School Philosophy Statement Reflection

I have spent the last four years studying music education at the undergraduate level and,

during that time, I have developed and refined my personal philosophies on teaching music. At

the moment, I am an intern at an elementary school and have been learning many new things

about how to teach 3rd through 5th graders. I have found that observing others teach is an

important source for analyzing teaching effectiveness and theory, so I have taken the opportunity

to reflect on not only the teaching at my elementary school, but also the philosophy. The mission

statement for the school I did my elementary internship at is that they “will provide a safe,

nurturing environment that fosters individual potential through academic excellence,

appreciation of diversity, and commitment to life-long learning.” I believe I can learn more about

my own ideas on music education by reflecting on this mission statement.

The most important aspect of this mission statement is to “foster individual potential”. I

believe this because each student needs their own special focus and their own differentiated

instruction in order to properly succeed at playing an instrument or singing. Academically, each

student will have their own individual struggles and breakthroughs, so fostering those individual

differences is crucial for school-wide student success. I have experienced difficulty with

devoting class time to giving individual feedback, but I know it is necessary for each student to

be heard and appreciated. The teacher should also make an effort to cultivate an appreciation for

diversity in their classroom. All students should be able to feel represented in their school

community. Cultural representation will also build motivation for all students and families to buy

into school programs. Programming music from different cultures for concerts, listening to many

different musical genres, and practicing different musical traditions in class are a few ways to

represent diverse cultures within a music classroom.

 Students not only need their own academic attention, but also their own mental and

emotional attention; students need to feel safe at school, which is why I particularly agree with

the “safe, nurturing environment” phrase in the mission statement. A teacher should set up a

welcoming, comforting environment for their students to engage with and learn in. Students

deserve the feeling of safety and hospitality within a public school considering it is where they

spend a lot of their waking hours during the week. Having a daily routine, a respectful and

positive demeanor, some classroom traditions, and a general awareness of the students’ home

situations are some ways to provide a safe, nurturing classroom environment.

The phrase of the mission statement is “commitment to life-long learning”. I find this to

be an important ideal in music because of the constantly growing and changing traditions of

music in the world. Teaching students to appreciate music of all genres and to continue to listen

to and play music beyond elementary school is an important accomplishment. Music can bring

communities together, so ushering in a new generation of music-makers is a valuable role for

music teachers. I believe that through creating a positive classroom environment and treating all

students with respect, they can learn to appreciate any subject in school, especially music.