Partners in music

American Music Teacher, August-Sept, 2004 by Phyllis I. Pieffer

Is it possible for music teachers to add anything to our schedules? Many of us teach either independently or at a college or university. In addition, we are active in our churches, local civic choirs or symphonies, plus are naturally involved with our families, with our MTNA activities and possibly with other volunteer activities of interest to US.

Students and parents are seeking us out, so further interaction is not necessary for the established teacher. We usually have waiting lists, so we believe that we have no need to advertise our studios. Or is this true? Are we doing all that we can to ensure the future of music and its place in our culture by actively pursuing and recruiting children, adults and retirees to music study? Or are we isolating ourselves and having interested persons seek us out, playing the waiting game? Are we supporting our colleagues who may have room in their studios for more students by suggesting their names to prospective clients rather than placing them on our waiting lists? Are we helping new young teachers find their niches in our communities?

In April MTNA Executive Director Gary Ingle and I were invited as auditors for the International Music Education Policy Symposium sponsored by MENC: The National Association for Music Education and NAMM, the International Music Products Association. This symposium brought together for the first time music educators and experts from around the globe to "encourage and facilitate discussion between music educators and educational policy makers by exploring the current music education policy situation as it involves educators, students, societal influences and various government agencies." In addition to the United States, Greece, Australia, Germany, Argentina, Canada, South Africa and the United Kingdom were among the countries represented.

Paul Lehman, professor emeritus and former senior associate dean of the school of music at the University of Michigan, spoke on "Music Education and the Quality of Life." He presented two premises: 1) that music improves the quality of life and 2) that with systematic study, the ability of music to improve the quality of life is greatly enhanced. "It is fundamental," he said, "that every child should receive a comprehensive, balanced and sequential program of high-quality instruction in music."

Guest performer and speaker, Lorin Hollander, spoke eloquently on the need to have "Music reinstated as the CORE and CENTER of basic education--music enhances lives."

According to a 2003 Gallup Poll, the two most influential forces in deciding whether a child will or won't play music are educators (30 percent) and parents (41 percent). Gary McPherson, professor of music education and head of the department of creative arts at the Hong Kong Institute for Education, presented some startling facts in regard to the reality of actual music study. Although music consumption is at an all time high, participation in music programs and music study continues to decline. The percentage of children who play an instrument in the U.S. has fallen to 20 percent. It is now a minority activity, with more females than males involved in music study and wealthier families promoting music study. In other words, it is an "elitist" activity. His research showed that interest in music study dropped significantly between the ages of 6 and 8, in part, due to decline in parental support and developing interest in other activities.

The point was made that we musicians need to redefine advocacy. The slogan, "Music makes you smarter," doesn't necessarily help the cause of music. We need to articulate how the goals of music relate to general education goals, how music supports the key competencies demanded by employers, how music fulfills the human spirit, how music education transmits cultural heritage and how music engages students in all roles. We also have to be willing to commit to ensuring that students of all ages have opportunities to take music lessons and participate in music activities when they first indicate an interest, rather than a year or so later when they have become interested in something else.

So how can the music teacher outside of the public schools--you and I--help? Music--its history, its culture, its style--is at stake. Our local associations can play an instrumental role, no pun intended! Local associations can interact with colleagues in public school education, helping them fill the gaps by providing preschool music development programs, providing instruction for students of all abilities and interests, promoting music activities such as musical theater productions for all ages, and supporting local band/choir/orchestra activities. If music education is to survive, all of us must work together, creating strong partnerships with our counterparts in music education and with musicians from all diverse backgrounds. Schools can become the centers of the community, using local teaching artists and developing after-school programs for music education. Rather than being "elitist," we can reach out to those in the community to make music come alive for every child. With the developments in music technology, group teaching provides an avenue for teachers to use their teaching hours more effectively and to earn higher incomes doing so. Let's engage as many students as possible in creating music!