Professional Documents
Culture Documents
think back to my own music education growing up. Ive had many different music
teachers, some of which have shown these attributes in their teaching, and some who
One of the attributes this article highlighted was level of intensity. The most
effective teachers I have had in the past have had a high level of intensity. They are
passionate, energetic, and command the attention and focus of students. Intensity, to me,
means doing everything with great purpose and energy in a way that is infectious to the
students learning. The article listed characteristics of high intensity level teachers as
having good eye contact, varying proximity, expressive gestures, rapid paced lessons,
varied speed and pitch of their peaking voice, and showing approving/disapproving facial
expressions. These are all wonderful traits to have as a teacher. However, I also feel that
finding a good intensity level as a teacher can be a balancing act. It might become
depending on the mood of the class. It is important to be aware that too much intensity
can turn a student off to wanting to learn if they are feeling upset. As teachers, we must
be sensitive to these emotions and handle them with care, while still being a good leader.
Being able to recognize what intensity levels are appropriate based on observing the
Other traits of effective teaching that the article mentioned included competent
verbal and nonverbal communication, eye contact, facial expression, and physical
gestures. These traits are particularly important when making first impressions.
Characteristics such as good posture, meaningful eye contact, and a positive and honest
facial expression will demonstrate to students your level of professionalism but also
allow you to be personal with them. Our physical expressions allow us to communicate
without words and they can reinforce and relay information without having to say
anything, so its important to consider these traits before entering the classroom.
One thing I found particularly interesting in this article were the highest and
lowest rated skills to have based on the insights of middle and high school music
students. Their conclusion was that it was more important to display characteristics of
musical skill. Kellys findings reflect previous investigations indicating that social and
knowledge and musical skills (25). This was surprising to me, but it makes sense when
I think back to my favorite teachers. It is more important and effective for a teacher to be
Overall, this article made me more aware of the qualities that I have found helpful
and effective in past teachers. Most of the positive qualities these studies found were
related to the personableness and energy of the teacher. I am excited to implement