Five Guiding Principles for Music Education

by Scott C. Shuler, MENC President

huge compliment. A principled person child centered enough to encourage the
acts with integrity by consistently doing student to pursue other artistic interests.
what is right rather than what is easy. I often ask music teachers, many of
Principled music teachers are student whom are superior musicians, how many
centered, acting in the best long-term of them have been led by music into a
interest of children, even when it would passion for other arts. Invariably, most
be easier or self-serving to do otherwise. indicate that they have found themselves
Here are five guiding principles to embracing at least one and often multiple
help you realize the goal of music educa- other art forms.
tion for life for all those whose lives you Similarly, students who find their
touch. Teachers who follow these princi- preferred art form will almost inevita-
ples can help their students find personal bly expand their horizons to include the
paths to lifelong involvement in and sup- other art forms, including music. Hence,
port for music. by recognizing and encouraging a stu-
dent’s decision to follow his or her heart,
we are not really losing that individual;
Principle 1: An education in instead, we are allowing each person to
Photo by Jenna Wedge
all the arts is important for all pursue the path most likely encourage the
Every new teacher soon realizes the students. development of a future audience mem-
ber and advocate. This is one situation
importance of principals, those often put-
Each child, and therefore each adult, has where we should heed the adage “If you
upon school leaders who play a key role
ability in all four arts areas—music, dance, love something, let it go.” Our response
in determining the direction and quality
visual arts, and theatre. Unfortunately, too when a student asks for our blessing to
of education in their buildings. Love ’em
few schools provide students with substan- explore other arts will inevitably color his
or not, over the course of our careers,
tive opportunities to explore the four art or her future attitude toward music edu-
principals play a major role in our lives.
forms and thereby to discover their “inner cation. After all, as poet Maya Angelou so
They can make our jobs more enjoy-
artist.” Given high-quality instruction and aptly stated, “I’ve learned that people will
able and our programs better, or we can
adequate opportunities, every student has forget what you said, people will forget
neglect them at our peril.
at least one art form that will resonate suf- what you did, but people will never forget
In this column, I focus on differ-
ficiently with him or her to lead to a lifetime how you made them feel.”
ently spelled but equally important
of involvement. For a lifetime enriched by
principles—the kind that guide our deci-
the arts, all students need the opportunity to
sion making. While principals may visit
find their muse—the art form that reaches Principle 2: Independence—
our classrooms two or three times during music literacy, in the broadest
and inspires them.
a school year, our principles are with us
daily, shaping everything we do.
Sometimes music teachers find it diffi- sense—is necessary to lead a
When we refer to a person as “prin-
cult to acknowledge that one of their stu- life enriched by music.
dents has a special affinity for another art
cipled,” we are paying that individual a
form. The challenge can be particularly Music literacy is more than the ability
difficult for ensemble directors if that stu- to read and write Western musical nota-
Copyright © 2011 MENC: The National dent is, say, one of their few true basses tion. True literacy is the set of skills and
Association for Music Education
Doi: 10.1177/0027432110395080 or their only oboist. Under such circum- understandings that enable us to think
http://mej.sagepub.com stances, only a principled teacher can be and function independently.

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 •• responding to music with
5 Guiding Principles for Music Education understanding, as an informed
1. An education in all the arts is important for all students. consumer/audience member.
2. Independence (artistic literacy) is necessary for a life enriched by music. The three artistic processes are critical.
3. Independent music literacy is the ability to engage in three artistic processes—creating, To improve instruction and reveal the
performing, and responding to music. complexity and power of music, teachers
4. To achieve independence and transition to adult involvement with music, students must must present music making and under-
begin music study early and continue in high school. standing as series of steps that can and
5. High school music electives must address a variety of interests to attract a variety of students. should be mastered, rather than—as
—Scott C. Shuler, 2002 some members of the public errone-
ously believe—as a spontaneous act that
depends solely on talent.
Literacy in our native language enables music with peers, and, increasingly, The musical training that prepared us to
us not only to read with understanding composing music that expresses the become music educators helped us master
and appreciation but also to express our student’s ideas. Authenticity increases those steps; now it is our turn to help our
own ideas through spoken and written student motivation while also own students become adults who can main-
language. Who would want to go back increasing opportunities for music- tain independent involvement in music, by
to a high school English teacher for help making outside school. ensuring that they learn to carry out the
interpreting a news article or writing a •• Transfer: Teachers who cultivate three artistic processes without our assis-
letter? Similarly, literacy in music enables transfer consistently encourage their tance. To achieve this, we have to design
students to function, without assistance, as students to think musically—to apply instruction that requires and empowers stu-
active music makers and listeners. what they have learned previously to dents to make musical decisions.
All effective teachers foster indepen- new musical situations. Only students
dence by motivating and empowering their who learn to transfer their music
students. As a result of high-quality instruc- learning will be prepared to remain Principle 4: To achieve
tion, children leave the classroom both engaged with a musical culture that will
willing and able to apply what they have constantly evolve during their lifetime.
independence and transition
learned. The parallel in physical education to adult involvement in music,
would be a teacher who first helps students Even under the guidance of a prin- students must begin music
cipled teacher, students’ progress toward
discover fitness activities that they enjoy,
independence is gradual. Particularly
study early and continue in
and then helps them do and understand
in the early grades, and to some extent, high school.
those activities well enough to contribute to
throughout students’ learning process, The public visibility of secondary music
keeping them fit for their rest of their lives.
teachers necessarily employ a certain ensembles leads many community mem-
As a result of principled music instruc-
amount of direct instruction and imitation bers to judge the quality of their music
tion, students should choose to engage
to cultivate students’ musical skills and program solely on the basis of the quality
actively in music making and enjoyment,
concepts. With each passing year, how- of high school concerts, but music edu-
and know how to do so in ways that enrich
ever, effective teachers encourage stu- cators understand that the foundation of
their daily lives. The ultimate test of whether
dents to make an increasing number and a high-quality music education begins in
students have learned what we have taught
range of musical decisions. Master music preschool, if not at birth.
them in our music classes (in essence, our
teachers eventually make themselves Early music experiences have a major
final exam as teachers) is whether students
obsolete, freeing their students from influence on students’ eventual achieve-
are willing and able to keep pursuing those
podium dependency and enabling them ment. In his landmark book, Frames of
musical activities without us.
to function as lifelong musicians. Mind, Howard Gardner cites the Suzuki
To achieve the goal of student inde-
pendence, principled teachers constantly method as a prime example of how early
strive for two key qualities: Principle 3: Independent music educational experiences can produce sur-
literacy can be defined as the prisingly high levels of achievement.1
•• Authenticity: An authentic music Edwin Gordon’s research led him to
ability to carry out the three
curriculum prepares students for real- conclude that students’ aptitude can actually
world music activities that students artistic processes in music. increase as a result of rich musical experi-
can continue to enjoy throughout The three artistic processes in music are ences.2 The elementary general music expe-
their lives. Authentic activities include rience is also the only portion of the K–12
singing, playing guitar or an ensemble •• creating new music (improvisation, music program that reaches all students.
instrument, finding enjoyable music composition), High school music study not only repre-
and listening with understanding, •• performing existing art with sents the pinnacle of students’ K–12 achieve-
rehearsing and performing chamber interpretation, and ment but also affords their most intense

8 Music Educators Journal March 2011

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instructional opportunity. The amount of We can teach a broad range of stan- create your own . . . but be a principled
instructional time students receive in just dards through almost any music course, music teacher. Your community, your
one high school music elective can exceed but we cannot reach and teach students profession—yes, even your principal—
the total amount of school music instruc- who are not in our classes. Music pro- will love you for it.
tion they have received in grades K–8. It grams therefore need to offer a variety
is therefore not surprising that high school of electives designed to appeal to the
study plays a key role in shaping students’ musical interests of the 80 percent to 90 Notes
interest and future participation in music. percent of high school students who do 1. Howard Gardner, Frames of Mind: The
Research suggests that enrollment in high not currently sign up for large-ensemble Theory of Multiple Intelligences (New
school music electives is the single best pre- classes. If we are to help each student find York: Basic Books, 1983).
dictor of lifelong music involvement.3 the musical path that he or she is willing 2. Edwin Gordon, Learning Sequences
To summarize the situation succinctly, to walk into adult life in music, we must in Music: Skill, Content, and Patterns
(Chicago: GIA, 1993).
if we want to guide our students onto per- offer multiple paths.
sonal paths to lifetime involvement in and To create inclusive music programs 3. Louis Bergonzi and Julia Smith, Effects
of Arts Education on Participation in the
support for music, we need to ensure that that attract and engage more students,
Arts: Research Division Report 36 (Santa
their music education begins early and we music educators have to be willing to Ana, CA: Seven Locks Press for the
continues throughout their K–12 career, move beyond our own comfort zones. If National Endowment for the Arts, 1996).
even after music becomes elective at the potentially powerful paths are unfamiliar
secondary level. territory to us, we need to do some explor-
ing via workshops, summer institutes, or
courses. Fortunately, the journey is not Looking Ahead
Principle 5. High school music as daunting as it may sound. If we have Connections between artistic processes,
electives must address a learned to teach the clarinet or violin, we twenty-first-century skills, and lifelong
variety of interests to attract a can learn to teach guitar; similarly, if we involvement in music.
variety of students. have analyzed the music of J. S. Bach or
Indian raga, we can certainly discern and
Principled music educators seek to reach teach the forms of today’s popular music.
every student. Large-ensemble classes To encourage and help music educa-
provide powerful music learning expe- tors reach out to today’s secondary stu-
riences, and do so at a uniquely low dents with attractive elective offerings,

FREE
cost per student. Despite music teachers’ MENC: The National Association for
recruiting efforts, however, an average of Music Education has created the Council
only 10 percent to 20 percent of American for IN-ovations in Music Education. The Online Learning Community
high school students elect large-ensemble members of this council are music teach- Join Today!
classes. Settling for such a low percentage ers from across North America who have www.ChoralArts.org
of enrollment in music classes is philosoph- been creative in reaching out to their own
ically untenable, because it falls far short students, and are committed to bringing Voices: A Teacher’s Guide
of the goal of music education for all and more students in. Student
reinforces the public perception of music Among this council’s first IN-ovations Readings
programs as elitist. From a practical per- are the professional development acade- Activities for
spective, such low enrollments are unsus- mies being offering during this summer’s K-12
tainable, because they eventually produce Music Education Week. You can find Includes
an adult population—of school administra- more information about these and other Information on
tors, legislators, parents, and voters—that academies at www.menc.org. Composers
feels disconnected from and therefore Accompanying
declines to support music education. Make Your Goals Visible Book & CD
Available
The good news is that every student
is interested in music, and many are Building a strong and secure future for Enhance your study of the
downright passionate about it. Music is music education in America’s schools Civil Rights Movement TODAY!
potentially the most appealing subject in demands that music teachers reach and
All Resources Aligned
any school’s curriculum. The bad news is teach the vast majority of their students.
that most students’ musical interests dif- To reach that goal and make our music with the
fer from those of their teachers. After all, teaching and programs effective, the way National Standards
each new generation of students grows each of us approaches our work needs www.choralarts.org
up in a unique cultural environment and to be based on principles. Post these five 888.349.7464
education@choralarts.org
has different musical experiences. guiding principles above your desk, or

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