Teaching Philosophy

The education system should include music in schools because music is an angle of applying multiple subject areas and promoting a collaborative learning environment into one facet of the educational process.  Music is included in every culture worldwide, whether a sacred event or for pure enjoyment.  While teaching, music students can explore many different styles of music from all over the globe. Integrated into these lessons is information about the background of these cultures and geographical pinpointing of the region the music comes from. Literacy is a critical part of music education. The ability to read the musical language, comprehend its meanings, and apply them appropriately for performance is incorporated into music lessons. Students will also have the opportunity to interact with one another in a cohesive atmosphere that promotes group learning. Students will be free to offer suggestions and experiment with new ideas, exploring different ways to express themselves through music.  As all creativity deserves to be showcased, music education offers an array of opportunities for students to perform, showing off their knowledge individually in small or large ensembles. Music education's performance helps students understand the real outcome of hard work. These experiences can help the student become a better person. This cognitive learning environment will promote success for the future of society. 

The material taught to students centers on music literacy, instrumental proficiency, and overall enjoyment of music.  The student will learn to read music and interoperate other musical terms and markings. Comprehension of musical content from beat, rhythm, style, expression, melody, and form. These are all the essential components of vocal and instrumental music. With a strong understanding of these concepts, upper-grade students can apply the terms learned in small and large musical ensembles. Lessons will also incorporate techniques in playing posture, hand position, embouchure, and sound production for each band instrument. Students must be held accountable for their learning through standards and regular evaluations. The student will be exposed to a cross-culture of musical literature that will challenge him/her to think and react to many different listening environments.  All students will have a form of music history incorporated into the lesson.  Musical terms and style will help as some musical terms have changed in recorded music history over the centuries. 

Methods & Techniques

Teaching is an art in itself.  For both band and orchestra, I must be able to identify many different things in rehearsal simultaneously.  I often compare it to teaching, like being a doctor. Listen and observe the ensemble, address the issues, prescribe a solution, implement that solution, and praise the successes.    Each lesson starts with a warm-up that helps the students solidify basic techniques taught and reinforced year-round.  We use our method books to introduce new concepts and experiment with them.  This part of the lesson is where students often experience a challenge. Repetition and individual visual evaluation happen right in the classroom.  Finally, lessons make their way to performance literature, where the application of techniques comes together.  The process of preparing for performance is where all the work happens.  The performance is just the outcome of what was practiced and how it was practiced in the rehearsal process.

"Repetition is mastery"  

Curriculum

The instrumental music curriculum currently focuses on a progressive-based learning style.  At the beginning of the school year, new students are taught fundamental skills and reinforced for returning students.  It's always proficient to perform a diagnostic test to see what knowledge the students have and create a plan to fill the deficiencies that the student.  As the school year progresses, skills that are taught are tested through consistent evaluation, physical application, and verbal recognition.   Music is a highly objective-based learning system.  There are many ways to evaluate a music program, including visual, verbal, and performance evaluations.  Feedback is given to each student to help encourage progress and improvement in necessary performance areas.

"The purpose of evaluation is to improve instruction!"

Areas of Study for Student Success:

a) Music Notation

b) Rhythm Counting and Identification

c) Note / Pitch Reading & Pitch Recollection

d) Music Terminology and Application

e) Instrument-Specific Techniques

f) Sight Reading

g) Chamber Music and Collaboration

h) Individual and Group Decision Making

Classroom Environment & Procedure

Each day in the music classroom, students enter a safe zone where they can create, experiment, and produce.  The procedure is a big part of getting many students to work together.  I have innovated a new way to engage students even before they step foot in the classroom with a digital sign that gives regular content to students, parents, and others visiting our school, as well as lesson instructions before the start of class.  Students must visit their lockers and music folder cabinets daily for their instruments and music.  I check to ensure they are locking their lockers, as we don't want any instruments to get stolen or misplaced.  In class, students are required to raise their hands to ask a question.  At the end of rehearsal, students put their instruments back into their lockers before departing for their next class.