Lynnessa Davis

Music Education 150

Ms. Sue Finger
April 23, 2015
Musicianship Statement
From my first day of Music Education 100 to my last day of Music Education 150, I have
learned how convenient a social instrument is in relation to my personal musicianship. In my
own opinion, a social instrument can be defined as an instrument that can be taught to someone
no matter their age. Another way I would define social instrument is an instrument that
encourages healthy social interaction. The guitar, kazoo, ukulele, and piano are perfect examples
of social instruments as they can be taught and played by anyone of any age. Although my
personal musicianship throughout this course has seen its ups and downs, I am proud of the
overall growth I have witnessed as a first-year music student here at Ball State.
My performance abilities have seen the most improvement while in this class. When I
first started out in the music education classes, I was not confident in my skills as a solo
performer. What helped me overcome this was that this class left no room for one to be shy about
performing but instead taught ways to overcome that feeling of shyness in front of the classroom.
Through the assignments, I was able to reinforce the concepts taught in class in my personal
time. For example, the first singing log that I did felt like the most unnatural thing I have ever
done as a musician. As the singing log assignments went on, I grew more and more comfortable
with my singing voice which also transferred over into the class when singing alongside my

peers would be the task at hand. During my singing competency at the end of Music Education
100, I was not impressed with how much stronger my singing voice and my ear while sight
singing had become. Throughout the duration of the class, I picked up on several different ways
to spend my free time that helped me succeed in the class. From singing everywhere I could to
improve my sense of pitch to practicing guitar for my competency exam, I became a wellrounded musician.
My level of practical musicianship has shown improvement throughout the semester in
ways that I did not expect. I learned about the influences behind the teaching strategies taught in
class and how their research contributed to the growth within music students. By understanding
the history behind the strategies that I read about in the course packet, researched on my own, or
learned about during in-class lectures I was given background knowledge and pointers on those
strategies that aided in my lesson plans when the time to peer teach approached. Another way
that my practical musicianship improved was my performance outside of the classroom in
campus ensembles, private lessons, and when I would play music for my own enjoyment. In
campus ensembles and private lessons, I observed the way my professors would introduce and
teach new concepts or repertoire to a room full of students. In my own time, I began to approach
new solos by using techniques like whole-part-whole to learn them efficiently and play them at
a higher standard.
Throughout this course I have learned a good amount of ways that will help me maintain
a high level of musicianship when I become a music educator. One of those ways was by
learning to understand what it means to be musically literate and how to ensure that your
students become the same. By being musically literate, the music educator not only knows what
to do as a teacher but also the reasons why so that none of their actions are done in vain. Another

way that this class has helped to contribute to a higher level of musicianship is by placing us in
situations that we will encounter during our career. For example, peer teaching allowed me to
prepare a real lesson plan and successfully teach songs to a classroom of my own peers as if they
were a classroom of elementary school children. I believe that my peer teaching opportunity and
the assignments where I was to reflect on those experiences helped me maintain a good level of
musicianship throughout the class. Way that I will continue to maintain my musicianship include
reading the newsletters sent to me by NAFME, staying up to date on new state legislation
regarding the arts programs in schools, and investing time into my love for music when apart of
ensembles here at Ball State by taking away as much as I can from every rehearsal.
The music education courses that I have taken have improved my skills as a future music
educator and showed me that this career requires a lot of a hard work, as does any career. With
music education, I believe that a lot more of your time and energy must be invested in the field
because music is a common language all over the world. By teaching a classroom of music
students, a music educator is equipping those students with the qualities of a well-rounded
human being in and out of the music classroom.