Standard 4: The teacher of PK-12 music has skills in listening to, analyzing, describing, and

performing music.

As a music teacher, I have skills in listening to, analyzing, describing, and performing

music. I meet this standard as a teacher because of my experience as a musician and my areas

of study and have acquired these skills over time. Growing up as a Suzuki trained violinist, I

learned to play music by ear before learning to read music notation, which has been

tremendously important in developing my ear. Instead, I learned by having active listening

experiences like an activity called treasure hunting, in which after listening to a piece of music,

the student experiments through trial and error to “hunt” for the right notes. As a student I had

many opportunities to listen to, analyze, describe, and perform music in different settings. I have

performed solo violin and vocal literature, with small ensembles, and with several orchestras

and choirs. In aural skills and music history courses, I listened to, analyzed, and described

music in many different ways which have strengthened these skills. For example, I have a

difficult time watching a movie without musically analyzing the background music, and I try to

sing my orchestra excerpts on solfege syllables to practice intervals. As a music teacher I will

use my knowledge and experience to give my students opportunities to develop skills in

listening to, analyzing, describing, and performing music, through active musical experiences

and performance opportunities.

My students will benefit from my teaching of this standard by developing musical literacy

and ear training skills to increase their musical potential. Active listening experiences help

students gain skills in listening, critical thinking, and sharpens their ability to focus. In an

elementary classroom, for example, I would play a song with distinct characters or a story and

involve some Dalcroze eurythmics activities so students begin to develop a physical

internalization of character and what things (articulation, dynamics, instrumentation, etc.) create
musical characters. In an upper level ensemble, we might listen to a piece of music to analyze

its form, meter, either aurally or visually. As we listen to and analyze music from all cultures and

historical time periods, students gain knowledge and new perspectives on the world. Students

will broaden their musical vocabulary, their knowledge of composers, cultures, and important

events that inspire the music we perform. Through all of these, students increase their

performance potential and musical skills, which allow them to be more confident they are giving

a well informed performance with personal meaning.