“We must listen. . . to the stories of others before we speak, understanding that we may not understand their situation fully and may never be able to, but if that is their experience, it is valid. . .” (Talbot, video introduction).
Students bring a wealth of knowledge and rich personal and cultural experiences with them to the classroom. These life experiences shape the way that students understand, view and respond to the situations they encounter. Inasmuch as these experiences are entirely individual for each student, they are also equally valid and need to be validated. As a music teacher, I feel that it is my first responsibility to know my students, and the best way to do this is to listen to their stories, to understand where they have come from, what makes them unique and what is important to them. Really knowing my students means putting myself in their shoes and taking on their world view. In this way I can show a genuine empathy, make a deeper connection with each student and be responsive to their individual needs. I will be able to plan learning experiences that students can connect with and make sense of, that build on their strengths, and that are relevant to their lives and aspirations (Deakin Crick, Goldspink & Foster, 2013). To be comfortable sharing their stories, students need to feel safe, and so my goal is to create a warm and welcoming space where diversity is valued, differences are embraced, and everybody belongs.
With the diversity of family and cultural backgrounds comes a variety of prior experiences in learning music. These experiences may include both formal learning situations – such as private instrumental or vocal tuition, choirs or ensemble groups – and informal learning situations – such as learning from friends, copying recordings or singing at church. These are all meaningful forms of music education. One of the challenges of classroom music is to cater for these vast differences in prior learning and to meet each student where they are at. I see this challenge as an opportunity for a rich learning environment where students respect and appreciate the different musical skills and strengths among their peers and where they can share and learn from each other.
I recognise that I come from a long-standing musical tradition which privileges Western art music, instrumentation and notation, above other forms of cultural and popular music (Talbot, 2018; Dwyer, 2016). Similarly, in this tradition, musical ability is determined by technical proficiency and expressive capability, and standard can be objectively measured by one’s success in the ‘grade exam model’ (Bull, 2019). I recognise that I participate in the reproduction of these musical practices (Talbot, 2018; Dwyer, 2016), which also contribute to the perpetuation of socioeconomic inequalities (Bull & Scharff, 2017). While still dominant in our society, the Western musical tradition is exclusive of the musical cultures that many young people take part in. I am learning to look for and value the sophistication which is present in all music (Humberstone et al., 2020) and in all ways of music making, a process which requires me to open my mind and seek to understand different kinds of music beyond what is natural and normal for me to engage in. This process of broadening my music choices is crucial as a music teacher, as “we rarely share what we do not know” (Talbot, 2018) and I will make important decisions about what music will be shared and given precedence in the classroom. In my teaching, I will endeavour to incorporate stylistically diverse repertoire choices and to represent the music of many different cultures and groups, particularly minority groups such as women and Indigenous people.
Music education is a right for all children regardless of age, gender, race, ethnicity, socioeconomic status or ability. For some families, particularly those who are financially limited or who do not intentionally seek out opportunities, classroom music may be the only formal music education their children receive. No matter their background, “all students are capable of making music – composing, singing. . . playing instruments” (Dwyer, 2016) and improvising, and I believe that all students have unlimited musical potential. As I build a relationship with each student, I hope to find what it is that inspires and motivates them in their musical journey, and to cultivate musical interests which last into the future. The “value of creativity [and] life-long amateur music making” (Talbot, 2018) cannot be underestimated. This journey begins with the music that students already know and engage in. By connecting with students’ musical worlds outside of school (Dwyer, 2016; Kallio, 2017), I can expand upon their knowledge in the classroom and design further learning experiences that are meaningful and relevant to their lives.
My approach to music education is one that places the student at the centre of learning and is responsive to students’ individual and collective needs. In line with a constructivist philosophy, students are not passive receptors of content delivery, but are actively involved in the learning process, drawing on musical experiences to discover ideas, constructing knowledge by interpreting new information in light of their current understanding, and “[refining] skills in terms of newly acquired techniques” (Scott, 2011). My role as a teacher is to facilitate this construction of knowledge by providing interactive, collaborative and challenging musical experiences that provoke thinking through exploration, problem-solving and reflection (Ibid). In this process, as the teacher, I work and learn alongside students, not above them; I do not assert power, control or privilege.
As a music teacher in the 21st century, I acknowledge the legacy of those who have gone before me. I intend to build on the many strengths of these established pedagogical approaches in my own classroom. From the creative music movement, with its emphasis on creativity and imagination, I am inspired to actively involve children in making music – composing, improvising and performing – and to musick with them. The notion of experiential learning – learning through doing – also ties in with the comprehensive musicianship approach. However, these activities are integrated with music theory and history in a way that enables students to perform and compose with a deep level of musical understanding, appreciation and expressive sensitivity (Heavner, 2005). A culturally responsive pedagogy will permeate every aspect of my teaching, as I strive to foster respectful relationships, affirm the cultural identity and background of my students, and provide engaging learning experiences through the incorporation of music that is relevant and meaningful. I am motivated by Lucy Green’s Informal Learning pedagogy to give students autonomy and choice, to plan occasions for them to bring their own music to school, to make music accessible for all students – especially those who don’t read music – and to provide opportunities for them to experiment, learn to play music by ear and improvise.
As I consider this legacy, I will strive to maintain flexibility in my own approach insomuch that I do not become overly-habitualised in my teaching practice. I will endeavour to respond to the changing needs of my students and the ever-changing contexts. I will continually question, reflect upon and evaluate my own practice, then find ways to modify it in order to “accommodate the students’ needs, desires and preferences” (Dwyer, 2016).
References
Deakin Crick, R., Goldspink, C., & Foster, M. (2013). Telling identities: Learning as script or design? Learning emergence discussion paper (June, 2013).
Bull, A. (2019). Everyone here is going to have bright futures. In Class, Control, and Classical Music. https://doi.org/10.1093/oso/9780190844356.001.0001
Bull, A., & Scharff, C. (2017). ‘McDonalds’ music’ versus ‘serious music’: how production and consumption practices help to reproduce class inequality in the classical music profession. Cultural Sociology, 11(3), 283-301. https://doi.org/10.1177/1749975517711045
Dwyer, R. (2016). Capital, habitus and field in music education: Hierarchies, traditions and marginalisation. In Music Teachers’ Values and Beliefs. Abingdon, UK: Routledge.
Heavner, T. (2005). The applied music lesson: teaching gifted and talented students utilising principles of comprehensive musicianship. International Education Journal, 6(2), 170–174.
Humberstone, J., Zhao, C., & Liu, D. (2020), Nurturing vulnerability to develop pedagogical change through MOOC participation and public blogging. In J. Waldron, S. Horsley and K. Veblen (Eds.), The Oxford Handbook of Social Media and Music Learning. doi:10.1093/oxfordhb/9780190660772.013.35
Kallio, A. A. (2017). Popular “problems”: Deviantization and teachers’ curation of popular music. International Journal of Music Education, 35(3), 319–332.
Rakuljic, Isabel. (2019). Culturally responsive music pedagogy and engagement in NSW schools. 10.13140/RG.2.2.24051.27681.
Scott, S. (2011). Contemplating a constructivist stance for active learning within music education. Arts Education Policy Review, 112(4), 191-198. doi: 10.1080/10632913.2011.592469
Talbot, B. C. (2018). Introduction. In B. C. Talbot (Ed.), Marginalized Voices in Music Education (pp. 1–12). New York: Routledge.