Music at the Core

This past year I have attended a number of meetings and talked with many teachers, students, and administrators about the ever changing landscape of teaching. With teacher evaluation, the implementation of the Common Core, and many other issues on our plate, sometimes it can be overwhelming. In fact, as a teacher educator, it has become very important that I help our future music teachers remain positive as they thread their way through classes, practicum experiences, and student teaching. The good news is that nearly every music education student with whom I come in contact is positive and looking forward to entering the profession. They appear to be resilient and flexible, especially with regard to using technology, or grappling with differentiated and integrated teaching. They know that change is inevitable, and often welcome. Schools and classes with which they have had experience are diverse and dynamic, offering opportunities for creativity that can touch the lives of so many children.

We are fortunate in Kansas that we have music teachers who keep it positive as they face the challenges of providing quality music education to their students every day. Without them, we would not continue to develop future teachers, musicians, composers, and citizens who value, support, and need the arts in their lives. Included in this edition of the KMR is an excellent response to the question: Why teach music? In it, Marissa Silverman addresses such issues as what is the nature and value of music education? She explores the belief that teaching "...is sharing in a moral enterprise," and discusses the concept of "artistic citizenship." Her words speak directly to what many have described as an increasingly polarized climate in this country. Although discussion, even disagreement, can be productive, in the end, when we share making and/or enjoying music together, we also create a greater sense of community and shared identity because the arts are at the core of who we are as human beings. With the arts, we can connect via our thoughts and feelings to each other in unique and compelling ways beyond reading or speaking in our daily lives.

But... we do need to deal with the issues at hand. That is why also included in this edition are articles that focus on the Common Core and music teaching. Fred Burrack, KMEA Advocacy Chair, has provided an excellent overview of the Common Core and how it is interrelated to music teaching. He includes assessment possibilities and recommendations for teacher actions that "further the development" of students in reading and writing skills and problem solving practices via appropriate music activities. At the ISW, a variety of workshops will be presented that will also provide resources that enable teachers to effectively demonstrate their abilities to keep music teaching and learning at the core of their programs, while facilitating cross-curricular and cross-grade-level learning connections that are authentic.

In addition to what we are doing in Kansas, it is important to look at what is happening in other parts of the country as well. That is why Luke Hill's article regarding the development of an online music integration guide to help develop lesson plans with classroom teachers is also in this issue. He makes the distinction between "music enhancement" and "music integration" with other content areas. Many music teachers (if not most!) have become discouraged with trying to plan and teach collaborative lessons with teachers from other content areas because music learning does not really occur. Using technology in creative ways is another way to connect music to problem solving, reasoning, communication, and other ways of learning. In Todd Young's article, he describes using music technology with students for film scoring. He emphasizes that using technology "is the tool, not the end result" for creating high quality music in his class.

We are fortunate to have people in leadership positions in KMEA who recognize the needs of music teachers and their students and strive to provide assistance, information, and support. It is also clear that music educators in Kansas share among themselves and are not reluctant to ask each other for advice and resources. That is why attending the ISW is so important. At least once a year, we have the opportunity to come together and share what we know, learn innovative approaches, hear wonderful performances, and have experiences that connect us to one another. When we leave, we feel more connected and know that we, and our students, are not alone in the wonder of creating beautiful music.