My number one classroom goal is to instill a love and appreciation for music. I want to be a servant leader for them and help them achieve their absolute best. I believe that I must build relationships with my students in order to help them succeed. Significant learning only occurs when there is a significant relationship. I believe in building a strong classroom community with my students. I want them to know that my classroom is a safe place where they are free to succeed, fail, discover, and learn from their mistakes without fear. I will strive to be an advocate for my students in their learning and and advisor in their lives. I want what is best for my students and I will do everything I can to foster growth in my classroom.
I believe in a student-centered classroom. Every student is able to be a musician, and I believe in giving my students opportunities to grow in ways that they can understand. Everyone learns differently and I believe in teaching to those different styles of learning. Student choice is something that is important to a music classroom, and other classrooms, so that each student can learn how they learn best.
I believe that music is a way to reach students in a way that other classes cannot. Involving students in music classes will facilitate learning in areas like math, history, and science. Music is a person-oriented subject. It focuses on individual growth, but also collaboration. I believe that movement, especially in an elementary classroom, is important to help students internalize music at an early age. I believe in sound before sight, which means that my students will learn to sing before they learn how to read music. Audiation/hearing music aurally must come first for students to be musically minded at an early age and beyond.
In my music classroom, I will give my students opportunities to create sounds, movements, and compositions of their own. I will encourage them to perform to the best of their abilities. I will also give them the chance to respond to their performances, creations, and other classroom activities, allowing room for musical growth and comprehension.
Finally, I believe that we are here on earth for a specific purpose. We all have different gifts and strengths and I want to teach that in my classroom. I will strive to teach them values in every lesson. As a teacher, I want to value my students differences and not give up on them. Making music is a special experience that I get to share with my students, and I hope to instill in them a love, passion, and respect for the art.
