Edphilosophy
AI-enhanced title
I believe that every child should have the opportunity to be able to participate in a
multicultural, multi-faceted approach to music education which should strive to develop them
musically and extra-musically through the use of analog and digital technology, classical
western and non-western repertoire, and participatory activities outside of the traditional
ensemble which increase their creativity, musical knowledge, and cultural awareness.
Furthermore, I believe that the autonomy of children matters and that children learn best
when given a say in curriculum and classroom rules. Lastly, I believe that children learn most
environment: (1) An effective learning partnership between teacher and student. (2)
Curricular, classroom management, and disciplinary systems which consider factors such as
students’ home life and learning/behavioral disabilities. (3) An environment which fosters
creativity, autonomy, and participation; is a safe place where mistakes and failures are
opportunities to learn and grow; and is connected to technology and the world outside of
school.
A Learning Partnership
An effective learning partnership between teacher and student hinges on the concept
of mutual respect. Students should respect teachers, but teachers should also respect students.
Respect is to be given freely and should not have to be earned. In addition, both student and
teacher should be learning from each other. While students obviously receive knowledge,
1 wisdom, and instruction from teachers, we also can empower our students as teachers and can
learn quite a few things from our students if we keep our minds open every day. Teachers
should strive to have a close relationship with students, respect them, know them well, care
Social Consciousness
Classroom management and discipline should consider students’ home life and other
cannot claim that they can simply not see these things (i.e. claim one is “[insert demographic
here]-blind”), and that they treat all students the same. We are all affected by the system
which is in itself, biased. We as teachers are called to recognise and address biases in the
system as well as other factors which can affect student behaviour. For example, students
may act out due to lack of food at home. For a student like that, having snacks handy can be a
useful classroom management technique. Another student may have ADHD. For that student,
allowing the student to doodle, fidget, or play soft music in class may be beneficial.
On the disciplinary side, some students may need alternate punishments. For example,
a student with ADHD may not be able to sit isolated to reset themselves in the same way
another student may be able to, or a student with chronic pain may not be able to write lines.
In addition, when considering the topic of bullying, social and societal factors must be taken
into account. Oftentimes zero-tolerance bullying policies are unfairly weighted against
minority students especially students who are LGBT+. Bullying and discipline related to
bullying must be able to address the root of the issue and not simply the acts of violence
themselves.
I also believe that the curriculum should be socially conscious or at least socially and
culturally aware. Making curricula which are ableist, sexist, or otherwise accidentally or
2 purposefully discriminatory is unacceptable. In the age of the internet, professional
actively ignorant or unwilling to adapt to the modern world. It is our duty to be “PC” if being
This is especially important in the music classroom. Certain instruments should not be
considered as inherently masculine and feminine, and neither should certain voice parts.
There are transgender students as well as countertenor, contraltos, boy sopranos, and more
which will exist in every school system. The names of choirs, vocal parts, and dress codes
should reflect this. For example, concert dress code should be gender neutral and allow for
the use of religious headwear. In addition, choirs can be named things such as “camerata
choir,” “trebles choir,” “TTBB choir,” “swing choir,” or “madrigal choir” versus things such
The curriculum should also consider the fact that outside factors have an influence on
their students’ performance in the classroom. Teachers should take this into account when
teaching and writing curriculum instead of ignoring it. Teachers who ignore this send their
students the message that they do not care about them as people or about their lives outside of
school. Students learn best when not overly stressed about choosing between their personal
situation and their schoolwork. Oftentimes students in difficult situations in both home and
school fall into destructive cycles in which both aspects of their lives suffer. I believe that by
being understanding and compassionate, and seeing my kids as being worthy of respect and
music programs. “Nonwestern” music should not be a one-time class taught only at the
collegiate level; it should be fully integrated into the curriculum from Kindergarten through
Post-Bac. “Nonwestern” music history may be officially taught at the same time as
3 “Western” music history, but children can begin learning these styles of music as early as
Kindergarten. Lots of “nonwestern” music is taught aurally, which makes it excellent for
children to learn through rote, and teaching “nonwestern” music alongside “western” music
can give kids a head-start on learning things such as polyrhythms and alternate tunings.
While we adults see these things as complex, children are a blank slate. All music is new to
them. If taught alongside the more “traditional” curriculum, it can become just as natural as
Learning Environment
The learning environment of the classroom itself should be a safe space in which
students may express themselves creatively, make mistakes, participate actively, fail safely,
succeed, find their strengths and weaknesses, be their bests selves, and above all: learn.
discussions, technology, Orff techniques, and Kodaly hand signs/sign language. Using
technology, sign language (esp. A-G + major/minor), and Kodaly hand signs (Do-Ti) in the
classroom can help increase participation among students who are less outgoing, nonverbal,
or otherwise reluctant to talk. Music is often seen as a “universal language” and at the very
least should be something that can be shared with everyone. For example, students who are
HoH or deaf may be able to connect with percussion instruments or other instruments which
they can feel, or students who are nonverbal may be able to give better answers by using
anonymous clicker questions, KahootTM, or the option to sign words or notes instead of
speaking them. I believe that active discussion is an important part of the learning
environment and allowing students to discuss things in their own ways helps us to discover
4 viewpoints may otherwise not be shared. All aspects1 of classes should have visual, aural, and
tactile components to connect with the different learning styles of each student.
musicians to tap into the digital realm. Students may interact with music digitally using
Spotify©, Soundcloud©, Tiktok©, and other sites and apps. Curriculum should reflect the
digital age and should allow students freedom to choose to interact with music in this way.
The use of technology also allows teachers to have more ways to assess students other than
through traditional pen-and-paper test taking or playing/singing tests. This allows otherwise
smart students who have issues with pen-and-paper tests to still be able to show that they are
learning, and in addition teaches students real-world skills such as remixing or DJ’ing that
they can use in the music industry. In addition, the creation of transformative works is a good
exercise in creativity and allows students to connect with curriculum in a way that is more
From another standpoint, teaching things such as music coding through languages
such as Supercollider and MSP and learning how to build musical machines through
inventions such MakeyMakey and RaspberryPi allows musicians to further bridge the gap
between the Arts and STEM and helps us find even more ways to connect with different
types of kids.
Finally, while learning, students should be allowed to make mistakes and fail.
Mistakes and failures happen, and it is our duty to let them happen in a safe and productive
manner. Humans learn through trial and error, and kids have everything to learn. We need to
let our kids make mistakes and yes, sometimes fail, but we need to show them that failure is
not the end and that it can be an avenue for learning. I believe that tests should be able to be
1 As many aspects as possible
5 retaken, projects should be able to be redone, and mistakes should be able to be corrected.
We need to show students failures should be learned from instead of dwelt upon. In addition,
many students come from homes in which failures are handled in an unhealthy manner. We
need to model how to deal with failure. We need to help students not be upset by failed
grades and angry parents, but instead teach them to learn from those failures, retake the test,
and grow. Class should not be about the letter on the report card. Class should be about
personal growth. We as teachers should allow our students to get creative, take risks, fail
which supports multiple learning styles, encourages participation, and is socially conscious.
bullying policies, multiple teaching styles and punishments, and a willingness to learn from
students.
6 Works Cited
Beinborn, J., Faulkner, A., Keeble, S., Rockwell, J., & Wright, R. (n.d.). Introduction to Orff:
Dziuk, S. (2018). We Are What We Wear Inclusion and Diversity in Concert Attire.
Erwin, J. H., Edwards, K., Kerchner, J., & Knight, J. (2003). Prelude to music education.
Nix, M. (n.d.). Working Towards Inclusivity: Gender, Music Education, and the LGBTQ
