Elizabeth Appenheimer

January 28, 2018

ED 3601|Keith Griffioen
Music Education Research and Advocacy

Music has long been my favourite subject in school. I can honestly say that I don’t know what

my education would have been like without it. I can’t say with confidence that I would be

standing here before you. Many of my fondest memories from school take place in the music

room. While I don’t remember everything from the earliest days of my music education, I

remember clearly some scenes and feelings from music class. I remember being happy, proud of

my friends and myself as we learned new and increasingly difficult music. I remember loving

what it sounded like when we put all of our parts together into one song. In elementary school,

the music room was always a place where I could feel success and great joy. I remember my first

day of band and putting my clarinet together. It sounded awful, but felt amazing! All through

High School I spent as much time as I could in the band room. Concert Band, Jazz Band, Choir,

Chamber Strings, helping with the grade 8 guitar class, and just hanging out on the futon in the

back corner; if there was something going on, I was there. But what if those programs hadn’t

existed? What if my school district had decided to cut all funding to music programs in the face

of budget cuts? This isn’t even a reality that’s hard for me to imagine; I remember at least two or

three teacher strikes while I was in school, and more shortly after I graduated. Funding for the

whole of education was always in question, and certainly for arts programs.

As far as I can tell, Music Educators have been forced to have the same discussion year after

year for at least the last fifty years. That discussion is about whether or not their music programs

have enough value for school boards to keep funding them. This is extremely disheartening. Why

is it that all these years later, another new generation of music educators is being trained to

advocate for the value of their music programs, in preparation for the inevitable discussion as to
whether or not they should continue? How is it that with ample research and so many

advancements in so much of our field, we are still fighting the same battle?

In the third edition of her book “Music for Young Children,” Vernice Nye explains that “through

music children can discover who they are, understand other people, and grow in the knowledge

of people from other cultures. Music can be taught in such a manner as to provide for the

aesthetic appreciation and growth of every child.” (Nye, 1983) Music Education allows children

to explore and discover themselves, and the beauty in the world and people around them. It

allows for a kind of growth that doesn’t exist elsewhere; a kind of cognitive activity that doesn’t

happen through other means. (Daugherty, 1996) Music is also a great equalizer. It breaks down

barriers and divides, and puts everyone on equal ground. It’s not about talent and ability so much

as enjoyment and growth. This can work wonders for a student population. “Through music

children learn to relate in various ways with other children, to appreciate and value likenesses

and differences in people. They learn to cooperate, and through these interactions in music, build

positive feelings toward others.” (Nye, 1983) Music Education is also an excellent platform for

Differentiated Instruction and Inclusive Education, because it is so multi-faceted. With the

addition of 21st Century technology, there are so many ways to differentiate and adapt the

curriculum to fit the needs of any learner. Music is flexible. Maybe a student is physically unable

to participate in the performance of a song, but they can work with an iPad and record it on

Garage Band. Maybe a small group of students would like to work on a collaborative

composition using a specific set of instruments. Whether more advanced or less, there is a place

for everyone in the music room. (Vitale, 2014)

I also think it’s important to recognize that Music Education requires the teacher to be more than

a teacher, because they must conduct, and more than a conductor, because they must teach. It
requires you to do more than stand on a podium and lead your ensemble; it requires you to be a

real person who cares deeply for the students in your room, making sure it is a positive and safe

space for them to be. The best Music Educators become a mentor, a musician, a learner, a

resource and guide, a performer, a leader (Carlisle, 2004). The best Music Educators are

passionate musicians and passionate teachers.

I truly believe that an education that does not include music is incomplete. I haven’t even talked

about the focus and skill that are developed through the learning of an instrument, or the freedom

and expression that can be discovered as one sings a melody in the company of others, to say

nothing of the development of literacy skills as one learns to decipher the dots, lines, and

symbols that make up printed music. Music is a cognitive process, but also deeply expressive

(Daugherty, 1996). It is meant to be enjoyed. I talked to a friend the other day who said he never

really enjoyed music class when he was in Elementary school because it was “really boring” and

he didn’t really like his teacher. I can’t say I was surprised, but I was disappointed that this was

his experience. I believe kids should come away from a music class feeling inspired, successful

and joyful, no matter their age or circumstance.

We are fortunate to live in a country that values education. There is always something to

complain about, certainly, but there is also much to celebrate. A Canadian education is one of

those things. I am not afraid for the future of music programs in public schools in Alberta, but I

do agree with Robert Klotman when he says, “today’s schools will not fit tomorrow’s needs.”

(Klotman, 1976). Music deserves a place in today’s schools, and in tomorrow’s. For the last 50

years, Music Educators have proved their resiliency and the resiliency of their programs, and

very soon, I will join their ranks. And so, until the day this discussion is put to rest, I will do as

Ed Wasiak suggests and “teach competently and passionately to meet the needs and interests of
[my] students.” I agree with him that they are our “strongest advocates now and in the future.”

(Wasiak, 2013).
Bibliography
Carlisle, L. C. (2004). What Kind of Social Climate Do We Create in Our Classrooms? In L. R. Bartel,
Questioning the Music Education Paradigm (pp. 21-38). Toronto: Canadian Music Educators'
Association.

Daugherty, J. F. (1996). Why Music Matters: The Cognitive Personalism of Reimer and Elliott. Australian
Journal of Music Education, 29-37.

Klotman, R. (1976). The Musician in Education: 2025 AD. In A. Motycka, Music Education for Tomorrow's
Society: Selected Topics (pp. 12-20). Jamestown: GAMT Music Press.

Nye, V. T. (1983). Music For Young Children, Third Edition. Dubuque, Iowa: Wm. C. Brown Company
Publishers.

Vitale, C. G. (2014). Differentiated Instruction Through Digital Technologies in the Music Classroom. In S.
A. O'Neill, Music and Media Infused Lives: Music Education in a Digital Age (pp. 161-176).
Waterloo: Canadian Music Educators' Association.

Wasiak, E. B. (2013). Teaching Instrumental Music in Canadian Schools. Don Mills, Ontario: Oxford
University Press.