Philosophy of Music Education in Higher Education
Many students begin college with a dualistic mindset, believing in absolutes and seeing the world in black and white. An important part of my role in higher education is to help students see the grey, developing their critical thinking and moving them toward relativistic mindsets that encourage being open to new ideas, testing claims, and reaching their own conclusions. This means teaching beyond what Elliott and Silverman called mere “instruction” (e.g., assessment strategies, methodologies, writing lesson plans), to include classroom activities and discussions that highlight the complexities of music, the classroom, and the world. The goal is developing students’ reflection and reasoning as they mold their own worldviews and teaching philosophies.
Preservice teachers should be equipped with the knowledge and tools needed to create a safe and welcoming environment for all students. They should not just tolerate, but embrace student differences (religion, culture, sexual orientation, etc.) and be aware of how socio-economic status can affect student performance. They need to understand the social and developmental needs of children, and how to treat their students equitably. This is done by researching the music of different cultures and examining how music is universal, but not necessarily a universal language. My students explore the differences between teaching in urban and rural settings through readings and discussions. Concepts from sociology and educational psychology (Vygotsky, Maslow, Gordon, etc.) and culturally relevant pedagogy are woven into the curriculum, as are discussions about assessing and addressing individual students’ needs.
To help preservice teachers develop critical thinking skills, I utilize assignments that require them to go beyond stating facts and figures, and analyze why a teaching method is suitable, a student might act out, or a piece of literature might not be age appropriate. To develop problem-solving skills, I employ case studies that present situations with no clear solutions that require students to weigh options and make difficult decisions.
To prepare students for learning beyond their degree, I provide opportunities for self-reflection so that they can practice evaluating what they do not know. Then students practice finding answers on their own, with some guidance, to develop the skills needed to explore the world of resources available via practitioner magazines, blogs, podcasts, mentor teachers, etc. I incorporate current research articles and findings into the curriculum so that students are exposed to how research is carried out and reported, with hopes of reducing practitioner intimidation and bridging the research-practice gap.
As a result of my instruction, students will be comfortable in active-learning environments and utilizing active-learning teaching strategies. Pupils of all ages learn best by doing, so I model these strategies by incorporating activities into every class that will drive home the concepts covered in readings or lectures. For example, lectures about pitch tendencies on brass instruments are followed by experiments in class with tuners and various fingering combinations. Assigned readings about nontraditional instrumentation in jazz ensembles are followed by in-class score study and discussions about where to seat those players.
Just as I ask students to perpetually evaluate their own beliefs and philosophies, I continuously do the same, refusing to stagnate and grow complacent in my development. By focusing on the pre-service teachers’ needs instead of the content to be delivered, I hope to develop critical thinkers who are open-minded, inclusive, reflective, ever-developing, and users of active-learning teaching strategies.
Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion
My teaching career began at a Title 1 eligible middle school in rural Indiana. My position as band director and general music teacher allowed many opportunities to work with individuals from disadvantaged families, including eager students who desired to join band but lacked the resources to acquire an instrument. With assistance from the school district and community members, I was able to create opportunities for many of those students. I also worked to create inclusive ensemble environments for many differently-abled students (e.g., with autism, multiple sclerosis, dyslexia, or English-language learners).
At the University of Louisville, I assisted with the African American Music and Survey of American Jazz classes, which drew a diverse swath of non-music majors from across the university seeking credits cross-listed under arts- and multicultural-related requirements. With UofL being a mid-sized metropolitan university, a portion of the student body enters college needing considerable remedial work. Such students in these large survey classes struggled to keep up with required writing assignments and unfamiliar course content. I tried to meet these students’ needs by mentoring them through the writing process and leading optional test review sessions. These experiences have shaped my understanding of equity in music education and bolstered my commitment to meeting students’ needs in the future.
As a constructivist, I believe that individuals create meaning and develop unique worldviews based on personal lived experiences. Scholars have recognized since at least the Yale Seminar in 1963 that music education in the U.S. favors one subset of experiences to the detriment of most others. For music education to experience a sea change of diversity and inclusion, it must move beyond tolerance and acceptance, toward embracing alternative worldviews and promoting the value of all musics. This exact evolution began for me personally during my undergraduate experience at a small liberal arts school, surrounded by people of a myriad of races, religions, sexual preferences, political ideologies, and socioeconomic statuses. It has continued through my work with students in drum and bugle corps from around the world, including countries such as Canada, France, Columbia, and Japan.
As part of my doctoral studies, research classes in both quantitative and qualitative methods have reframed how I approach challenges in the classroom, including issues of cultural inclusivity. Being immersed in critical race theory, feminist theory, and postcolonial theory has made me aware of my own biases and privileges, and shown me the importance of valuing the voices of individuals from marginalized communities that have traditionally been suppressed, especially in this time of increased social justice awareness. My interests in qualitative research include the intersection of qualitative methodologies and social justice and equality. For example, phenomenology, case study, and narrative research provide tremendous opportunities to share the life experiences and meaning-making of marginalized communities in music education.
I reflect regularly on curricula and my own teaching to ensure that I am not suppressive of students’ voices. I try to utilize Gloria Ladson-Billings’s approach to culturally relevant pedagogy, which involves focusing on students’ academic success, cultural competence, and critical consciousness, through which they challenge the status quo. I strive to create an environment that is inclusive for all students, and to educate about the value of diversity and how pre-service music teachers can do the same in their own future classrooms. On the first day of each semester, I discuss the inclusivity statement in my syllabi.
In music education classes, I weave the concepts of diversity and inclusion throughout the curriculum to help students reframe cultural differences as positive attributes rather than negative. In band settings, I model cultural inclusivity by selecting appropriate literature that is authentic and representative of various cultures, and ensuring that those cultures are properly represented and respected in rehearsal and performance spaces. Diversity and inclusion are supported when students feel that their differences are respected and when teachers embrace, sustain, and celebrate a variety of cultures.
