Alexandra Finnie

Music For Life

Professor: Dr. Kaiser

On the first day of class, Dr. Kaiser announced that there was no particular topic besides

the idea of promoting music for life (Jellison) and music for all (Mason, Gehrkens). In order to

make it more meaningful and practical for each member of the class, he gave us the freedom to

explore areas of personal interest (Montessori). The assignments were very open-ended and

up to interpretation. I enjoyed the freedom to pursue my interests based on class discussions

and assignments.

Throughout the session, we discussed the various ways that music is experienced in

and out of schools, and examined our overall goals for music education. We asked the

questions; why do students generally limit their music making to the classroom?, Why do the

majority of students not participate in school music programs?, Why do many people stop

participating in musical groups after graduating high school? Our class discussions centered

around these questions, which all have the overarching focus of music for life (music for all, and

music in communities) in common (Dewey, Vygotsky). We shared stories and ideas, and

researched ways to promote lifelong learning for all (Ernst). In addition to the animated class

discussions, much of my learning and development resulted from my experiences completing

the four assignments and our final project.

One of the assignments involved rewriting one of our own lesson plans with various

adjustments for a different population. This was helpful in pushing us to think outside of the box

for creative ways to cater our teaching strategies and activities to different populations

(Erasmus, Da Feltre).

For another assignment, we researched a book that related to a topic of interest and that

would provide us with ideas for better encouraging music for life. I found a very interesting book

called The Power of Music by Elena Mannes. This book focuses on the many ways that science
relates to music, and the various functions of music in the world outside of the formal concert

hall. Learning about these different uses for music made me realize that many students dont

know that music has many uses other than what is typically taught through the traditional

method of ensembles, or the opportunities involved in musical groups outside of school. I have

realized the importance of broadening the types of music that my students are exposed to in

order to connect the real world to their classroom experiences (Dewey).

In addition to the book review, we were also tasked with a research thread assignment. I

chose to find research studies that have been done about how music can enrich the lives of

people diagnosed with Alzheimers Disease. This particular assignment reinforced the idea that

music should be available and enjoyed by all people (Ernst). I believe that it is important for my

young students to have the opportunity to play their instruments and interact with an older

generation, so that they can experience the inclusive nature of music. I have been inspired to

organize opportunities for my students to play with the high school students in my district, and to

play with a community and/or college ensemble.

The fourth assignment required us to interview lifelong learners in music in order to learn

about their past and current musical experiences, and learn some of the reasons that they

continue to make music in their adulthood. These interviews were especially meaningful to me

because I was able to learn more about two of the people in my life, and begin to understand

some of the reasons that they have been inspired to continue participating in musical groups.

Although I learned a lot throughout the process of completing those assignments, the

biggest impact on my perception and approach to teaching came from our final project. This

project required us to connect and synthesize many of the ideas and discussions (Socrates,

Piaget), and create personal action plans for how we will better promote lifelong musicianship

for all. To be completely honest, up until this point in my career, I had not considered the

importance of community involvement or reaching beyond the structure of the classroom. Since

I have only had one full year of teaching experience, I focused primarily on developing
individuals and musicians within my classroom. This class allowed me to realize and explore the

significance of merging in-school and out-of-school musical experiences in order to make music

learning more relevant to my students (Dewey), and to help promote music for life. I plan on

facilitating musical experiences that provide a broader and more relatable experience in which

my students can connect to music on a deeper level and experience it outside of the classroom.