Emily Wylie - Fall 2019

Philosophy of Music Education

“I cannot teach anybody anything, I can only make them think.” -Socrates

As a music educator, I consider it my job to bring both critical thinking and a culture of

mutual understanding including respect to learners through music. Music in itself is one of the

tools used for expression and communication. As such, music can incorporate critical thinking

skills in both direct and indirect ways. For instance, a student through learning music can begin

to understand not only the reasoning and work behind their favorite genres, but also the genres

that their peers prefer (Tobias, 2013). Combining music that students know and understand with

music they may not yet understand develops critical thinking skills. Going through the process of

reflecting on what they didn’t know before and how they have learned helps to create a sense of

respect for others’ tastes regardless of personal connection, which can transfer to other areas of

learning.

Music educators, as educators of different fields, have the ability to connect with students

on both a personal and an academic level, and are just as subject to the changes in their field of

study on an academic and societal level as their students are (Williams, 2007). The world of

music changes and grows quickly, and it reflects on the variety of subcultures within a given

society. With the constant change of these cultures shown through music, it becomes important

for the music educator to understand the value from each genre themselves to then assist students

in developing a broad appreciation for music of differing genres.

 Whether interested in pursuing music either as a career or as a casual listener, students

can learn to reflect on why their opinions and how their experiences create meaning for the

music they listen to. Music educators are able to assist in transferring that level of thinking from

their own preferences to find meaningfulness in genres they do not yet comprehend. As a music

educator, I plan to provide experiences for my ensembles and general music classrooms that start

with what students know and incorporating that to bring them an understanding and appreciation

of cultural meaningfulness in music through the use of music theory, history, performance,

technology, and self-reflection. Students do not need to change their musical tastes, but my goal

is to provide a space where students can learn to communicate their personal meaning behind a

genre clearly with their peers and learn to accept the meaning behind other genres of music. I

aim to encourage students to use respectful research, academic reflection, and a mindset of

gaining understanding throughout all their fields of learning in order to give a holistic

educational experience in the meaningfulness of music that they can in turn bring back to their

other courses and future lives.

Music, as it reflects the changes in culture throughout history through the minds of

people influenced by those changes, also has the opportunity to provide a holistic understanding

of the larger world around from respectful study and research of it. The music classroom can be

the place to reflect upon other courses and the world around it on a large scale while remaining a

safe place to learn and share what a student has yet to fully understand. Students in my classroom

will always have the freedom to safely grow in their musical and intellectual journey. As a music

educator, I aim to bring students from diverse backgrounds through their enjoyment of music and

continual growth in developing a deeper understanding of difficult cultural topics through music

making. I hope to encourage personal and group reflections, meaningful discussions, and
integration of musical understanding into the hearts and lives of my on growth from students so

that we may all give to and share with each other the respect and understanding we deserve as

humans.
Works Cited:

Tobias, E. S. (2013). Toward convergence: Adapting music education to contemporary society

and participatory culture. Music Educators Journal, 99(4), 29-36.

Williams, D. A. (2007). What are music educators doing and how well are we doing it? Music
Educators Journal, 94(1), 18-23.