Welcome to my first official blog post!
I’m excited to be in community with other music educators looking to discuss best practices and ideas around culturally responsive, learner centered music education, and I can’t wait to hear what you think!
In this first post, I want to start off with sharing my ‘why.’
Uncovering ‘Why’
I know I don’t need to tell you about how much of a roller coaster being a teacher has been these past two years. Even though it has been one thing after another, I have found a lot of solace in re-affirming my ‘why’ – both professionally and personally – in those tough moments to help me focus on what’s most important.
When I was a beginning teacher, I was hyper focused on success both for myself and my learners. As a provisionally licensed teacher who literally learned how to teach on the job, I had a lot of insecurity around my skills (rightfully so) and as a result was really critical of myself and my learners. Looking back, even in lessons that went well but weren’t ‘perfect,’ I had a hard time recognizing that learning is a beautifully, messy process.
I hadn’t yet identified my ‘why.’
Wanting to be successful is of course something we all want, but success looks different for all of us and can mean different things at different times. Young teacher me inadvertently placed a road block in front of myself with my focus on ‘success’ without clarifying the ‘why.’
As I learned more and gained confidence in my skills, I was finally able to start uncovering my ‘why.’ I started asking myself questions like:
- Aside from my belief in the importance of music education, why do I really want to do this?
- Why would my learners want to engage in this learning?
- What’s the bigger importance of what I’m doing?
My learners have often asked me questions I’ll bet you’ve probably been asked also: “why are we doing this? Why do we have to learn music?” And those are such good questions! I haven’t always had a very good answer; I’d usually say something to the effect of “music is good for your brain” or “music teaches you teamwork and communication” or something similar. And while those things are absolutely true, it’s also true that you can learn those skills without music.
We must be able to peel back the layers to those questions to look at what’s underneath. My own “unpeeling” has led me on a journey of self-discovery and reflection that touches both my professional and personal lives.
My ‘Why’
Music=culture=people.
Music is one of the best vehicles we have to express ourselves, learn about each other, and learn about our world. Because music is culture, and culture is people, music is uniquely positioned to allow us “mirrors, windows, and sliding glass doors” as Dr. Rudine Sims Bishop said.
My ‘why’ for music education is that I hope for a better world; I believe that through music, we can learn about ourselves and others, cultivate creative expression, and develop the necessary awareness and critical perspectives of the world to make it better for all of us.
This belief, my ‘why,’ is what gets me through those tough moments and gives me clarity around all the decisions I make in my classroom: my routines and procedures, my expectations, my practices, the repertoire I choose, the musicians I choose to highlight, how I design learning experiences, and how I motivate and encourage my learners.
Being very clear on my ‘why’ allows me to focus on what’s important, and let go of the things that don’t support my goals without fear or guilt.
It is so easy to get bogged down with all the tasks and things we must do as music educators and also to feel guilt when you feel that you’re not getting everything done. When you’re clear about what’s important to you and why, it’s so much easier to let everything else go.
For example, with all that needed to be done at the beginning of this year to get my classroom ready (even more than in years past due to the need to account for COVID-19 mitigation strategies), I quickly had to prioritize what I could reasonable get done without stressing myself out. One of the first things I took off my plate was decorating.
As much as I like putting up my posters, pictures, and charts, the reality is that I don’t need them to teach effectively. Instead, I have fairly elaborate slide decks that I use in my lessons with lots of icons, pictures, etc. I put other things up on the board/walls as my lessons dictate and then take them back down. I actually really like the minimalist look, and I have a feeling that less things to look at helps my learners be more focused and less distracted.
What’s Your ‘Why?’
So, what’s your ‘why’? What is your motivation to do what you do?
The New Year is a great time to engage in this reflection, and to help, I have designed a free resource just for you: A Guide to Uncovering Your ‘Why.’ I designed this guide with the very questions and prompts I have used myself.
Let me know what you think of this post!
I’d love to hear your ‘why’! Comment below or share on social media and tag me: I’m @ACuthbertson10 on both Twitter and Instagram.
If you haven’t already, be sure to sign up for my weekly email newsletter where I’ll be sending updates, as well as other music education resources and tips.
Until next time,
Ashley
P.S. Don’t forget to grab your copy of the Guide to Uncovering Your ‘Why’, it’s free! Let me know your ‘why’ in the comments or by tagging me on social media.
P.P.S If you liked this post, please share it with your music teacher friends and on social media!
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