“Why should music be a part of a
child’s education?” That is a question asked and answered by a myriad of books,
articles, and blog entries. Have no fear! This post will ask and answer a
different question: “Why do I teach music?” This is not a defense of the music
teaching career path. This literally is the answer to why I, Seth Thomas, teach
music. If the answer was simple enough to put into a single statement, there
would be no need for the post. However, when put most concisely, the answer
would be that I teach music because I believe it to be a vital part of the human experience.
In the simplest elaboration on that
statement, music is something most humans experience from the womb until the
day they die. Even those born without hearing have been shown to feel the
vibrations produced by certain types of music and the emotional impact it has
on them. Music is a part of everyone’s life. Of course, this statement is true
in the general sense of most people listening to the radio or recordings.
However, we must broaden our definition of what music is. Our ears are
accustomed to the music that has been handed down through the tradition of
Western Art Music. Jazz, Rock, Pop, and even Rap have their roots in Western
Art Music, or, as many call it, “classical” music. However, convincing many
classically trained musicians to include these genres in their definition of
music is difficult. In the same vein, it can also be difficult to convince
those both trained and untrained that the music of other cultures is music.
Supposing
the reader agrees with me thus far, I would go even further and state that the sounds we hear
and make every day are music. The traffic, the sound of footsteps as we walk,
the whirring of the computer as we check our social media, our neighbors
talking to each other from their balconies from building to building, or a baby
crying in the store as we do our grocery shopping. Perhaps it seems absurd to
categorize these things as music. Perhaps even a little hippie-esque of
me-which, for those of you who know me personally, is not me at all. However,
all of these sounds include rhythm (the fundamental element of all music),
pitch, and most importantly a story. All good music must communicate some form
of story to the listeners-and it does not always do so with words. As the old
saying goes, “Art imitates life”-although, I would take it further and say,
“Art is life.”
Now that music has assumed a larger
definition, we can divide it into four categories. The two main categories
being: 1) organized music- in other words, music that is generally thought of
as music; be it classical, popular, rock, cultural, and so on- and, 2) unorganized
music- that is, those everyday sounds not generally thought of as music. Each
of these categories is then divided into two sub-categories: good and bad. This
is where I, as a teacher, enter the scene. With all of this musical information
surrounding us, it is easy to become overwhelmed. As a teacher of music, my job
is to help shape students’ understanding and taste of what is good organized
music and what is bad organized music. Beyond that, however, it is my
responsibility to help students sort out the unorganized music and bring that
into their interpretation of organized music. Again, I teeter on the edge of
sounding like something I don’t brand myself as: a life-coach. Although, there
are many great life lessons to be learned from music study: self-discipline,
meeting of deadlines, prioritization, patience, communication, and managing
nerves through preparedness, to name a few.
As a music teacher, I hope to shape
my students into good human beings who live musical lives, whatever their
chosen career. Of course, as they study with me, I want to see them achieve
great things at the piano. And as they grow and learn as musicians, hopefully
they will grow as humans. The amount of time required to practice in order to
perform a piece in a masterfully artistic manner develops strong habits of
self-discipline. Students who start music lessons at a young age and continue
through high school, develop a strong sense of responsibility and understanding
for long-term commitments. More than most people, they understand the
importance of following through on what they have agreed to do. They must
develop a tremendous amount of patience, as it can take months to polish and
perfect a piece for a performance that lasts only a few minutes. They must
learn to communicate their musical needs to me, as well as understand how to pinpoint
and verbalize their technical difficulties. From a young age, they learn the
value of making a good impression in front of a group of people. They also
learn how to prepare themselves and deal with nerves and anxiety in a healthy
manner.
The acquiring of the “commitment-follow
through” relationship develops something which is severely lacking in modern
society: a good work ethic. Very few children have to earn anything anymore.
Our “no child left behind” mentality has shaken the system of earning rewards
through honest, hard work. Music is one of the few experiences in which
children have the opportunity to experience the benefits of putting in the time
and effort necessary for success and the consequences of failing to do so. Not
all music students will go on to a career in music. However, hopefully all
music students will go on to have a career. And, regardless of what that career
is, there will be performance expectations which have benefits and consequences
attached to them. Someone who has trained to be successful is more likely to
reap the benefits than someone who has been trained to receive rewards for
doing nothing.
As students learn from me, they will
be challenged along the way to do yet another thing that is lacking in modern
culture: think. Rather than always telling students what is right or wrong, I
like to let them experiment and discover for themselves what works. Of course,
I guide them along the way and help to shape their way of thinking, but it is
they who must do the thinking. And probably my most important job as a music
teacher is allowing students to think for themselves. Sometimes students’
thought processes are completely the opposite of what mine are. That does not
make them wrong. When this occurs, I have them explain why their train of
thought led them to whatever conclusion. It is equally enlightening for myself
and the students, as they oftentimes don’t think about why they give the answer
they do. And so, by developing these critical thinking skills, the student
learns to discern the good and the bad in both the organized and unorganized
realms of music.
There are so many great reasons for
me to teach music: the joy it brings to the students and those that hear them
play, the understanding of the structure and form of music, the knowledge of
various cultural backgrounds, and the rich history associated with much music.
These are all things I love about music. And I love them because they are a
part of what helps me shape young humans into a thoughtful, disciplined, committed
future generation who will make the world a better place.
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