Arielle Rabano Critical Pedagogy I Mr.

McCall 1 May 2013 Music Education Philosophy Music is too fre uently neglected. It is critici!ed for its apparent lac" of practicality and for its inability to #easure its outco#es nu#erically. In an industrious $orld full of $or" and re$ard% the product is the #ost i#portant part. &nfortunately% this idea has #atriculated do$n into the education syste#. Music is no$ o'ershado$ed by core sub(ects and s"ills that society dee#s $orth$hile. I belie'e that (ust as #usic has a place in the $orld% it has a place in education% and that by o#itting it fro# a basic curriculu# education $ould be co##itting a disser'ice to "ids of different intelligences. )o understand the purpose of #usic in schools% one #ust first define the role of education in general. I belie'e that schooling is #eant to produce a $ell*rounded indi'idual. A child should e#erge fro# school ha'ing been gi'en a full spectru# of "no$ledge% thereby beco#ing a better person by it. Math and English are pro'ided so students can at least perfor# si#ple arith#etic $hen purchasing ite#s or $rite a decent enough essay in college. +ut $hat about teaching calculus and trigono#etry e uations that% depending on one,s field of study% one #ay ne'er see again- .hat about teaching classic literature such as /ha"espeare% $hich has $riting unli"e anyone $ill use in a #odern for#al paper- 0i"e #usic% all of these sub(ects contribute to #a"ing a fully intellectual student. E'en though there is not al$ays a practical application for these s"ills in the day to day of one,s line of $or"% they are still i#portant in helping #a"e hu#an thought #ore sophisticated. Music is no e1ception and should be included $hen stri'ing for acade#ic

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e1cellence. Music researcher and theoretician Ed$in E. 2ordon obser'es that 3a day does not pass $ithout a child,s hearing or participating in so#e #usic4 53Ed$in E. 2ordon46. Music is on tele'ision% on the internet% on $ebsites such as YouTube% on the radio in the car and e'en in the grocery store. Music is so #uch a part of the hu#an e1perience that it $ould be a gra'e #ista"e not to infor# students about it. 7ery fe$ things on the planet ha'e such rich regional history and is still able to transcend culture di'ides. /tudents deser'e to "no$ about the long tradition behind the #usic they hear e'ery day. 8#itting such learning $ould be neglecting a large part of culture. Music% besides being a social*cultural influence% is also so#ething biologically innate in e'eryone. 2ordon states it best $hen he says that 3#usic is uni ue to hu#ans4 53Ed$in E. 2ordon46.. 9a'ing the ability to not only 'ocali!e and percei'e sounds to #a"e #elodic sense% $e can also i#agine and create these patterns. Music is pure creation. It is creation that e'en co#es easy to us. 2ordon states that 3#usic is as basic as language to hu#an de'elop#ent and e1istence4 53Ed$in E. 2ordon46. :ro# a 'ery young age% hu#ans ha'e a natural reaction to #usic as $e do to the $ords being spo"en by the people around us. Music is another #ode for co##unication and re uires a different for# of intelligence. Incorporating not only cogniti'e and creati'e abilities% #usic also re uires the use of sensory s"ills and a sensiti'ity to pitch. A school curriculu# that neglects to nurture these natural abilities depri'es a child of their full potential as an intellectual being. /o#e children are particularly e1ceptional in #usic but #ay not perfor# as $ell in any other field of study. Music is its o$n for# of intelligence. +y introducing #usical s"ills% students $ill ha'e the chance to reali!e these talents and their full potential as a #usician. .ithout #usic in schools% children $ill be bereft of #eaningful

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e1periences and perhaps e'en a chance to succeed. +y not including #usic% education $ould be neglecting an entire population of students. As a future #usic educator% I belie'e in teaching #usic to e'ery child and pro'iding #eaningful life e1periences through #usic. My goal is to e#po$er all students to participate in and to thin" about #usic on an intellectual le'el. 9u#ans naturally react to #usic. )herefore% introducing ne$ pieces and establishing a con'ersation $ill let students e1press ho$ the #usic #a"es the# feel. )hrough further e1ploration% students $ill be able to articulate $hy the #usic e'o"es these e#otions. :urther#ore% students should also be gi'en the chance to ta"e $hat they already en(oy listening to and turn it into an intellectual endea'or. )his concept can be translated into the #usic classroo# by ta"ing $hat students hear on a daily basis and gradually fuse it $ith #usic theory con'entions and $ith #usic of other ti#e periods and cultures. :ro# #usic theory% students $ill be gi'en a reason for $hy #usic sounds the $ay it does and $hy it can e'o"e certain e#otions. +y including repertoire of other ti#es and cultures students $ill be better infor#ed about ho$ long and uni'ersal the tradition of #usic is. ;ean of .est#inster Choir College,s Music Education ;epart#ent and ad'ocate of Critical Pedagogy% :ran" Abraha#s belie'es that $hen the connection is #ade bet$een the student,s #usic and the #usic of the classroo# 3the #usic beco#es e#po$ering and offers #ore plentiful opportunities for #eaningful #usical e1periences inside and outside the classroo#4 5Abraha#s and 9ead 326. +y pro'iding the# $ith these s"ills% students are bettered infor#ed as listeners% consu#ers% and #usic #a"ers in their e'eryday li'es. Music is e'ery$here. I belie'e that e'ery person should be e#po$ered to be a #usician and to thin" intellectually about so#ething they hear e'ery day. Music is an unusual pheno#enon since it e1ists as so#ething that is both uni'ersally en(oyed and transcends ti#e.

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=ot including it in a child,s classroo#% a place $here ne$ ideas and disco'ery ta"es place% $ould be irresponsible of education as a $hole. Music has a place in this $orld% and children deser'e to learn about it.

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.or"s Cited Abraha#s% :ran" and Paul ;. 9ead. Case Studies in Music Education. 2nd ed. Chicago? 2IA Publications Inc.% 200>. 3Ed$in E. 2ordon.4 The Gordon Institure of Music Learning. )he 2ordon Institute of Music 0earning% 2012. .eb. 1> April 2013.