Mallory Murphy

4/11/2016 1

Student Teaching Seminar

Teaching Philosophy

In my engagement with elementary, middle, and high school-level music education, I have

identified what I consider the most vital qualities of a successful teacher. As a future teacher, it is

my duty to learn from my mentors, professors, and peers in order to develop a personal teaching

philosophy that informs all aspects of my teaching.

Culturally Responsive Teaching

Most recently, I have come to understand the importance of culturally relevant or responsive

teaching, a concept which requires teachers to become competent in the cultures of their

students. I noticed, through my experiences in schools with contrasting cultures, that different

groups respond differently to the same material. For example, a lesson that is extremely

successful in one classroom may fail in another because the students do not relate to the material.

The authors who have influenced me on this topic include Gloria Ladson-Billings, Geneva Gay,

Lisa Delpit, and Julia Shaw. Ladson-Billings defines culturally relevant teaching as a pedagogy

of opposition... specifically committed to collective, not merely individual empowerment

(2005). CR teachers consider students backgrounds and then approach subjects through a lens

that matches students cultures.

To teach this way requires that we never teach using the banking method, during which

knowledge is deposited into the minds of students after assuming that they know nothing. It is

my belief that all students are innately musical. Teenagers, on average, listen to four hours of

music per day. Who are we to teach them as if they are new to the subject? Paulo Freire states
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Student Teaching Seminar

any situation in which some individuals prevent others from engaging in the process of inquiry

is one of violence. A classroom should be a democracy, while the students work alongside the

teacher, who serves as the facilitator whenever possible.

Culturally responsive teaching happens when certain criteria are met. One criterion is to

develop a cultural consciousness. This means empowering students to notice and do something

about the injustices around them. Project-Based learning provides students the opportunity to

identify issues and solve them in their own communities. According to Tobias, Campbell, and

Creco, students who experience project-based learning view learning in school as lifenot as

separate and unrelated to life outside of school. Project-based learning in music can be used to

create culturally relevant lessons.

My goal as a music educator is not to create music majors- instead, it is to create

independent, musical people. To do this, we must remove the labels of their music and

school music. Shouldnt school music be the student's music? Why is there such a separation?

Music Selection

Incorporating popular music into my curriculum will help bridge the gap between school

music and the music students interact with outside of class. It is important to me that popular

music be included authentically, not as a novelty or brain break from Western classical music.

According to Lucy Green, popular musicians learn their music informally, usually through

imitation. They often sing and play along with the song many times to find which chords fit the

best, what timbre of voices is needed, and what strumming patterns to use. If we only teach
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Student Teaching Seminar

classical music, there is a high chance that we will alienate our students. Instead, I wish to use

both traditional Western and non-traditional or non-western music.

Course Offerings

A music program should serve as many children as possible. While participating in choir

has been a landmark of my music career, we as educators must understand that not everyone will

be drawn to the traditional, large-group-style of music making. In an ever-changing world, music

education has failed to evolve as quickly as our school environments. In order to give as many

children as possible experience with music, educators should encourage administrators to

consider adding classes like music technology and guitar. By no means do I urge for more

traditional music classes to cease. Instead, I hope that schools will provide more choices for

students whose interests fall beyond the scope of band, choir, and orchestra.

In short, I my philosophy is that music education can be an enriching, transformative, and

empowering endeavor through culturally relevant teaching, informal music learning, and a

diverse range of music classes. Culturally relevant pedagogy will inform my selection of

repertoire, my teaching style, and the inclusion of project-based learning. Informal music

learning aims to create independent musicians who will hopefully go on to be informed music

consumers, enjoyers, and performers. Offering new music classes such as music technology will

make the subject congruent with how students are already interacting with music outside the

classroom.

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Student Teaching Seminar

How has my philosophy shifted as a result of student teaching?

Although I have made slight changes to my teaching philosophy, my student teaching experiences

have reaffirmed my philosophies about culturally responsive teaching and student-directed learning. It has

been enlightening to experience the amount of knowledge even the youngest elementary students have.

Students are constantly sharing things that they learned in their classrooms and outside of school. Many

children in my district study an instrument already, either privately or in school. My awareness of their

musical hobbies helps me plan instruction in a way that will challenge those achieving students who

already know how to read music. A second example of culturally responsive teaching at my placement

stems from getting to know the English Language Learners. Most of the ELL students' native language is

Spanish. Although I am not fluent, I sometimes put the directions on the SmartBoard in Spanish instead

of English. This empowers the ELL students by making them aware that they have a special skill that

most of their classmates lack. Planning instruction geared to the students in your classroom creates

meaningful learning experiences for all.

My philosophy about technology has shifted slightly as a result of student teaching. While the

SmartBoard is a glorious tool, it is easy to become reliant on that piece of technology. I learned to always

have a backup- in fact, some of my most shining teaching moments happen when the SmartBoard fails me

and students use popsicle sticks and giant pieces of paper instead of dragging and dropping icons on the

board. I realized that younger students especially need to be physically touching, doing, and playing in

order to internalize what they are learning. Of course, the technology in my classroom is used often, but it

is used as a supplemental tool instead of a focus.

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Student Teaching Seminar

I am excited to see how my ideas about teaching change as I finish my student teaching experience

and begin teaching in my own classroom. As a music teacher, I will never stop growing. Neither will my

educational philosophies!