Music classes are critical for public school curriculum as they provide a creative and rewarding space in which students can apply critical thinking and social skills learned in other courses to socio-emotional meaningful tasks. Bennet Reimer describes philosophy and critical thinking as ‘language think’ and similarly describes music as ‘sound think’. In a music class, both of these ways of thinking are applied through discussion of musical technique and interpretation alongside the rehearsal and performance of music. These experiences ultimately allow students to thrive in an environment where they are trained to develop discipline, a skill that will outlive the student’s k-12 career. In addition to these skills, an education in music yields opportunities for students to participate in a rewarding activity. The focused work which is required in this study pays off tremendously; over and over again. Music classes prepare students for a true understanding of both what kind of work is required of them to reach goals as well as what kind of work they’re capable of. These classes are unique to this concept as no matter how advanced a student becomes at music, there's always opportunity for continued growth.
The most valuable content a student can learn in music is how to discipline themselves, as mentioned above, while reinforcing the success of their peers. In order for a student to find their work in music to be rewarding, they must first develop the skill of creating goals for themselves and taking advantage of resources (provided both within a music classroom and outside) to make progress to meet these goals. In a bigger sense, students should walk into a music classroom curious and leave having learned skills of selflessness, how to celebrate success and grow from mistakes both from reflecting on themselves and their peers which is all a part of socio-emotional education. Performing arts are emotional at its core; as Susan Langer says, “Music sounds as feelings feel”. In a musical space, students are challenged to not only acknowledge their own emotions, but the emotion within music implied by the composers through the ability to make interpretations from what the music sounds like along with how it is notated.
The role of a music educator is to facilitate the achievement of their students- both musically and beyond. What this would mean in my classroom is that it is my responsibility to provide my students with the resources to practice their discipline (i.e. create a routine for rehearsals, recommend technique books, provide recordings of repertoire, and provide advice over what a practice session should consist of). Additionally, it is my role to encourage students to take responsibility for their own learning. The difficult truth of music education is that there’s only so much a teacher can do or say that will be of benefit to their students. In fact, saying and doing less is sometimes more productive. Most importantly, I feel that it is also my duty to provide a warm, welcoming environment which encourages my students to use their creativity to benefit their emotional wellness. My students will always be humans before they are musicians and to disregard their state as a human being is to fail their potential as a musician.