A "Top Three" list is usually an attention getter; "Top Three Most Embarrassing TV Moments", "Top Three Best Quarterbacks", "Top Three Best Albums Ever", etc. Interestingly though is the amount of weight it places on the importance of something or someone. For something or someone to be on a top three list of something good or bad, it definitely makes the argument that it or they is/are pretty significant (at least in the list maker's mind). Well that's precisely why I feel the need to make a "Top Three" list of my own. It is a top three list of what I believe are the most important skills/traits for any music educator. So lets start off the countdown with number 3:
3) Courage- Courage may not be a typical or even relevant quality, trait, or skill at first but let m explain. You see it is courage that can make a music educator stand in front of vivacious kids who want to act as rambunctious as possible and firmly tell them that they must obey and listen to him/her. It is courage that can allow music educators to explain to parents why their kid didn't get that "A" (because they never practice, or always show up without their music, etc.). Even more importantly though is that you as an educator need to have courage to give to your students. What if you have students that have never performed live before? How are they supposed to handle a moment like that? If you have courage as an educator and your students can see that in you, you become someone who can be leaned on for support. You become the student's rock so to speak. You help the student know that you have faith in them and that you are not afraid to put that faith in them. Courage is certainly a must have. Frank L. Battisti mentions courage as well, although he does this in the light someone who would like to learn to be a conductor. However a conductor is similar to a music educator in that they both have the power to enforce their musical ideas on the ensemble, if it is feasible to do so at that time. They also have to prepare ad nausea in order for them to properly assist those individuals in the ensemble wherever they need that assistance. So conductors and educators share some responsibilities and job descriptions. In that light it only make sense then that courage can be used to reference both educators and conductors and of course be the number 3 most important skill/trait any GOOD music educator needs to have. Which leads us to...
2) Musical talent- This may seem like a no brain-er but it is quite possibly the single most overlooked trait/skill music educators are faced with. I'm not saying that all music educators need to be as virtuoso as Glenn Gould, Frederick Chopin, John Coltrane, Oscar Peterson, or Ella Fitzgerald. If it were that easy or common, it wouldn't be virtuosic. What a great word that is though: virtuosic. It has a few definitions according to Dictionary.com but the first one in its list is "a person who has special knowledge or skill in a field. " To have special knowledge...well that sounds like what any educator should have, not just a music educator! I digress though. However it is true then that music educators must have musical talent(s). I feel this is so important to a students upbringing. Again going back to that small student who has never performed. What if they are the only musical person in their family? Who can they look up to? Who is going to give them that spark that makes them start to look at their instrument in a totally new way? Someone with special knowledge. Someone with musical talent. You! The music educator in their lives. I can tell you from personal experience that to see your teacher perform something for you and it be not only impressive but simply awe inspiring, be it through a vocal or instrumental performance, it is certainly a life altering event. I do believe that the GOOD music educators out their have these talents and the GREAT ones out their work to perfect them and improve them day by day. Battisti feels that conductors NEED to have this as a trait (for quite obvious reasons of course) in order to be successful. Would we not want to feel the same for someone who educates in the field of music?
Finally we are down to the big number 1...
1) Passion- Yes passion. Passion is to me the single most important aspect to anything you do in life. So why not music educating as well? How on earth will you be able to excel and be good or even great in anything if you don't have passion for something? It's just not possible. When a music educator has the driving force of passion it festers inside of them and drives them to improve this next time, ask more of this student because on the drive home you thought about how much they've improved over the years. It drives you to bug your principle for new chairs every year because you want your kids to get the best. To put things in perspective let me put things another way. The root word for passion comes from the Latin word patī meaning to suffer. WOW! Suffer huh? That sure does not sound desirable at all. But its so beautiful to know when taken into the context that your not suffering in pain. Your suffering inside because you have that much emotion coursing through your veins about what you are doing. I could not want any other number one trait in a music educator but this. Boonshaft said it best when he said "We all know there will be frustrations, not the least of which is having students forget what we thought they learned. But the frustrations pale by comparison to the importance of our mission...teaching is the best means for us to manifest our existence as human beings, to communicate with those we have never met, and those we will never meet, giving us the satisfaction of knowing we have spent our lives meaningfully". What passion!
I conclude my "Top Three" list with one last idea. Of all the three mentioned one thing is in common. That thing is belief. The traits I mentioned are only applicable if one has the belief in themselves that they could cultivate these traits and harness them inside of themselves and work one's utmost to perfect them. The belief in yourself as a music educator will be the determination of how far you can go. I think all of us as music educators can agree with that.
3) Courage- Courage may not be a typical or even relevant quality, trait, or skill at first but let m explain. You see it is courage that can make a music educator stand in front of vivacious kids who want to act as rambunctious as possible and firmly tell them that they must obey and listen to him/her. It is courage that can allow music educators to explain to parents why their kid didn't get that "A" (because they never practice, or always show up without their music, etc.). Even more importantly though is that you as an educator need to have courage to give to your students. What if you have students that have never performed live before? How are they supposed to handle a moment like that? If you have courage as an educator and your students can see that in you, you become someone who can be leaned on for support. You become the student's rock so to speak. You help the student know that you have faith in them and that you are not afraid to put that faith in them. Courage is certainly a must have. Frank L. Battisti mentions courage as well, although he does this in the light someone who would like to learn to be a conductor. However a conductor is similar to a music educator in that they both have the power to enforce their musical ideas on the ensemble, if it is feasible to do so at that time. They also have to prepare ad nausea in order for them to properly assist those individuals in the ensemble wherever they need that assistance. So conductors and educators share some responsibilities and job descriptions. In that light it only make sense then that courage can be used to reference both educators and conductors and of course be the number 3 most important skill/trait any GOOD music educator needs to have. Which leads us to...
2) Musical talent- This may seem like a no brain-er but it is quite possibly the single most overlooked trait/skill music educators are faced with. I'm not saying that all music educators need to be as virtuoso as Glenn Gould, Frederick Chopin, John Coltrane, Oscar Peterson, or Ella Fitzgerald. If it were that easy or common, it wouldn't be virtuosic. What a great word that is though: virtuosic. It has a few definitions according to Dictionary.com but the first one in its list is "a person who has special knowledge or skill in a field. " To have special knowledge...well that sounds like what any educator should have, not just a music educator! I digress though. However it is true then that music educators must have musical talent(s). I feel this is so important to a students upbringing. Again going back to that small student who has never performed. What if they are the only musical person in their family? Who can they look up to? Who is going to give them that spark that makes them start to look at their instrument in a totally new way? Someone with special knowledge. Someone with musical talent. You! The music educator in their lives. I can tell you from personal experience that to see your teacher perform something for you and it be not only impressive but simply awe inspiring, be it through a vocal or instrumental performance, it is certainly a life altering event. I do believe that the GOOD music educators out their have these talents and the GREAT ones out their work to perfect them and improve them day by day. Battisti feels that conductors NEED to have this as a trait (for quite obvious reasons of course) in order to be successful. Would we not want to feel the same for someone who educates in the field of music?
Finally we are down to the big number 1...
1) Passion- Yes passion. Passion is to me the single most important aspect to anything you do in life. So why not music educating as well? How on earth will you be able to excel and be good or even great in anything if you don't have passion for something? It's just not possible. When a music educator has the driving force of passion it festers inside of them and drives them to improve this next time, ask more of this student because on the drive home you thought about how much they've improved over the years. It drives you to bug your principle for new chairs every year because you want your kids to get the best. To put things in perspective let me put things another way. The root word for passion comes from the Latin word patī meaning to suffer. WOW! Suffer huh? That sure does not sound desirable at all. But its so beautiful to know when taken into the context that your not suffering in pain. Your suffering inside because you have that much emotion coursing through your veins about what you are doing. I could not want any other number one trait in a music educator but this. Boonshaft said it best when he said "We all know there will be frustrations, not the least of which is having students forget what we thought they learned. But the frustrations pale by comparison to the importance of our mission...teaching is the best means for us to manifest our existence as human beings, to communicate with those we have never met, and those we will never meet, giving us the satisfaction of knowing we have spent our lives meaningfully". What passion!
I conclude my "Top Three" list with one last idea. Of all the three mentioned one thing is in common. That thing is belief. The traits I mentioned are only applicable if one has the belief in themselves that they could cultivate these traits and harness them inside of themselves and work one's utmost to perfect them. The belief in yourself as a music educator will be the determination of how far you can go. I think all of us as music educators can agree with that.
Joel, these are some good ideas as to what makes a music educator, that are mainly specific to our craft. Though I have some questions. How would you use your Top Three when conducting a rehearsal and students aren't interested? Would you hope that your passion brings them alive again? Can you say that your courage will bring confidence in your students?
ReplyDeleteYour idea on belief is good, but I wonder. Is that something that makes a music educator too? I think so :)
Thanks Katie for a thoughtful and eloquent comment. To answer your first question I simply say this. Though it isn't possible to have a classroom full of the "perfect" students and you will have the most blissful time in the world conducting them, I do believe that when you are passionate at the very least and you show it, you will receive the energy you put out, as long as you are consistent enough and demand the best from them every time. Its not the easiest thing in the world but certainly can be done which is where courage comes in. You have to maintain that courage even in the face of doubt of the most timid and unmotivated student. I believe that students are unmotivated not by nature but by a history of having teachers who didn't make them believe in themselves enough.
DeleteLastly I know without a doubt that it only takes one great teacher to spark the interest in a student that will transform their lives. It happened to me and its happened to other people I've known and even after some time has passed we can all still look back and remember that teacher's name and say "so and so was such a great teacher. They made me love x, y, and z and I never knew I would end up liking this subject". So definitely I believe that my passion will reignite some of that lost motivation, so long as I continue to enhance my musical talents so that I can give my students more tools to succeed, and maintain my courage in the face of any and all adversity.
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