Elizabeth Vaughn

MUED 273

3 May 2017

Semester Reflection

This semester has gotten me to think outside of the traditional instrumental ensemble model
and consider different methods, techniques, and classrooms. Before this year, I would've never
imagined teaching general elementary music. After having several experiences with practicum and
JMUke, I've started to give this kind of classroom more consideration. I always imagined myself as a
band director, but now I know that there are many options in music education that do not involve
traditional ensembles. General music classes, for all ages, are a great example of this. Perhaps my
biggest take away from the semester is my understanding of the role of the teacher any given
classroom. Not only must the teacher provides students with the reasoning behind content, but they
must also become a facilitator of understanding that is reached by the students alone. there are
several different models and techniques to facilitate all kinds of learning and I think the most
important thing to keep in mind as a future educator is that you were never sent to one idea or
method. The more flexible and educator you are, the more inclusive you can be to all sorts of
populations that you find within your classroom. This can include different genders, cultures, abilities,
languages, and even contrasting preferences in music genres. The more open and inclusive
environment you can create, the more students you'll be able to reach through music. I think this is
one of the hardest things for educator to be, and is by far the most important. One recurring problem
that weve discussed in class is a teacher's ability to adapt a classroom for students with exceptional
needs. Somehow, teaching music to students with exceptional needs is too often underrepresented
or swept under the rug entirely. New educators can start teaching with little to no experience or
knowledge about working with these populations who are just as deserving of a music education as
any other student. Another problem that I've noticed in my own experiences in public school is
understanding, as a student, why we were learning the content we were being taught. Too often, no
one could answer questions of why?, how?, and what for?. These questions go beyond the
content and the what?, and instead demand reasoning and areas for transfer and application.
Above all else, when learning content and experiencing concepts, it must be done in a playful
manner that is enjoyable for students with future application and transfer apparent and at the
forefront of a students developing understanding.

What were some key experiences in this semester have impacted your thinking?

My most influential experiences that I had this semester that opened my eyes to other areas of
music education were the JMUke events we got the opportunity to participate in. The preparation for
our JMUke event was challenging, because it was not a traditional lesson plan, but instead an
experience design, which over this semester I have started to like much more than traditional lesson
planning. Constructing an experience design that was adaptable to changing circumstances and
short attention spans was a challenge, but I felt like I gained a better understanding of what exactly
an experience design was because of this preparation experience. I got to learn, hands on, that
facilitating understanding is best done through play, no matter what you're teaching or who is being
taught. Not only did I have to deal with changing circumstances and practice remaining flexible, but I
also got to teach a variety of students of different ages with different levels of ability. I was
challenged by trying to reach out to students that I did not previously know who were not always
enthusiastic to engage with a stranger. This unique challenge in this very open setting forced me to
be more outgoing and engage with students and I had no experience with. Having confidence in my
own abilities was more of a challenge than I thought it would be, and I definitely think that that was
one of the biggest areas in which I've progressed the semester as an educator.

My observations at Stone Spring Elementary School got me thinking about all the opportunities and
possibilities that lie in elementary general music classrooms. Over three different visits I got to
observe two different age levels general music classes. Here, I got to see a large variety of games
and strategies to facilitate student learning and develop student understanding of musical concepts
and ideas. I also got to see just how much fun working with elementary students could be. I was
amazed by how energetic both the students and teachers were throughout the entire class period
every week. I had originally written off elementary education as something that I wasnt interested in
just because of the age group and the challenges that arise when working with young children, but
seeing just how much fun these classrooms full of young students experiencing music could be
definitely changed my prior notions about this age group and setting.

Below, I have listed my pedagogic principles that form the foundation of my developing philosophy
of music education.

Pedagogical Principles:

1. All lessons. activities, games, and exercises should be fun experiences for the students to
engage in play and learn through play. The more students can learn through play, the more
opportunities they will have to explore and experiment, and consequently develop a well
rounded understanding of the concepts in a lesson.
2. The teachers role is not to relay content to students for memorization regurgitation. The
teachers role instead is to facilitate an environment in which students can develop their own
growing understanding of the concepts and ideas focused on within the class.
3. Students should be given ample opportunities to perform for themselves, their peers, and
their community. Through preparation and performance, students can learn more about
themselves and their own enjoyment of music. Student should be encouraged to make music
with each other in this same sort of setting.
4. Every student should engage in improvisation. The teacher has a large role in facilitating the
very beginnings of improvisation and have a large impact on how confident and willing a
student will be to experiment in front of others. Educators should not warn students that
improvisation can be scary or nerve-racking but should instead encourage students to
improvise and develop a safe and supportive environment for everyone to adopt and
maintain.
5. The same can be said in creating original compositions, which all students should also
engage and experiment with. Composition can not only provide an outlet for students to
express themselves, but can also be a great tool to teach and assess an understanding of
theory, aural skills, and musicality.
6. New concepts and ideas should never be introduced to students in only one manner or
method. Students should be given a variety of different angles to take on new content and
should experience different kinds of opportunities to develop an understanding of new
concepts. Melding visual, aural, and kinesthetic opportunities to students is very important.
Explaining a concept in only one way is a disservice to a classroom full of a variety of
learners.
7. Assessment is equally important for both the teacher and the student. While it is important to
track a student's progress, it is equally important to track a teacher's effectiveness as an
educator. Often times the assessment is more for the teacher that it is the student. While it is
important to track a student's progress, it is equally important to track a teacher's
effectiveness as an educator. Often times a student's results are weighed over the teacher's
ability to explain and explore the content to and with students. This imbalance should be
eliminated.
8. It is crucial for an educator to constantly self assess their effectiveness, flexibility, and
connections with their students. Teachers can only improve and become more helpful to their
students when they are made aware of what their weakest areas are. Teachers must be
diligent about constantly improving and expanding their tools and techniques.
9. It is crucial for students to know and understand that their experiences in music are not
limited to the classroom that they are in, and that music can be a part of their lives for as long
or as little as they wish. Often times students who are very involved in music classes can
burn out, and on the opposite end, can also get discouraged if not immediately seeing results
or progressing in their music classes as quickly as their peers. Lastly, is important that
students know and understand that it's never too late to jump back into exploring music, no
matter what setting it is that they renter.
10. Educators should be knowledgeable and be willing to explore strategies for working with
students with disabilities. Teachers should be prepared for when they have a student with
disabilities in their classroom and should be able to adapt their lessons, goals, and
assignments to fit a students needs and help them progress with their own personal goals.
This requires a teachers willingness to engage and work with the student, any assistants
they have, and the other members of their IEP team.
11. Teachers should not be discouraged by areas and genres of they are not familiar with or
specifically trained in. Jazz is a great example of this but is not the only one genre that is
often neglected by educators who are not experts in the field. A teachers eagerness to
explore new areas in music and education can in turn influence students perspectives and
encourage them to engage and pursue their own personal curiosity and exploration outside
of the classroom.