teachers should teach a variety of music while keeping in mind the interests and needs of their students.

I believe that a teacher should possess knowledge of their subject area, training in classroom management and teaching methods, and a sincere desire to support students academically and musically. A last vital characteristic of an effective teacher is the ability of a teacher to be flexible.