As an educator, my role is to provide a safe and welcoming environment for students to learn and grow. It is important for learning to take place in such an environment so that students are not only free to be themselves, but free to make mistakes. This way, mistakes happen in a safe, forgiving environment where students can learn from them before they have to learn those lessons in the real world. It is of upmost importance that educators prepare students to be high-functioning members of society when they leave the sheltered environment of school, regardless of what their roles or vocations may be.

The biggest gift we can give our students is an education that is student-centered. In order for students to learn, they must be involved in their own education and have a say in what they are learning and how they learn and demonstrate that learning. The best learning happens when it is cooperative and collaborative in nature, letting students learn from each other and become more actively engaged in their learning. I plan to take into account my students’ interests and learning styles as I teach, as well as provide students with multiple means of demonstrating their learning.

As a teacher, my goal is to be a facilitator of learning and a mediator of discourse rather than simply telling students what I want them know. I think I can learn just as much from my students as they can learn from me, so I want to make sure to show them as much respect as they give me by allowing for free flow of students’ ideas and interpretations. I plan to do this by allowing students some input in choosing the music that they perform, as well as specific content they want to learn. Music can drive certain emotions and a certain piece can mean something different to each person. I want to validate my students and their feelings about a piece by allowing them to share their personal connections so that students are able to combine their various experiences to create a deeper and broader interpretation of a piece.

Since a very important role of education is to prepare students to be high-functioning members of society, it is inherently important to teach music because it can improve a person’s mood and general outlook on life, thus improving the quality of life. Music education is important, not only for the marketable skills it teaches such as; creativity, discipline, flexibility, and the ability to cooperatively with others, but also because it simply makes life more enjoyable (Lehman). We must allow students to find ways to access and express their creative potential for their own sake.

The desire for music is almost a human predisposition, because it exists in every culture. It is essential that music be taught because the specific music of a culture provides us perspective of what it is like to be a part of that culture. In order for students to be high-functioning members of society, they must recognize and respect people from other cultures and within their own culture. It is nearly impossible for this to happen unless they have knowledge of the culture and are able to view life from another’s perspective.

Music education is very important because it is a great way to engage diverse learners. Vocal music is a fantastic way to equalize students who are English Language Learners and those whose first language is English because the students are required to sing in many different languages so everyone is at the same level because no one knows the language and everyone has to learn it a syllable at a time. Music is also helpful for struggling readers because they can learn by Pestalozzian learning.

Ultimately, my role as a music educator is to facilitate learning and discourse and prepare students to be productive members of society. Through music, I will engage students in activities that require them to be creative, disciplined, flexible, and work cooperatively with others. I must also help them explore the emotions that various songs or types of music brings them and help them learn to articulate what they feel and why.  Lastly, my role is to educate students about other cultures so that they learn to see the world through another’s eyes and can appreciate other ways of thinking and living.

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Lehman, Paul R. “A Personal Perspective.” Music Educators Journal March 2002, Vol. 88, Issue 5.