I believe that music education is a core part of every student’s education. Every student deserves the opportunity to make music in an ensemble at the highest possible level.
There is arguably no better team in our shared human existence than a top-notch musical ensemble in full synchronicity. Organization, responsibility, ethics, decision-making - only a few of the lessons learned in the ensemble classroom. Music ensembles teach that organized, collective effort coupled with good leadership yields positive results for each member of the group.
In this digital age, students need real connection with others. They need the framework to develop emotional intelligence. Our students require a sense of purpose and need an identity within their peer group and within the increasingly globalized world in which they live. Music ensembles give them this. My music classroom offers students a place to belong. They are greeted warmly and they are appreciated. Every student knows that his or her contribution to the ensemble is important, and they know that the other students and I depend on the value that they bring.
In my classroom, you'll hear me give direction, but you'll also hear me ask "why" daily. Students know that they will be called upon to explain their learning and to articulate the value of everything we do. Students need autonomy to make choices that influence their surroundings and their successes, and they need opportunities to experience struggle and small failures in a safe environment. They find this in the ensembles I teach.
Lastly, ensemble music offers an answer to the eternal quest: the search for happiness. If asked what they most want for their children, nearly every parent’s reply would include happiness. The students in my classes are happy to be there. The ensemble experience gives them time spent on something beautiful, something exciting, something moving. Music feeds their hearts and their minds during their school years and as they go out into the world. Happiness is the true gift that a music education gives.
There is arguably no better team in our shared human existence than a top-notch musical ensemble in full synchronicity. Organization, responsibility, ethics, decision-making - only a few of the lessons learned in the ensemble classroom. Music ensembles teach that organized, collective effort coupled with good leadership yields positive results for each member of the group.
In this digital age, students need real connection with others. They need the framework to develop emotional intelligence. Our students require a sense of purpose and need an identity within their peer group and within the increasingly globalized world in which they live. Music ensembles give them this. My music classroom offers students a place to belong. They are greeted warmly and they are appreciated. Every student knows that his or her contribution to the ensemble is important, and they know that the other students and I depend on the value that they bring.
In my classroom, you'll hear me give direction, but you'll also hear me ask "why" daily. Students know that they will be called upon to explain their learning and to articulate the value of everything we do. Students need autonomy to make choices that influence their surroundings and their successes, and they need opportunities to experience struggle and small failures in a safe environment. They find this in the ensembles I teach.
Lastly, ensemble music offers an answer to the eternal quest: the search for happiness. If asked what they most want for their children, nearly every parent’s reply would include happiness. The students in my classes are happy to be there. The ensemble experience gives them time spent on something beautiful, something exciting, something moving. Music feeds their hearts and their minds during their school years and as they go out into the world. Happiness is the true gift that a music education gives.
