This semester has been very eye opening and transformative in a number of ways.

Through learning in MUED class, creating experience designs, responding to readings,

and observing at my practicum placement, I have a much clearer idea of the purpose of
general music and the ways in which I can effectively teach general music. Coming into
this class, I think I thought of education in very black and white terms with definitive
solutions to problems, right and wrong ways of approaching a topic, etc. Through this
class I have developed a more open mind in terms of approaches. Listening to our peer
presentations and experiencing different popular methods of teaching in class helped me
to expand my knowledge of pedagogical skills and understand that there are so many
different ways to approach teaching general music. Its almost overwhelming how
seemingly limitless the possibilities of teaching general music are. My practicum
experience was very helpful in giving me insight to how general music is applied in real
elementary schools. It was interesting to make connections between the content we
learned in class and the content I saw being taught at my practicum. I was able to see
how the students reacted to particular activities, what worked and didnt work in my own
practicum teachings, and how many different types of learners there are in every
classroom setting.
One of the most surprising lessons I have learned through this class is that teaching
general music is not easy. The amount of outside work that goes into planning and
practicing lessons is much more than I had anticipated. In order to effectively teach,
hours of preparation are necessary. Over the course of the semester, planning lessons
became easier as I became familiar with the process, and with every new piece of
pedagogical information I acquired, my lessons became more and more effective. I also
grew this semester in confidence. Before taking this class, the prospect of teaching a
lesson to anyone was nerve-racking and seemed too difficult. I appreciated that from
early on, we were eased into teaching by having to teach short lessons to our peers. The
first lesson we had to teach, the Coordinated Movement Experience, made me so nervous
that I messed up a number of times. This experience among other early teaching
experiences allowed me to grow in understanding how to prepare, and my confidence
gradually build over time. By the end of the semester, I felt confident and actually
excited to plan and teach my final lesson.
During almost every class period, something knew was brought to the general music
table. Experiencing new methods first hand like Kodaly, Dalcroze, and Weikart as a
student allowed me to understand the effect that these methods would have on one of my
future students. Learning the methods in this way helped to validate their effectiveness
and made them more memorable. I found it easier to create lesson plans that utilized
these methods because I had experienced them prior. In particular, I found it interesting
and almost relieving that notation learning was not highly stressed in this class.
Personally, I learned to play piano, my primary instrument, by ear. I was always felt in
my piano lessons growing up that I was less of a musician and was told that I was
wasting my talent because I didnt read music. So, learning how to teach in a way that
doesnt immediately introduce notation is reassuring and exciting because I am familiar
with it.

Communication- It is important to communicate with other teachers and parents

in order to understand the specific needs of each student. Communication is also
useful in receiving feedback from students.
Creativity- Utilization of creativity in creating lesson plans is imperative so that
they are engaging and enriching. Inspiring creative thinking in students in terms
of expression or composition is also important in the music classroom. Creative
thinking is crucial to incorporating every learning modality into a lesson.
Collaboration- Collaboration with other teachers is necessary in order to facilitate
an interdisciplinary approach to lessons.
Critical Thinking- When planning lessons, critical thinking is useful in order to
best fit the plan to different types of demographics and learning styles. Asking
students a series of questions pertaining to an activity sparks critical thinking
skills.
Cooperation- It is important to create an environment in which students work well
with one another and with the teacher. Facilitating a culturally competent
environment in which all students feel welcome and able to work with each other
is also valuable.