Bryan Marquez’s Teaching Philosophy

I believe all students deserve the chance to experience the growth that happens within a

music class. My objective as a teacher is not to make students professional musicians, but is to

spark a love for music and make them the best person that they can be. My classrooms will have

a strong focus on community, student identity, as well as engagement.

Community is the most important focus of my classroom. All students will be welcomed

to join music. They will become part of a large community of musicians. Students will build

friendships by working hard for a common goal. Another way they will become a larger

community is by sharing their backgrounds and identities. They will learn about each other

through music from their cultures as well as the types of music they enjoy listening to.

Another goal of mine is to help students develop their own identity. I will help students

develop pride in being part of an ensemble where they have to work together to succeed. They

will understand that each one of them is needed to create something that is bigger than them.

How they are a piece of a puzzle and it can only be completed with all the pieces. Examples in a

classroom are having a nice balance of instruments in ensembles, students marching in unison as

well as hitting their marks, and learning their individual parts. I will point out how I see them

putting in effort and how I appreciate them. This will make them feel special, wanted, and

worthy. My students will understand that they matter to each other as well as to me.

Finally I want to focus on student engagement. If you were to walk into my classroom

you would notice passion. Students will be encouraged with the passion that I have towards

music and teaching. That will become contagious making it easy for my students to engage in

class and become the best that they can. My classroom will be a safe place for students to share

their thoughts and have open discussions about music. Just as I share my passion for classical
music, my class will share their passion for the music they listen to. We will discuss as a class

why a composer or artist may write or play a certain way. It was Aristotle that said, “Educating

the mind without educating the heart is no education at all.”

My classroom is going to be student focused. My goal is to grow a community of music

students that work together to share the joy of music. They will take pride in what they do as

well as build their own identity. My classroom is going to be a safe environment where students

will be encouraged to share a passion for music no matter what genre. My goal is not to make the

world's best musicians, but is to help students develop a love and appreciation for music.