Suzanne Eskelund

Philosophy of Music Education

I remember the first time I realized that I wanted to be a teacher. It took me

by surprise as it was never something I saw myself doing when I was growing up. I
always envisioned myself on stage, performing for an audience. Little did I know
that I was right, but that it would be a much different audience than I expected. I
decided to try education and fell in love with teaching children. There is nothing
more exciting and exhilarating than helping children grow academically, socially,
and musically.
I believe that each child is unique and brings something special to the
classroom. In order to help each child achieve his or her full potential, it is my goal
to create an environment where students feel comfortable with one another in a
safe space which allows them to take risks. By taking these risks, children are more
able to explore the world around them and what it has to offer. I believe music can
be especially important in this sense, as it encourages creativity, community, and
can build confidence through an expressive outlet.
Every child is an individual and has a unique set of strengths and weaknesses
as Gardner points out in his Theory of Multiple Intelligences. He states that there are
eight intelligences that exist including logical, musical, linguistic, visual-spatial,
interpersonal, intrapersonal, naturalistic, and bodily-kinesthetic. I intend to include
several different types of instruction in my classroom in order to connect and
enhance the learning taking place with each student. For instance, in a choral
setting I may ask children to use their bodies to paint the music as we sing a
phrase to show how smooth (legato) or choppy (staccato) the phrase may be. This

would give a visual, kinesthetic, and auditory cue to help the children learn the
music. I strive for each of my students to become well rounded individuals by
playing to their strengths while further developing their weaknesses. I intend to do
this by always using multiple modalities to teach in a way that is as productive as
possible without losing the aspect of fun. I truly believe students will always learn
better and be more engaged when there is an element of enjoyment. On top of an
element of fun, I want to challenge my students by teaching within Vygotskys zone
of proximal development. I strongly believe in scaffolding information to introduce
new concepts by modeling and encouraging my students until they are comfortable
with the information on their own.
In this day and age, we know that working together as a community is an
important factor in life both in and outside of the classroom. Music is an outstanding
source to incorporate inclusion of all children. By working as an ensemble, children
learn to rely on one another while taking responsibility for their part in making the
group successful. They must learn how to build relationships in order to create
something great. The wonderful thing about music is that every child can and will
excel in some form or another. Because all students are gifted in different ways,
music allows us to explore multiple avenues of creativity and communication to
create an interconnected ensemble. I truly believe that music is a necessary
component in every students life. It can be a wonderful teaching tool for academic
material as well as a creative outlet. It helps brain development and focus as well as
creating an inclusive environment for all students to be successful. I am so thrilled
to someday be part of a music classroom where I can share my passion while
helping students strive for their personal best.