Engagement
Teaching music is a delicate process that requires engaging students to become aspiring learners. Unless learners are enthusiastic about music and about playing musical instruments, they are unlikely to succeed, which is why a teacher must increase engagement rates among learners. In order to appeal to every student and to motivate them to study actively, I will craft a teaching strategy that is founded on students’ backgrounds and hobbies, thus inviting them to be more engaged and more participatory (Burnard and Murphy 28).
I believe that music is a universal tool for communicating important ideas and for expressing oneself, thus it should be viewed as the medium for conveying essential messages. I plan to reflect this in my teaching approach. The process of teaching music should be based on providing students with opportunities to enter the world of music, with the teacher as their guide and support (Corke 11).
At this point, the connection between music and community, as well as culture, needs to be discussed. There is no secret that music, as a tool of personal expression, reflects the cultural traditions in which a person firmly believes; therefore, my teaching strategy will rely on linking the learners’ cultural background to theory and practical tasks so that they could develop an intrinsic understanding of the subject. Thus, the learners will more easily relate to music, and as a result, necessary prerequisites for active engagement in the studies, and an enthusiasm for the required material, can be expected (Kerchner 142).
Assessment
Music is one of the areas in which an accurate assessment of student’s skills is a challenging process, mainly because tests must be customized to meet each student’s needs. I will work on developing unique tests for each learner. For example, students will be asked to perform a short musical piece on a particular instrument. The assessment will involve relevant activities to help identify whether the learners are interested in what they are learning. Via this process, motivation rates can be measured and sustained at the required level (Barrett, Webster, and Webster 29).
Challenges
Naturally, working in a diverse environment means dealing with numerous challenges, where cultural misunderstandings are a potential downfall. Some learners may hold prejudices toward the subject, while others may lack motivation. The identified issues are likely to spark misconceptions and even conflicts in the classroom. By using negotiation techniques and by accessing each student’s cultural specifics, I will be able to not only handle but also successfully prevent the conflicts (Kelly 57).
I believe that people need to develop lifelong learning skills in the subjects that they study; otherwise, the learning process will not help them to grow, personally or professionally. My plan is to focus on the promotion of self-directed, lifelong learning skills among the students. By acquiring the identified abilities, the target audience will be able to continue pursuing a musical education even after leaving my music classroom. As a result, the foundation for personal, and perhaps professional, progress will be created (Kaschub and Smith 194).
Representing music as inspiration is one of the hardest tasks that I will face in the target environment; however, I believe that by focusing on learners’ needs and by creating an environment in which students are comfortable, I can capably increase engagement rates by a considerable amount. Furthermore, I will attempt to represent music as a source of inspiration to students.
References
Barrett, Jane, Peter Webster, and Richard Webster. The Musical Experience: Rethinking Music Teaching and Learning. Oxford, UK: OUP, 2014. Print.
Burnard, Paul, and Regina Murphy. Teaching Music Creatively. New York, NY: Routledge, 2013. Print.
Corke, Mararet. Approaches to Communication Through Music. New York, NY: Routledge, 2014. Print.
Kaschub, Michele, and Janine Smith. Promising Practices in 21st Century Music Teacher Education. Oxford, UK: OUP, 2014. Print.
Kelly, Steven N. Teaching Music in American Society: A Social and Cultural Understanding of Music Education. New York, NY: Routledge, 2013. Print.
Kerchner, Jody L. Music Across the Senses: Listening, Learning, and Making Meaning. New York, NY: OUP USA, 2014. Print.