Music Education Philosophy 1
Running head: Music Education Philosophy
The Philosophy of Music Education
Dan Swonger
Introduction to Music Education
Section 1
Music Education Philosophy 2
Music is an important part of everyday life. Whether it is realized or not everyone is
surrounded by music. Interestingly, it does not take much hard effort for someone to be able to
effectively participate in a music group of some kind. All it takes is someone to teach that
individual what is expected of them, and they have a skill of enjoyment for the rest of their lives.
It is important to have music in schools because of the aesthetic experience students can
experience from it. Attaining such an experience is very rare when simply listening to the music.
But when a group of young people come together to perform a musical piece, whether in
performance or practice, the experience can be one that will last with them the rest of their lives.
This experience, then, does not have to end with school. Having been taught to perform at
various levels in school opens up the opportunity for continuing to play an instrument or sing in
adulthood, which can ultimately improve their level of content in life.
Music is also important in schools simply for the enjoyment the students receive on a
daily basis from it. At all levels of learning, participating in a music class becomes a break from
the monotony of the school day. In elementary music, it gives the students an opportunity to
work with others to accomplish the goal at hand, even if it is a simple song. In many bands and
choirs, students are presented with a challenge of a different kind than that of studying for tests.
Audition processes open students up to a level of scrutinizing much like that of an interview for a
job, which can help them prepare mentally for this real world process. What music can teach
every student is pride. At some level, students take pride in the organization they are in, and they
work together to accomplish an objective at hand.
These two ideas, the aesthetic experience plus a stimulation of thought during the school
day, provide a very powerful reason to teach music in schools.
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“Music touches every human being from infancy to adulthood. The power of
musical sound can be the vehicle for expression of a wide variety of human
emotions. And not only does music move us emotionally, it activates our
intellect.” (Why, 2006)
This explains wonderfully the benefits individuals receive from music. At all ages, everyone can
be affected in this way towards music. It effects emotion, expression, thought, and intellect. It
expands the mind to new levels and allows you to see, and hear, things in new ways. Music is
very important in life for all people, and it is just as important for children in schools.
Music should be taught to anyone with the desire to learn. At the elementary level, most
all students participate in a music class. It is then that they are able to decide if they truly want to
continue to participate in music. This reasoning is a strong base to teach music to younger
students. After this, there are many different levels of learning to consider. Participating in band,
choir, or orchestra is the most obvious to most people. However, it takes much dedication to be
successful in these programs, and many students decide that it is not the direction they really
want to take. However, there are a few other musical outlets for students. Music theory classes
are generally a higher level of learning for students. At the beginning level of theory, most
anyone can find some enjoyment in the ability to better understand the music that they hear in
everyday life. Music appreciation classes are ones that can be taken by anyone with an
enjoyment of music. It does not require previous knowledge of theory or literature, and the
purpose is simply to learn about music. At this level, music can be taught to anyone that simply
wants to know more about all kinds of music.
Music needs to be taught at many different levels. Elementary school is the perfect time
to start students’ exposure to different points of music. For these younger students, it can be an
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experience that helps them in their education as a whole. Scientific studies have found that a
small amount of music education at a young age helps to stimulate brain patterns that encourage
abstract reasoning. (Music, 1997) This can help them to be more successful later in their
education as they are able to more fully understand concepts. From these music classes, students
can then decide if they want try to be involved in a musical group or not. Soon after elementary,
or at the end of the elementary years, the opportunity should exist to join a band, choir, or
orchestra. This is where they are able to learn the fundamentals of participating in such a group,
giving them the opportunity for the experience, and to decide, once again, if they want to
continue involvement. In high school, the same programs should exist, with the opportunities for
smaller groups to participate in as well. Also, practice at the solo level should be greatly
encouraged at this time, even though it should be encouraged in middle school as well. For many
individuals, high school will be the end of their journey in music, so the experience should not
only be informative, but entertaining as well. While it should be taken to a degree of seriousness,
it should not outweigh the overall experience.
Music should be taught in an environment that is relatively low in stress that still
promotes personal advancement, and advancement as a group. An over aggressive style may
work well in some situations, but it can not accomplish what it intends to if used all the time.
Many individuals are in an organization for the enjoyment only. In order to have these
individuals succeed, and allow the organization to improve, a proper balance of a strict teaching
style and a loose teaching style must be had. Ultimately, the goal for teaching is to gain enough
respect from the students that they will want to do what you ask of them, allowing the teacher to
better inform the students and to be able to utilize time more efficiently.
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There are many different ways in which to go about teaching music. Several different
methods of teaching music have become widely accepted today. Orff is one of those methods.
The Orff method utilizes singing and groups and playing small xylophone instruments, largely as
improvisation. Part of the idea is then that these improvisations will want to be recorded, and
there will be a desire to learn to write music. (Orff, 2006) Another popular method is Kodaly.
Some of the characteristics of Kodaly include the hand signs to represent solfege and an
abbreviated stick notation of notes. (Methods, 2004)Yet another method to teach music is the
Suzuki method. The Suzuki method is based on teaching music when still at a young age, as it
then can be learned as language is. It includes such things as attending concerts to become
familiar with music, learning the music by ear rather than reading music, and reviewing all music
learned on a regular basis. (Suzuki, 2006) All these methods of teaching are very positive, and
relatively effective at teaching music, at least to the degree that they intend to. However, it is
important to have a mixture of many different teaching styles.
Each teaching method has its own redeeming qualities that work very well to teach the
students. However, it does not seem reasonable to believe that one method alone will adequately
teach the students what they need to learn about music. Kodaly focuses on teaching how to read
and write music, but it does not work well with music expression like Suzuki, or freedom like
Orff. Likewise, a weakness of Suzuki is the reading of music is not emphasized, or even made
necessary. The same can be said for Orff, which prefers a natural curiosity about reading and
writing music. This is why the teaching methods should be used in conjunction with each other.
They feed off each other. Each one fills in the gaps the other creates in its ideas.
The results of teaching should differ from student to student. Obviously, it is essential to
guide more gifted students to be able to constantly improve in all aspects of their skill. However,
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this does not mean that any lower level student can be overlooked. It should also be a goal to
help these students to improve just as much as students that already stand out from the
organization, ultimately improving the entire group. The overall result desired is to simply
improve and to educate. Through proper teaching, it is possible to improve any group. It is also
important to consistently educate the student of new ideas, even in a large performance based
group. This is not impossible to do either. Rather than simply rehearse, teach them how to
improve. This is the ultimate goal, because through this, the aesthetic experiences of music can
become realized.
There is much to be said about music education. It is just as important of a class as any
general education course is. The aesthetic experience is very important, as many individuals
would otherwise not have such experiences in life. While music can be seen as a break from
class, it is better perceived as a different way of learning, which can open the minds of
individuals and allow them to comprehend more complex thoughts. It is obvious, then, that
music should be taught to everyone. While not everyone will want to learn about music, those
that will can enjoy a lifetime of fulfillment from what they learn. The method of teaching is also
of great importance, for that can decide if a student likes or dislikes what they are learning. This
is something that must be adapted for each environment based on area, age, size of class, and
numerous different factors. But a balance needs to be found not only in the methods used to
teach, but the personality conveyed to the students and the way in which the material is
presented. This can play an important part in whether a student continues in music or not.
Ultimately, it is desired that all students continue in the learning process of music, so they can
expand their knowledge and one day encounter that important aesthetic experience that changes
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the way they look at music forever. The teacher’s desire to spread that feeling to the student
should never die.
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Bibliography
Methods of teaching. (2004) Organization of American Kodaly Educators. Retrieved May 10,
2006 from http://www.oake.org/php/kodalymethods.php
Music beats computers at enhancing early childhood development. (1997). American Music
Conference. Retrieved May 5, 2006 from MENC database.
Orff Schulwerk. (2006). Wikipedia. Retrieved May 10, 2006 from
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orff_Schulwerk
Suzuki method. (2006). Wikipedia. Retrieved May 10, 2006 from
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suzuki_method
Why teach? Why music? Why me? Retrieved May 9, 2006, from MENC Web Site:
http://www.menc.org/guides/whyteach/whymusic.html