Imagine that the current structure of the educational system is completely erased and we must redesign music education from the ground up. Presumably we would work backwards from the goals of instilling, in all students, a love of music and giving them the skills necessary to form their own meaningful connections to music of various types. Whatever approach we would take, it would likely be very different from the current system. Music education, as it exists today in the United States, is succeeding at training young people to perform at a high level, however, it is not succeeding at reaching a wide range of students nor in affecting the role music plays in students' lives. The reason is that most students studying music in school are doing so in performance-based programs which do not focus on making broader connections. Since the current format of school music programs is unlikely to change any time soon, we need to think of ways we can broaden the scope of our performing groups to achieve larger goals. We must begin to shift our emphasis away from focusing entirely on performance.

Moving beyond a primary focus on performance is a challenge. It may involve utilizing an approach that is contrary to the expectations of students or community members. For many students, performance is the hook that makes them love participating in a music group. It is essential to note that I am not saying we should not strive for excellent performances, but rather, the path we take to get there should involve a takeaway that translates to lifelong music appreciation. Performance should be a means to an end of a broader music education, not simply an end in itself.

Music is More Than "Character Education"
There is no doubt that students benefit from participating in performing groups. Music education advocates have tirelessly catalogued the rewards of studying music. Many of these, however, have more to do with character development in areas such as teamwork, setting and accomplishing long-term goals, or self-discipline than music. Of course these are all worthwhile outcomes, but they are not unique to the study of music. Teaching, with an emphasis on performance, places priority on these types of outcomes, while, to a lesser degree, it conveys the value of music for its own sake.

The performance skills that students develop rapidly deteriorate once they cease to perform. Therefore, we must consider what is lasting about our students' musical experiences. While character development is valuable and lifelong, often times the technical skills fade away and there is almost no musical takeaway. Therefore, we must consider the following questions: Can students' musical experiences translate to new avenues of understanding? Does the learning experience encompass exploration of the special nature of musical expression? How can our instruction impart to our students the ability and desire to make their own meaningful connections to different forms of music? The answer to these questions involves a dramatic change in how we conceive of our role as music educators.

"But I'm not a general music teacher. Performance is what we do."
This is true. Most directors of performing groups, and more importantly students, consider performance to be their main goal, since that is how we are judged. Parents and community members hear our concerts, they know our scores and placements at festivals, and deem a music program successful or not on the basis of these performances. Presumably, if students perform at a high level, then clearly they have accomplished whatever goals were set. It is further presumed that through the magic of a great performance, a lifelong appreciation has somehow been instilled in our students. This is a false presumption. The reason is that most people do not differentiate between the skills required to perform music and the skills required to develop one's own interpretation of music.

Herein lies the problem. Most of our students will grow up to be listeners, audience members, and consumers of music rather than performers. Being a critical listener requires certain skills, knowledge, and understanding that are different from those required to perform it. These are the types of things we ought to be teaching in music classes in addition to performance. However, making performance a priority has led most music teachers to neglect aspects of musical instruction that are focused on reception, interpretation, and analysis. As a result, many students who have benefited from participating in excellent performing ensembles grow up to be adults with a limited knowledge and appreciation for music.

We need to start thinking farther ahead than our next performance. In addition to setting goals for the instrumental or vocal skills we want our students to have, we should set goals for their listening skills. Our goals should extend beyond the next concert, or the next year. We should think of where we hope they will be in 20 years. Not only will we ask ourselves what kind of performers we hope to teach, we will consider what types of listeners we hope to inspire.

Teach Students to be Good Listeners
Consider the concept of thematic development. Most students are able to perform a musical theme, but how many would be able to recognize contrasting themes and follow their development while listening to a piece of music? These are basic skills required to begin understanding hundreds of years of music, yet most adults cannot do such analysis. Of course this is only one aspect of music appreciation that is specific to certain types of music, but it is rarely addressed in music classes today. It is easy to think of many other basic concepts that, if better understood, would lead to a greater appreciation of various types of music. There are several creative ways to incorporate these concepts into the structure of a performing ensemble.

Theme Sheets
Oddly enough, the idea for using theme sheets originated as a solution to a performance issue. When a difficult passage occurred that required spending time on individual parts, it was preferable to have the full ensemble work on each part rather than having the majority of the group sit and wait while one section played. Using notation software, I created a worksheet showing all the themes and motives for a given piece. This allowed all students to be constantly engaged, and increased their understanding of how all the parts fit together. Occasionally modifications needed to be made to accommodate the limitations of various instruments. As I continued to use theme sheets I recognized the potential to use them as a vehicle for discussing broader musical ideas such as form, thematic construction, development, and more.

A theme sheet can include information and details that would be extraneous to the parts used in performance, but are useful for learning. Past examples have contained historical and biographical information, analysis symbols, and titles for each theme that helps students to understand the structure of the music. One can also include various statements of a theme to show its development. In this way, learning to perform a piece becomes a tool for developing a deeper understanding.

Repertoire Choice
Much has been written about the role of repertoire in music education. The bottom line is that, if we want our students to have a deeper understanding of music, then they need to perform music that lends itself to developing that understanding. Music that is designed to be accessible and easy to perform is not likely to provide many possibilities for engaging in meaningful discussion. A great deal of "made-for-school" music is repetitive, generic, and recycles the same gimmicks and musical devices that might be appealing to students, but does not translate to higher learning. Before deciding to perform a piece, consider what broader connections could be made while learning it. What other repertoire is related to this work? Does the piece utilize techniques that are common to a particular style or genre of music? If the only other related content is other made-for-school music, then perhaps another choice would be better.

Though some teachers oppose the idea, transcriptions provide an excellent way to expose students to a variety of repertoire. There is no better way to teach students about a particular style of music than for them to play that music. For that reason, it is essential that the transcription maintain the character of the original work as much as possible, otherwise the effort is wasted. Those who are not in favor of using transcriptions often argue that it is best to play music that is specifically written for an ensemble. However, as an educator ,it is more important to consider the quality of the music itself. There are centuries of standard repertoire worth sharing with students that are preferable to the majority of new material being pumped out by educational publishers each year.

Incorporate Music Criticism into Rehearsals
We often ask students to self-assess but how often do we ask them to critique the music they play? Throughout history, music has been subject to criticism, both positive and negative. Some works that are now considered great were heavily criticized when new. Ask students to assess the music they play. Challenge them to articulate specifically what they like and do not like about it. If they do not like it, how could it be made better? They can also respond to other people's thoughts and defend their opinions. This is an excellent way for students to apply the knowledge they have gained, and for teachers to reinforce the idea that better understanding can lead to increased enjoyment.

Turn Students into Teachers
An excellent way for students to develop a deeper understanding of music is to have them present their ideas to others. One way to do this is to have them explain part of their music during a concert. Students can briefly describe the form and structure of a piece to the audience and play musical examples to demonstrate each theme or section. They can also design visual representations to help guide the audience while they listen. This gives students an opportunity to apply concepts from other subject areas and it helps to further engage audiences. It also demonstrates to parents and community members the scope of what we do in the classroom beyond simply singing and playing instruments.

Another way for students to demonstrate understanding is to write program notes for their concert. They can apply concepts they are learning in other classes to research and write a brief description of the music they are playing. A simple two-paragraph structure is simple and easy to manage by students. The first paragraph can give background information about the composer and the second can be a brief description of the music. Students can read examples of program notes from professional concerts as an example. Distributing students' program notes at school concerts is a great way to showcase multiple types of learning, and can help to educate audiences as well.

The Future of Music
Some of today's music students will be the famous performers of tomorrow. Others will be tomorrow's parents, teachers, administrators, board of education members, and voters. We need to consider how our current practices will translate into their lives in the future. By thinking bigger and incorporating subtle changes into the way we teach, we can cause a dramatic and positive change in the way music matters to our students.

For any questions, comments, or for examples of the resources described in this article, please contact Dan Halpern at halperndan@hotmail.com.

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ⁱ A fantastic and humorous resource is Nicolas Slonimsky's book, Lexicon of Musical Invective: Critical assaults on composers since Beethoven's time. This book is a collection of musical criticism from throughout history that illustrates the interaction between critics and composers and how new music has been received.