Ten years from we will probably have graduate and received our degrees in music education. Some of us will be out of grad or in grad school. What do you plan to do with those degrees? If you do become a teacher in a school. What you goals be? (general and specific) Do you want your children to become musically literate as Silky was discussing. Do you want push them and have win many awards. Would you like your ensemble to perform in places around the world. I know personally I would like my groups to gain personal satisfaction before anything else. I want them to appreciate the performances they give and the music they perform. Only then will I worry about the championships or the accolades. None of that matters unless they had fun.
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I've mentioned this several times before, but I've already worked in children's theater, and I really like it. In ten years, I want to have started a program at an elementary school that uses theater and shows not just as a performance experience, but also in conjunction with the history and conflict resolution programs. Shows like Fiddler on the Roof, Once on this Island, and The King and I that have been adapted for children are actually almost inappropriate and meaningless for them unless you explore the deeper subject matter and use it to talk about why people are afraid of people who aren't like them, and explore the history surrounding the story. You can use characters in a show to mime conflict resolution techniques and brainstorm solutions to problems.
Now, the theater program isn't just a mess of box steps and boys singing in a range much to low for their changing voices. You've taught them about a lot more than just music. And while you're teaching music with movement on a stage, it's a great time to help kids learn to feel rhythm.
I really want to start a program like this in an elementary school. I think it'd be a wonderful experience, and would set an example for more team-teaching programs like english/history to take place.
I also really want to write more shows for children, as many of the ones that exist are either really hokey, or actually written for adults and poorly adapted for children's voices and interested.
Remember that in ten years! :) A lot of teachers don't, a lot of teachers that started out just like me and you. How do they change?
I think that's an interesting question you asked, how do they change?? I think a lot of it has to do with the things we've talked about in classes and the case studies. In a lot of senarios, teachers start out after college with theis grand idea of how they're going to change the world and blah blah blah, only to find out that it isn't as easy as they first thought and that others don't always see things the way they do. In response I think manytry to give a little on their side to appease another, so that hopefully in a year or two they can get more what they want, but then they fall into a slump and a routine, and begin to forget what their origional goals were or don't know how to get there.
I think an equally important question is how to always remeber your goals, even if you do become that person in a slump or routine? I know this probably sounds dorky, (it's just an idea!) but write it down. I'm personally a list person, and I like having things there for me to see to remeber to do them. Maybe before I go into my first year of teaching, I'll take some time over the summer to make a list of all the things I want to accomplish in my teaching career, and even if the first few years I can't do them, every year before school starts I'll read them over just to always remind myself and so I don't forget. It's an idea. Any others?
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