These are the three points to my philosophy that shape the kind of educator I want to be, and they are a firm reminder of what I want for myself and my students.
Music education is for everyone.
Regardless of where a student is coming from, in any aspects that may hold, I want to guarantee that as long as they are within the walls of my program, I will do anything and everything to help them succeed as a musician and functioning person. This is a topic I feel strongly about, simply because of the known positive repercussions that being in a music program can have on a student. Music and music programs allow students to express themselves while also learning critical thinking skills that are applicable for every day use, and I would never want to deprive anyone of that opportunity.
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Classrooms and learning spaces are student-centered.
As educators, there wouldn't be a classroom with students, and there would be nothing to do without our students, which is why they should be behind the wheel on their learning, not the educator. Especially in something like music, where everyone learns at a variety of different speeds, it is important to me that my classrooms and spaces allow students to feel comfortable in their own learning journey, and know that if they want something to change, they have to power to ask for that change and see differences.
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Learning outcomes will be applicable to spaces outside of the classroom.
Although my job title might say that I am a music educator, I don't think it's fair or realistic to only teach my students music. If they walk out of my classroom at the end of the year and have learned nothing about how to be a better version of themselves as they progress into the future, then I haven't done my job correctly. Of course the primary goal of any music educator to teach their students about music and the wonderful aspects of it, but my hope is that I will be able to teach my students about music and that it will affect them in their everyday lives, even if what they takeaway isn't necessarily music centered.
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