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Alison Leigh Rummel

Dr. Morrow and Dr. Holcomb

Art of Teaching Music I

7 May 2017

Final Synthesis Paper

A great music teacher has the ability to teach while ensuring students enjoy the subject,

and encourage them to want to learn more or apply what they learned on their own time. They

should also always want to always evaluate themselves and the class to improve what they know

and how they can teach it in apply it in ways that work for all the students. Music educator

Anthony Mazzocchi summed up the most important goal for every great teacher, “The long-term

goal of any teacher should be to help their students learn so much that they longer need the

teacher” (Mazzocchi). These ideas and long-term goal correspond with the type of classroom

environment that is set up, and cannot be properly performed if the teacher is thinking about

themself or only meeting requirements or competitions. The teacher has to look at the best

interest of the students and what will help them that most.

A student-centered classroom is the solution to allow a teacher to help the students the

best, and has everything in the room and curriculum created with the idea that the student is not a

“passive receptor of knowledge” (Scott), rather an engaged individual who can choose how to

best learn and use the knowledge taught. When students can express their ideas and give input on

lessons and topics, it makes class enjoyable for both the students and the teacher, it also allows

more learning opportunities for everyone. My high school choir had a concert called the “Pops

Concert” which had more modern or popular music as a fun concert for the end of the year. The
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director uses this opportunity to get input in music that the students like, by allowing students to

write suggestions for what they’d like to perform. “Student selection of repertoire to be studied

through a democratic process is of vital importance. Using a democratic approach to the

ensemble gives both the teacher and the students the chance to explore the possibilities as well as

the challenges of the music together, promoting an open exchange of ideas” (Gilbert). Allowing

students to choose music and share their ideas will not only help the current students feel like

they are important and enjoy learning, but it can help future students as the teacher learns more

about different newer music and aspects of life from so many different people, and can create a

diverse class.

Diversity in a classroom is beneficial for opening students, teachers, and the community’s

vocabulary in music and culture. The diversity can be used in different ways and come about in

different ways. Students’ own backgrounds create the diversity in social aspects of the class, as

well as learning styles and how students view music. It can also come from the type of music and

languages of the music, so students can learn about cultures that they don’t usually experience

where they are from. Adria Hoffman, a music educator, participated in a program with her

colleagues at middle and high schools, to bring diversity into the curriculum, not only in music

classes but in the whole school. The program connected the whole school and made students

more receptive to their education as they finally got to hear their stories and backgrounds in

classes. For the students whose background weren’t being taught at the time, they were able to

feel more connected to their peers and new cultures. It created a better environment and also

allowed teachers and students to create better connections, which helped education even more.

In order to use diversity, however, teachers must being willing to get to know their

students and understand them more than just a name and a face. A good learning environment
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cannot happen if the teacher does not know their students, and if the students do not feel

comfortable sharing anything with the teacher because they feel like strangers. One way I have

seen teachers get to know students and make them feel comfortable are from the examples and

practices my high school band and choir directors set. They both tried to greet every student as

they walked into the room for class, already making the class seem like an open atmosphere so

students are not closed off to learning or connecting. Sectionals were also set in place during the

school day, where students would leave classes in a rotation to go to have a smaller lesson with

the teacher. This allowed the directors to have a better understanding of the student personally as

they would be able to talk in a smaller setting, and it also allowed the teachers to understand the

students’ skills and music abilities so they can choose music and instruction for the student and

the whole band or choir based on it. If teachers make an effort to build a connection it makes it

easier to teach and for the students to learn and approach if they needed extra help.

I plan to have my future classroom be an open, safe, and diverse place for my students. In

my high school choir we had a “spring basket of joy” in which students would write a nice note

to a specific person or the choir to cheer people up and bring a positive attitude, and I will use

that in my own middle and high school classrooms. I also want to talk with administration and

teachers to have a sectional/lesson schedule setup so I can give my students the attention they

need and better assess their skills and improvement. Like my choir director and other directors

have done, I want to open up a suggestion list for students to input their ideas and choices of

some music they would like. However, I would not take every song suggestion and use it, I

might try and use some songs to teach other lessons, including sight reading and solfege. The

music selection for concerts would be a mix of classical repertoire, other language songs, some
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more modern or student picked songs, and songs I believe will help improve certain skills, like

sight-reading, breathing, tone, and others.

My class would be a mix of multiple methodologies including the folk repertoire,

reading, and solfege from Kodaly, the movement of Dalcroze, especially for elementary level

students, and instruments and creativity to make their own music from Orff. I want my students

to be able to create some simple music and have the tools to be able to read and write it down. I

also think I could use some newer technology to help teach and give students more ways learn,

create, and share their ideas. Apple Ipad has many new music apps that help with reading music,

hearing and repeating, and even writing and creating their own songs, and if I had the money and

opportunities I would use it in every class from kindergarten to high school. I want my future

classes to allow students to have and use every opportunity for self-expression that they can so

music is something they want to continue to learn and share.

Gilbert, D. (2016). Curious, Collaborative, Creativity. Music Educators Journal,

103(2), 27-34.
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Hoffman, A. R. (2012). Performing Our World: Affirming Cultural Diversity

through Music Education. Music Educators Journal, (4). 61.

Mazzocchi, T. (2016, November 23). What Makes a Great Music Teacher.

Retrieved May 07, 2017, from http://www.nafme.org/what-makes-a-great-music-teacher/

Scott, S. (2011). Contemplating a Constructivist Stance for Active Learning

within Music Education, Arts Education Policy Review, 112(4), 191-198.