The following article was written by undergraduate music education major Tara Kizer as her final paper for Dr. Eric Sheffield's foundations of education course at Missouri State University.
Although this paper is specifically concerned with music education, Ms. Kizer's perspective on professional development is pertinent to educators in every field.
Much of a teacher's professional development is focused on various aspects of teaching. Of what value is the further development of a teacher's content area credentials? Is a music teacher benefited by continuing to be a practicing musician? Is instruction in physics best practiced by a practicing physicist? Should schools be responsible for contributing professional development funds to teachers who wish to continue to practice and develop their craft? (Reviewed by: Justin Ormsby)
______________________ Although this paper is specifically concerned with music education, Ms. Kizer's perspective on professional development is pertinent to educators in every field.
Much of a teacher's professional development is focused on various aspects of teaching. Of what value is the further development of a teacher's content area credentials? Is a music teacher benefited by continuing to be a practicing musician? Is instruction in physics best practiced by a practicing physicist? Should schools be responsible for contributing professional development funds to teachers who wish to continue to practice and develop their craft? (Reviewed by: Justin Ormsby)
One of the essential elements of the so-called “American
Dream” is our public school system. And what would this system
be without its teachers? As active and critical educators, we
must ask ourselves who this system is really serving. Public schools
currently offer opportunities for teachers across disciplines to further
their education in teaching strategies. This professional development
is invaluable to educators and is widely accepted as an appropriate
expectation for school districts to provide for and require of their
faculty. However, not all disciplines are created equal,
and in the case of music education, teaching is only one aspect of the
job. Music professors at the university level give frequent recitals
for the community and require their students to attend, a practice that
is in most cases missing completely from the pre-college music program.
My research on the history of professional development in music education
has lead me to believe that public schools should require, provide,
and financially support opportunities for public school music educators
to study their instruments and perform for their students. This
practice is vital to enhance the educational experience for both teachers
and students and promote an environment conducive to lifelong learning.
Music Education has struggled historically for recognition,
but over time has developed a strong base of support and advocacy.
The first efforts for the advocacy of music in school systems can be
traced all the way back to 1838. In this landmark year, Lowell
Mason was successful in convincing the Boston School Committee to recognize
music as a core subject. Stemming from this action, “Boards
of education began to accept the threefold rationale advocated
in Boston in 1838—music as intellectually, morally, and physically good for
children.” (Mark 44-48)
Despite early efforts for the advancement and official
acknowledgement of music education, formal advocacy efforts did not
begin until much later, in 1966. At this time, the Music Educators
National Conference (MENC) adopted an official public relations program,
with newly appointed director Joan Gaines at the helm. Through
this program, MENC was able to reach out to music educators nation-wide,
“spreading the message of music education to the public and coaching
music educators to make their own public-relations efforts more effective.”
(Mark 44-48) At this time the music education world also experienced
a boom in print, radio, and television advertisements promoting the
advancement of the occupation. As the economic terrain changed over
time, so did the focus of MENC’s outreach programs. Because
the cost of music instruction was in danger of being seen as adding
unnecessary weight to the already strained budgets of many school systems, “MENC began to refocus
its efforts from public relations to government relations,” (Mark
44-48) in order to convince policy-makers to allocate more funding towards
the arts. In an effort to
elevate their government-relations efforts, MENC enacted regular training
sessions to instruct MENC divisional units in advocacy strategies.
These workshops have since “become a routine part of national, regional,
and state music education conferences.” (Mark 44-48)
Largely a result of the diligence of these advocacy
groups, the federal government has made significant legislative actions
that have furthered the cause of music education. Perhaps the
most notable of these has been the creation of the National Standards
for Music Education. In the original bill, the arts were not included
and were left out of the National Standards altogether. However,
full-blown advocacy efforts ensued and the Secretary of Education was
finally persuaded to embrace them. The Standards provide an extensive
list and explanation of the learning expectations of the music classroom
at each level. However, this document gives no guidance for professional
development.
Finally including formal acknowledgement of the professional
development in the arts, the No Child Left Behind Act was put into effect
in 2001. The act states it is necessary to provide “professional
development activities that improve the knowledge of teachers . . .
concerning one or more of the core academic subjects (including the
arts) that the teachers teach.” (Conway 3-9) Though the inclusion
of the arts in such an important legislative action was a victory in
and of itself, the vague wording of the actual document did little to
actually require any action on the matter.
Clearly, it has been a struggle for the subject of
music education to be recognized both by school districts as well as
the federal government. However, through the efforts of passionate
advocacy groups, music is finally starting to be considered as a valuable
core area for students. Despite this achievement, legislation
at the school, state, and national levels is lacking in the area of
professional development specifically for music teachers. Though
it is common practice for professors at the college level to continue
to study and perform on their instruments, there is no formal program
similar to this that is required or even encouraged for teachers in
the public schools. This reflects an oversight on the part of
school administrators and legislators alike.
In order for music education to reach its full potential,
the field is in desperate need of specific legislation directly affecting
professional development for music educators in the public schools.
This development must be centered on the core reason music educators
enter the profession: the music itself. For this reason, I believe
that music educators at the pre-college level should be required to
continue their musical study and performance through their teaching
careers, and opportunities and funding for this development should come
from the schools with government backing. My research has uncovered
three main reasons for the necessity of this change: the well-being
of the teacher, the educational effectiveness of the teacher, and the
increased learning experience of the students.
A study by the National Piano Foundation into the
benefits of Recreational Music Making (RMM) found that music making
as a rule has several important effects on the well-being of those who
engage in it. The study showed that among the benefits observed,
not all of them were “skill-based benefits,” and that in “the
students who participated in [the] research clearly indicated that there
are many personal, social and health-based benefits that are important
and have a lot of meaning.” (Dillon 20-23) Furthermore, in the
field of music therapy, the following benefits have been observed:
1. Music may increase feelings of vitality and awareness
of feelings.
2. Music provides opportunities for increased sense
of agency.
3. Music-making provides a sense of belonging and
communality.
4. Music experiences create a sense of meaning and
coherence in life. (Pellegrino 79-88)
As a general rule, music playing has been associated
with stress-relief, mental flexibility, patience, and self-exploration.
Interestingly enough, all of these qualities could be just as easily
found on a list of necessary merits of an educator. A person who
is experiencing these emotional and mental rewards will be far better
equipped to calmly and effectively manage a classroom.
Beyond the basic mental and emotional health benefits,
music study and performance directly relates to the educational effectiveness
of a music teacher. Experience in the field is absolutely essential
to provide a strong and complete knowledge base in any subject, and
has been shown to have an even more profound effect on those teaching
music. Heck (1991) and Elliott (1995) made a specific separation
between the teacher, the artist, and the artist-teacher, saying “artist-teachers
[are] those educators who have developed a sense of presence in their
personhood and teaching. Heck describes an artist-teacher as a “whole,
awake, and compassionate person” concerned with the “development
of self, active and meaningful teaching and learning experiences, [and]
authentic engagement with others”.” (Pellegrino 79-88) Not
only performance but also actual study of their own instrument has been
linked to teacher effectiveness, as “Remembering what it is like to
be a music learner has the potential to impact one’s teaching and
student learning.” (Pellegrino 79-88) The ever-changing landscape
of the field of music demands up-to-date experience in order to be able
to convey a full understanding of the art. Because of this, a
teacher who is currently active in the music performance realm will
present a much more valid prospective to students than one who has left
their performance days behind.
Finally, any proposed change in the field of education
would not be complete without fully exploring the potential benefits
or detriments to the actual students involved. Music teachers
continuing their education and experience with their instruments can
be connected to multiple positive effects on the learning of their students.
Just as chamber music players benefit from being constantly in a state
of musical argument and resolution with their peers, a teacher who is
active in the community of music makers can bring a current and fresh
knowledge of issues in the business to their classroom. In addition,
this proposal follows the age-old strategy of “leading by example,”
which is already used by teachers across the board. A study on
the effectiveness of teachers modeling literacy skills observed that
“Whether our students come from low-literacy or high-literacy homes,
they profit from observing teacher demonstrations of positive reading/thinking
behaviors and….engaging in a lifetime literacy habit.” (Sanacore
396-399) The results of this research can be directly related
to the music classroom. Students who observe their teachers engaging
in music study and performance are much more likely to model these types
of behaviors while in school as well as later in life. Clearly
stated in the article Exploring the Benefits of Music
Making as Professional Development for Music Teachers,
Three benefits of this approach for students might
be cited as: (a) the ability to see as role models those teachers who
balance engagement with their art forms and teaching; (b) the presence
of excellent instrumental models in the classroom, fostering more efficient
student learning; and (c) the presence of inspired and passionate teaching
about playing and performing. (Pellegrino 79-88)
Teachers at all levels spend enough time with students
to become significant role models in their lives. In recognizing
this, one realizes the extreme importance of leading by example, especially
in hands-on fields such as music and the arts.
Regardless of the political debates or media opinions
on the state of education, it cannot be disputed that those who provide
the backbone for all education and hold the future of our nation in
their hands are the teachers themselves. For this reason alone,
the government must take extreme care in their attention to professional
development legislation. In the words of former Senator Daniel
Patrick Moynihan, “knowledge is a form of capital, much of it formed
by government investment in education.” (Mark 44-48) Administrators and legislators
must realize that the needs of the music educator go beyond developing
teaching strategies. Their passion for music must be nurtured
in order to pass along this love to their students.
Throughout my own personal educational experiences
I have become frustrated with what seems to be the overwhelming opinion
amongst music educators that their own instrumental learning process
halted with their final performance required for their degree.
Even prior to my formal research on this topic I knew that this should
not be the case. This belief has absolutely affected my views
on education, and I am already planning to do something about it.
I plan to go to graduate school and pursue a Master’s Degree in Music
Education with Primary Instrument Emphasis. This degree will allow
me to continue intensive study on my instrument, as well as to conduct
research in the area of music education. By taking my own playing
seriously now and in graduate school, I plan to bring this idea into
my teaching in the public school system. I believe that this dedication
will provide the model for a standard of performance
for which I will encourage all of my students to strive.
____
Works Cited
Conway, Colleen M. "Professional Development
for Arts Teachers." Arts Education
Dillon, Brenda. "The Joys of Making Music Recreationally."American
Music Teacher.
Janssen, Sandra. "Teachers' Professional Development:
An Analysis of the use of Professional Development Plans in a Dutch
School." Professional Development in Education 38.3 (2012): 453-469.EBSCOhost. Database. 24
Jul 2012.
Lanners, Heather Shae. "Welcoming the Collaborative
Arts into our Teaching
Mark, Michael L. "A History of Music Education
Advocacy."Music Educators Journal.
Pellegrino, Kristen. "Exploring the Benefits
of Music Making as Professional
Sanacore, Joseph. "Supporting Teacher Demonstrations
of Important Reading/Thinking Behaviors." Journal of Adolescent and Adult
Literacy 40.5 (1997): 396-399. EBSCOhost. Database. 24 Jul 2012
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