Music is amazing. When we teach our students music, we’re not just teaching them a subject. We’re teaching them discipline, sensitivity, teamwork, confidence, responsibility and to take pride in their work. We’re teaching them how to be a community and to lift each other up.
A Classroom of Care
A classroom should be a space where students feel safe, included and supported. The foundation to building that safe environment begins with trust; trust between students as well as trust between students and the teacher. That is why I place great importance on building rapport with all my students. Everyday actions such as talking with students, greeting them by name and taking an interest in their hobbies are all so important to building that relationship and trust. We should never lose sight of how important that relationship could be to a student. Positive relationships between teachers and students result in greater understanding, tolerance and respect for all those in the classroom, and research also shows that students increase in social, emotional and academic achievement when they feel supported and cared for by their teachers (Hamre and Pianta, 2006).
When students feel safe and accepted, they become more open to exploring, taking risks and learning from mistakes. I encourage my students to challenge themselves and to grow from their experiences.
A Classroom of Growth
One thing that I do my best to instill in my students is self-discipline. We live in a very “instant” world. Most things that we want we can get instantly; instant coffee, instant noodles, instant research and information from the internet, etc.
Because of these luxuries, it quite often becomes difficult for a student when they realize they cannot acquire something instantly and that they need to work for it. Music is one of those subjects where there are no shortcuts. There is no such thing as cramming before an exam or performance. If you have not been dilligently practicing, it will show in your performance, and I make sure all of my students know this. Discipline and dilligence are important values that will serve our students well in all areas of life, and it is our duty as teachers to set them up to succeed in life.
I also encourage performing, and set up various opportunitys for all my students to perform in a supportive environment. When students have a motivation to do well, they work extra hard and it is very rewarding for them to know that they can do something well. I encourage them when they make mistakes as well. Students can take failure very badly and are sometimes hard on themselves when they make mistakes. Everyone makes mistakes. I make sure they understand that and then I ask them, “So now, how can we make the next time better?”
A Classroom of Experience
Music is very experiencial and hands-on. Learning by doing is more effective than learning by being told (Bruckman, 1999, p. 77).
As I mentioned earlier, I like to encourage my students to perform. It teaches them to take pride in and to take responsibility for their work.
This is a flash mob that my music cohort performed during the course of our BEd program. Our lecturer was in on this and we stood up and started singing during the Q&A session. Video credit to awesome photographer Katie-Ann Gaetz! Thank you for reacting so quickly to our flash mob! đ
We had a great time practicing and performing, and everyone enjoyed the performance. Some even mentioned that it had been the best part of the year so far. That is a big part of what music is about: the experience! Music can bring so much joy to people and I feel that students should have every positive experience that we can give them.
Bruckman, Amy (1999). “Can Educational Be Fun?” Game Developer’s Conference, San Jose, California, March 17th, 1999.
Hamre, B. & Pianta, R. (2006). âStudent Teacher Relationshipsâ in Childrenâs needs III: Development, Prevention, and Intervention (49-60). Washington, DC: National Association of School Psychologists.