You WILL Be Asked What Your Teaching Philosophy Is

• By knowledgeable parents/guardians• At school job interviews• On continuing education class applications• By colleagues referring students• As a part of National Certification exams

and portfolios• By that little voice inside that tells you there

is a disconnect between what you are doing and what you believe

So, What Is a Teaching So, What Is a Teaching Philosophy and How Do Philosophy and How Do I Recognize One in the I Recognize One in the

Wild?Wild?

So, What Is a Teaching So, What Is a Teaching Philosophy and How Do Philosophy and How Do I Recognize One in the I Recognize One in the

Wild?Wild?

How Our Beliefs Drive our Choices How Our Beliefs Drive our Choices of Curriculumof Curriculum

Presented for the

2006 Arizona State Music Teachers Association Conference

Elaine Dyches NCTM & Gail Fischler NCTM

A Few Basic Philosophical Areas

How we view the role of music

How we view our roles as music teachers

How we view the meaning of music

How we view the meaning of music

Whose Role Is Most Important Overall?

PERFORMERS high school teachers

Composers AMATEURS

Professionals studio teachers

CRITICS

POP Musicians

CLASSICAL MUSICIANS

Elementary Teachers Church Musicians

Who Is Most Important in Contributing to a Specific Performance?

COMPOSER PERFORMERS Listeners

USHERS PROUD PARENTS

ARCHITECT SOUND ENGINEER TEACHER

The Piano Tuner

The Guy Who Cleans The Bathroom???

Are certain genres or cultural contexts more or less valuable than others?

• Is rap music less valuable than classical?• Is music from the Romantic Era more

valuable than 20th Century music?• Is Middle-Eastern “folk music” less valuable

than Ragtime?• Is a live performance more valuable than a

CD?• Is a digital keyboard less valuable than a “real

piano” ???? (in ways other than $$)

Does musical meaning lie in the work or in the performance?

• Does Beethoven’s Pathetique have meaning

without a performer or audience? (If a tree falls in the forest…)

• Is the knowing or the doing most important?• Does or should the meaning change if a piece

is played in an African Jungle, in Carnegie Hall, at a student recital, or alone for your own enjoyment?

Miss Coed

• I was the sound tech for Les Mis and they couldn’t have done that show without me. AND, those hot shot singers wouldn’t have had anything to sing if someone hadn’t written the music for them.

• My piano teacher insisted that a classical music performance was the ultimate but I don’t see that it is any more valuable than a really great rock concert or the Ravi Shankar concert I went to last week.

• I went to a terrific drum circle group in high school and it was the greatest musical experience of my life. I mean I lost myself - you know?

• When I’m out of college and I have my own studio, I’m going to listen to music my students like and not just music by a bunch of dead white guys

How We View The Role of Music

UTILITARIAN VS. AESTHETIC

Paul Haack, Bennet Reimer

Utilitarian: “Music As a Means To”

1. Self esteem, self confidence, self discipline2. Personal integrity, personal creativity, and self

expression3. Traditional values of patriotism, citizenship,

cultural/religious ties (patriotic songs, anti-war songs, hymns, political ads, teaching songs, etc)

4. Building math, problem solving, and logic/symbolic skills

Utilitarian: “music as a means to” cont…

5. Reading comprehension, spelling, language development

6. Verbal, perceptual, number, and spatial skills and motor proficiency (“music is like math…”)

7. Higher test scores, better communication skills, and disciplined study habits

8. Motivate staying in school though graduation and beyond. Prepare students for admission to colleges/universities & work in their chosen fields

9. Fulfill remedial or therapeutic goals

Mrs. USA

• Piano study helps children grow in everything they do. What they learn in my studio prepares them to be successful at LIFE!

• Playing a relatively simple piece confidently is more important than how long or difficult the piece might be.

• Everyone in my studio has a book of patriotic and folk song favorites. We have an annual 4th of July piano extravaganza.

• I am proud that over the years some of my greatest feelings of accomplishment have come from assisting students with disabilities to rise above their limitations through piano study.

Aesthetic: “Music For its Own Sake”

1. Involvement in music may yield benefits in other areas of study and personal development but it is never used as a rationale for musical study – music is end and means

2. Music is an art form – it is a whole area that should be studied with as much comprehensiveness as any other subject

3. Music has intrinsic value to us as a society – it is fulfilling & adds depth of feeling to our inner lives

4.Music provides a way to think and act in sounds

Aesthetic: “Music for its own sake”cont…

5.Intellect is not separate from or of higher value than feelings, emotions, physical sensations, and actions – Music is an act of intelligence plus emotion.

6.Music imagination is realized through bodily actions – thinking is body-centered

7.Music is universal, cultural, and individual

8.Music is pleasurable and profound

9.Music is end and means - product and process

Mrs. Muse

• My students all participate in yearly evaluations and competitions. They must be technically proficient to communicate through sound.

• Music cannot be explained in words. I tell my students- feeling feeling feeling! Express Yourselves!!!

• Music is THE Universal Language. One can communicate with another soul without ever speaking a single word.

• I never use stickers or prizes - Becoming one with music is reward enough.

• I know that the benefits of piano study far exceed any benefits of participation in soccer or any of those other sports.

How We View Our Roles as Music Teachers

POSITIVIST VS. CONSTRUCTIVIST

Hanley & Montgomery

Positivist (Traditionalist) Viewpoint

1.There is a continual quest for Improvement – Student receives and acts primarily on feedback

2.Information and advice come from teacher; Teacher passes on values and accepted convention; Promotion of lineage - Hierarchy

3. Learning is a programmed activity (behavioral?) -Action & Results/Prediction & Control

4. Meaning is imposed on the student. There are Right & Wrong Answers - Focus is on HOW

Positivist cont…

5.Teacher is implementer of others ideas; teacher is devoted to methodology

6. Learning builds upon facts It is subject centered/product focused; Teacher is the expert; Student has little input into evaluation; Student outcomes are predictable

Mrs. Fundamental

• I am very disciplined. I always use the technique books that go with the lesson books and I really drill the students on their notes.

• All my students have specific practice routines based on their levels. Beginners must practice 30 minutes, early intermediates 45 minutes and so on.

• I studied with Madame M who studied with Monsieur X who studied with Bach himself! I know exactly how to tell a student to phrase so that the expression in each piece is correct and stylistic.

• I have so much teaching experience that I know exactly which etudes and exercises will lead to a successful technical performance.

• I require my students to be dressed appropriately at the lesson. If they come dressed in their baseball uniform, their minds will not be on their music

Constructivist (Reconceptualized) Viewpoint

1.The learner personally imbues experiences with meaning - The quest is for understanding

2. Learning is a social activity that is enhanced by shared inquiry/discussion

3. Knowledge and beliefs are formed within the learner (cognitive) - Learning activities encourage ties from previous experiences to new ones

4. Learning fosters tolerance of conflicting issues and perspectives- Acceptance of ambiguity & multiple answers/meanings: Focus on WHY

Constuctivist cont…

5.Teacher is a decision maker & researcher – learner has input into the discovery process; teacher is responsive to learners needs

6. Reflection is an important element of learning; learners play an essential role in assessment/evaluation; Activities are learner centered/process focused – Product/outcomes of learning are varied and often unpredictable.

Mrs. Whatsit

• I teach, practice and keep pictures of all my students on top of my piano for them to see! I keep baskets with all the music categorized by level right where I can reach it when I need it!

• My families love the group lessons I have every Saturday afternoon. We have snack time and game time and then we all play a piece. It’s the highlight of my week!

• The question is often WHY???? Why did you play forte? Why did you want that to be faster? Why did Bach put two octaves between the hands here?

• I want my students to tie what they know of history, art, math, science, etc. to their music making. Does the texture of this piece remind them of lava rock or chocolate? What was the world like when Chopin wrote this Nocturne?

And, Your Point Is ????

The tail must not wag the dog

There is a difference between teaching philosophy, teaching objectives and curricular activities. What you believe should direct your teaching objectives which, in turn, direct learning activities.

Your actions really do speak so loudly others cannot hear what you are

saying

Professional integrity and continuing growth as a teacher means that you have thought and reflected about your most personal beliefs and that those beliefs are evident in your actions