Philosophy of Education

Mariah Sands

October 2016

Part 1: Why do you want to teach? What evidence do you have that you will be an

effective and professional educator?

I feel most alive when I teach. By teaching, I am making an impact on the lives of

children, which energizes and excites me. The first time that I glimpsed the impact that a teacher

can have on the lives their students was during my participation in the Wisconsin School Music

Association Treble Choir. The conductor the year that I participated was Sigrid Johnson, a

member of the music faculty at St. Olaf University. She genuinely cared about every student and

spent time getting to know us as individuals. Because of this, we respected her and strove to do

our best for her. This culminated in one of the best performances I have ever participated in.

Ever since, I have returned to these memories to draw inspiration and motivation from them.

To develop my skills as a future educator I have been employed by Luther Park Bible

Camp as a counselor the last two summers. While there, I worked with children from the ages of

six to fifteen and collaborated with other counselors to create a curriculum for Bible study that is

adaptable to any age-group that we may encounter. The Wisconsin Department of Public

Instruction (DPI) requires that teachers know about child growth and development, as stated in

Teacher Standard number two. Working with this wide range of ages over the course of two

summers has reinforced the fact that every year a child changes and their ability to learn expands.

My first week as a counselor was extremely difficult because I did not know how to

establish expectations and boundaries for the group. By the end of the summer, I had not only
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learned how to do this, but also I learned how to be adaptable, think on my feet, work as a team,

and behave professionally, especially when introducing myself to parents. The most important

knowledge I gained is that I truly enjoy working with children and aspire to pursue it as a career.

I grew in areas I had not anticipated while teaching music to adults during my position as

the choir director at the English Lutheran Church of Bateman the past year. I learned the

importance of clear and concise communication and planning, which relates to the Wisconsin

DPI Teacher Standard number six: teachers communicate well. With this position came a large

amount of responsibility: I created the rehearsal schedule, selected the repertoire, and represented

the choir at meetings.

Although handling this amount of responsibility as the youngest member of the choir was

overwhelming at first, I learned to find balance and utilize my time efficiently. The choir

successfully performed one or twice each month and transfer learned skills between pieces. This

demonstrated my effectiveness in teaching and conducting, and the aptitude of the singers I was

fortunate to work with. Through my work with this group, I realized that the more I learn about

music its interpretation, creation, and analysis the more I love it and want to expand my

knowledge. It is my desire to spark and foster curiosity in students that they may also explore and

appreciate the world of music.

The third group that I have worked with was through my Educational Studies (ES) 212

placement at Altoona Middle School. Much like my first week of camp, the first day that I

introduced myself to the students set the tone for the rest of the semester. Once again, the

importance of professionalism was emphasized, especially during our concert and weekly

meetings with other specialist teachers. During my placement, I primarily worked with the

seventh-grade choir. I lead warm ups at the beginning of rehearsals, taught multiple lessons, and

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conducted a piece at the end of the semester for their spring concert. This placement reinforced

the importance of the Wisconsin DPI Teacher Standard number ten: Teachers are connected with

other teachers and the community. Through my involvement in meetings and the concert, I made

connections with fellow teachers and parents of my students. These relationships helped me

understand the students themselves and how the entire school functions as an inter-related

community.

Lastly, I worked with a choir at a local school called Rietenbosch in Stellebosch, South

Africa. This schools population is comprised mostly of coloured children a term commonly

used in South Africa to determine the color of ones skin. I worked with the choir to prepare two

pieces for the eBosch School Choir Festival. Since I had sung the piece in English for multiple

occasions, I had a strong emotional connection to it. On the contrary, I was unable to initially

connect to the piece in Afrikaans. This proved to be a fantastic teaching moment: I shared my

experiences with the children with the English piece, and they explained what the piece in

Afrikaans meant to them. It has been proven to me, through this experience, that making music

brings people together, regardless of skin color and heritage.

In addition to conducting the choir, I am also worked on a project that aligns with

Wisconsin DPI Teaching Standard number nine: Teachers are able to evaluate themselves. For

my project, I measured the effectiveness of my teaching by focusing on the students' vowel

production. In order to change their habits, I worked vowel exercises into our warm-ups and

applied these concepts to the two pieces that we performed at the eBosch School Choir Festival

in celebration of South African Heritage Day. To objectively measure my effectiveness, I

recorded each lesson and listened to it at a later time and made notes on their vowel

pronunciation and the effectiveness of the techniques I used.

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When I began working with the Rietenbosch choir, it was difficult to assimilate what they

had been taught into the new material I was presenting. With persistent repetition, I was use a

single word or gesture to help the children remember to lengthen their vowels. This project and

the resulting paper showed me the importance of reflecting on and analyzing the effectiveness of

my own teaching. It has also provided insight into the power that music can have, despite the

differences between groups of people.

Through my multiple experiences working with children and adults, I have learned how

to wield the energy and excitement that I gain through teaching. I have acquired many of the

basic skills necessary to be an effective teacher; however, I know that I have much left to learn.

The positions I have held and my studies have proven that I can reflect on my experiences and

continue to grow from them.

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Part II: Without using clichs, what is the purpose of education and how does the study of music

fit into that larger purpose? Discuss how music is similar and different from other content areas

that are being taught and who you believe benefits most from the study of music in schools.

I believe there are three primary purposes of education. First of all, education must

provide basic skills to survive in civilization such as but not limited to reading, writing,

communication, mathematics, and music. In the Wisconsin Model Academic Standards for

Music (WMAS), there are five applications that, extend learning across the curriculum

(WMAS, ix). The first of these is Application of the Basics. This application is easily found in

each curriculum, but in my opinion, only applies to the first few years of a childs education

since higher level thinking is addressed in later years when the basics are mastered.

I believe music to be a basic skill because it is a means of expressing oneself in addition

to reading, writing, and oral communication. Unfortunately, not every child can fluidly express

themselves using a written language, but educators have the ability to help them do so through

music. Especially at a younger, age, children may not know many words, but they are able to

connect with the emotions expressed in song. While the other disciplines focus on developing

the mind, music focuses on developing emotions and expression, the aesthetic sense. The

WMAS emphasize the importance developing ones aesthetic sense through the teaching of

music as it has proven to enhance the quality of life throughout ones entire life (WMAS, x).

I have discerned that another purpose of education is to foster higher-level thinking so

students may not only survive in civilization, but also contribute to it in meaningful ways. The

WMAS relate to this purpose in the second application of education, the Ability to Think

(WMAS, ix), including critical, creative, and analytical thinking. I primarily think of students

using analytical skills to create solutions to problems in the sciences. This certainly also applies

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to the arts, namely, to music, when considering the theory behind compositions or pedagogical

topics. It is written in the WMAS that the study of music increases creativity and critical and

divergent thinking, and the opportunity for the brain to reach its highest potential, since music

provides the necessary rich, sensory experience for brain development, unlike any other

subject area (WMAS, x).

Another sub-point of the category of the Ability to Think is imagining places, times,

and situations different from ones own (WMAS, ix). The three disciplines that I believe apply

to this point are literature, writing, and music. While all three use words to transport the

participant, music is the only one that also incorporates another level: sound, in the sense of

melody and harmonies, and rhythm. In my experience, music has transported me to other

locations in time and place most effectively and efficiently due to the additional layer of sound

images and the fact that music is an essential part of every culture.

For generations, people have used music to express themselves and identify themselves

within a larger culture by imbuing the music with their own thoughts and the values and beliefs

of the culture of which they are a part. Imagining has the power to engender empathy in students,

a necessity to become a global citizen who is able to contribute meaningfully to society.

Another application of education described in the Wisconsin Model Academic Standards

is, Skill in Communication, which involves three sub-points that I will address. The first

subpoint is working effectively in groups (WMAS, ix). Whether it be an instrumental

ensemble, an a cappella group, or a band in a parents garage, creating music with others

undoubtedly develops this skill. Secondly, receiving and acting on instructions, plans, and

models is reinforced in every subject, but especially in an ensemble where everyone is working

towards a collective goal. Lastly, it is important that students are able to communicat[e] with a

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variety of tools and skills (WMAS, ix). Just as proper grammar and mathematical formulas are

tools to express oneself and his or her thoughts, so music is a means of communicating with

others and expressing oneself.

The third purpose of education, as I see it, relates to self-awareness. Education helps

students discover their passions and talents so they can fulfill their purpose, be conducive to

creating a brighter future, and retain cultural traditions. This is why I believe it is necessary to

provide a well-rounded education that includes music and the arts to all students. The WMAS

emphasize the importance that music has in ones self-fulfillment. Music is a representation of

the highest thoughts, achievements, and aspirations of humankind and has been confirmed by

psychologists such as Rogers and Maslow to serve as a viable avenue for self-realization due to

its ability to aid individuals in expressing their (WMAS, x).

Even though each individual benefits immensely from studying music in the forms of

brain development and self-realization, I believe it is the global community that has the greatest

benefit from music education. Considering the aforementioned discussion concerning cultural

identity, it is apparent that individual cultures and society at large can and do benefit from

students studying music. Furthermore, smaller communities benefit from the study of music in

schools by engaging students in important and valuable events in the community. Students who

benefit from music education then become parents who encourage their children to participate in

music, thus perpetuating a cycle of generations profiting from music education. Studying abroad

in Stellenbosch, South Africa this semester has made very tangible to me the ability of music to

strengthen cultural beliefs and connect people from all walks of life.