PERSONAL PHILOSOPHY OF

MUSIC EDUCATION
Madison Hines
 Personal Philosophy of Music Education
Madison Hines

The Purpose of Education

The education system is one of the only structures that remains constant throughout the
lives of our students, starting in their childhood and continuing into adolescence and early
adulthood. Due to its consistency and the amount of time that children spend in school, it is
important that their education meets their needs and helps them grow over the course of these
thirteen years. The three primary purposes of education are to provide students with a well-
rounded knowledge base, provide them with other perspectives of the world around them, and
teach them how to operate in society as positively contributing individuals.
Throughout their education, students are given a well-rounded knowledge base through
the studies of multiple disciplines. By educating them in various subjects, students have a
baseline knowledge in all areas so that they can use that knowledge in their daily lives. Some
may get used more than others, but it is important to have experience in all areas in order to be
prepared for situations in academic, vocational, and day-to-day life. They are also able to
discover where they excel by studying multiple different subjects, which can lead to them
finding the path that will best suit them in their life after K-12 education. Through the study of
all subjects, they are able to gain new perspectives and appreciations for the world around them.
Education also serves an important role in providing students with other perspectives of
the world around them. The schools bring together individuals from many different backgrounds,
and it is important for students to learn how to respect others who are different than they are.
This allows for the opportunity to recognize and celebrate diversity so that they can carry those
traits into their lives after schooling. In addition to learning about other cultures, students learn
about their own culture, celebrating the successes and recognizing the failures in order to not
make the same mistakes. The education system serves students over the course of thirteen years
of their lives. During those thirteen years, it takes on multiple roles to help students become
prepared for the adult world and to be a positively contributing member in that adult world.
While students gain a broad knowledge of academic subjects, the school systems also
work to provide students with a framework for operating in society. Students learn the
importance of working with others, including how to handle conflict, make resolutions, and
delegate tasks. Education also work to develop students at an individual level, focusing on self-
regulation and self-management. This can include learning how to manage time, working in a
scheduling, regulating emotions, and learning how to master a skill. Because students spend so
much time within the school walls, it is critical that schools work to develop these skills just as
much as the academic subjects. Without a knowledge of how to self-regulate and work with
others, students will struggle to be successful in their lives after school.
The student should always be at the heart of education and learning should be focused on
the needs of the student. While there are certain academic goals that must be accomplished and
met, the content that they are learning needs to be relevant and they should be taught the skills
that they will apply in their daily lives. In an age of technology, this will include learning how to
use various devices and using these devices to aid the learning of students. In order to meet the
needs of the student, scaffolding and differentiation should be regularly included to reach
students where they are and help them move towards growth. Those that are responsible for
providing students with the resources and support that they need are the teachers.
 Teachers have the unique opportunity to provide students with the knowledge and skills
that they need to be successful. They should demonstrate mastery of their subject while also
taking opportunities to promote their own personal growth as a learner. They give students the
chance to interact with this knowledge on their own to move towards self-sufficiency.
Ultimately, the teacher should serve the role of facilitator for learning. The teacher should have
high expectations for their students’ learning so that they can reach their full potential. This
encourages students to take ownership of their learning, while providing the right amount of
guidance and support for them to be successful. It is crucial for the teacher to provide students
with a safe learning environment for them to succeed and fail. If students can recognize that
learning occurs through failure, they will be more likely to take risks that will propel them
towards growth in their learning.
Each of these areas should be seen and implemented in every area of study within the
education system. Music education exemplifies each of these purposes found in the general
education of students. Using a student-centered approach with the teacher as a facilitator for
learning, the students have the opportunity to develop unique skills in the context of multiple
cultural perspectives. It also provides students with a framework for operating in society,
including how to contribute as a community member, develop processes for accomplishing
goals, and expressing emotions through positive creation.

The Purpose of Music Education

Like any subject, music education should be designed to allow students to develop
musical skills and a knowledge base about the subject. All students have the aptitude for music
and the innate ability to be musical. Through instruction, performance, and informance, they will
develop the technical skills of music, including how to play their instrument and use their voice.
They will also develop skills of musical literacy, including how to read music and rhythm,
interpret symbols, and apply musicality based on the context of the piece. Students will have the
opportunity to learn about the history of music and its role in society because it is imperative to
acknowledge the historical aspects of music so that they don’t lose relevance. Most importantly,
students will learn music by doing and participating to show that they are capable of creating
music by themselves and with others. Each of these skill sets help them develop a well-rounded
knowledge base of music, which they can also connect to other disciplines in their educational
experience.
Music allows students to promote their own expression and creative thinking skills. There
are many aspects of music that develop higher order thinking skills, including improvising and
composing in the classroom. Music then becomes a vehicle for creativity for these students. They
can use these creative abilities not only in the music classroom, but in other areas as well. Every
discipline requires creative and critical thinking and students also get the opportunity to use this
in music class. Through music, we are allowing students to take the foundation of skills that they
have learned and build their own informed opinions and decisions about musical expression.
Music gives many students the ability to communicate through another outlet. Not every
student feels confident expressing their emotions through word, and music can often be, “…a
vehicle for expressing ideas and emotions that people might not reveal in ordinary discourse,”
(Merriam, Radocy). This contributes to the development of self-regulation and gives students a
positive outlet to express themselves. Music promotes emotional expression through playing and
singing, but also within the stories of the music that is being performed. Students are able to
connect to the inspirations and the stories behind the music, which further fuels their
performance and gives them ownership of their learning. Uniquely to the subject, music also
allows a group of students to communicate as one through sound. They work together to create
an artistic product and become united through their hard work and expressivity. This promotes
community amongst musicians and gives them the opportunity to work towards a common goal
with their peers. Each member must contribute for the success of the group, which is something
that they are not often exposed to in their core subject classes. By learning to work together with
a group towards a common goal, students will be able to transfer these skills into their personal
and vocational lives and be a positively contributing member of society, inside and outside the
music classroom.
In addition to the musical skills that are developed, music classes offer students with
unique opportunities to develop themselves at an individual level. Through music, students have
the opportunity to take on leadership roles and learn what it means to lead a group, whether that
be through a chair position, section leader position, or some other form of a group leader. As
mentioned earlier, students develop the skills to work together with a group that is dependent on
the contribution of each and every member. This need for individual contribution should
motivate each other to be his or her best, not only for themselves, but for others as well. Students
learn to have an appreciation for parts besides their own with the understanding that each person
plays an important role in the ensemble. This can be transferred to their life after school and will
give them skills of appreciation and empathy for those who have roles different than theirs.
Music should also provide students with regular opportunities to reflect on their own
performance and move towards growth. It is important that the growth mindset is utilized in
music classrooms to help students focus on process over product and see their failures as
opportunities for growth and development as an individual and ensemble musician.
Regardless of whether or not they continue to play in performance ensembles after
completing their K-12 music education, they will have developed skills that allow them to be
critical listeners and consumers of music. They will have developed the confidence in their
individual abilities to perform music, whether it be in a community band or in a Praise Band for
their church. By exposing them to musical opportunities outside of the classroom during their K-
12 music education, they will have an awareness of the musical opportunities that they can
continue to engage in once they leave the classroom. This will foster lifelong music learning and
helps them realize that music is a subject that they can continue to experience in many mediums
for the rest of their life.

Music education is a critical part of a student’s educational experience and is designed to

serve students in the same capacity as the other subject areas. Music education provides students
with a number of unique opportunities and skill sets that can be used to help them develop as an
individual in all aspects of their life – academic, vocational, and personal. It gives students the
opportunity to create, perform, and respond to music through learning about the subject and
actively participating in music making. Without music, students would be missing a vital piece
of their educational experience that allows them to express themselves and create alone and with
others. It is essential that we include music in student’s curriculum throughout their time in
school in order to give them the most well-rounded education, including a solid foundation in
musical knowledge and performance. It allows them to express their own creativity in an
education system that constantly groups them in with the rest of their peers. It also allows them
to work with students of all backgrounds to create an artistic product, an opportunity that cannot
be found in any other subject area.

Source
Radocy, Rudolf E and David Boyle. Psychological Foundations of Musical Behavior.
Springfield, Charles C. Thomas Publisher Ltd, 2012.