Philosophical Foundations of Instrumental Music Teaching

There are obvious connections between aesthetic education and music performance. Teachers need to know how to make these connections meaningful for their students. In performance classes, there are often many technical obstacles that students and teachers face, especially when students are learning a new instrument. The main purpose of learning these instruments is to provide students with meaningful experiences. These musical experiences may give meaning to other experiences in school and in outside life, which will enrich the lives of our students.

In my personal experience as a student, the teachers that stood out to me were the ones who made me feel as if I were transcending the specific technical skills necessary to play the horn. This experience was multifaceted, and, as in any other discipline, relied on my willingness to put in the necessary work. This work, to me, was worthwhile because of the social connectedness I felt as a result of playing in an ensemble.

As I progressed as a student, a person, and a musician, I found that there were many more meaningful connections I could make between the music ensemble experience and my personal experiences. These connections included emotional connections to my friends and colleagues in the ensemble and emotional connections to the music itself. Intellectually, I found that music study and listening were connected to other intellectual pursuits. As I learned about the stories related to some of the orchestral excerpts I was learning, (Till Eulenspeigel, for example) the music came to life for me.

The emotional, intellectual, physical, and social experiences were all affected by my teachers. When I was learning an instrument, my teacher made it fun to be in an ensemble. This was his greatest strength as an educator. As I grew as a person and a musician, I continued to have enjoyable social interactions. I began to be able to make meaningful emotional connections to the music because my teachers were able to help me make my own connections to the music. Intellectual connections were also made during this time that continue to grow as a result of good teachers.

Using my own experience as a barometer, I believe that it is possible to affect positive student experiences with music that can connect to any number of other things in life, including physical, spiritual, emotional, intellectual, and social pursuits. This is why music is an indispensable part of any complete education. Using developmentally appropriate pieces to study can make early music experiences socially enjoyable. As students grow, using more sophisticated and emotionally meaningful pieces can help students grow. One such piece for me was the Simple Gifts suite by Frank Ticheli, which I played in eighth grade band. Intellectually, providing meaningful experiences through connections to historical contexts and stories can be a meaningful way to affect many students.