Scholarship

      

       The study of music is much more than learning how to play an instrument, sing, or conduct an ensemble. To be a successful music educator and a scholar in the discipline, one must understand the why: why the music they perform is relevant in terms of social, cultural, and historical significance, why music holds value in others’ lives, and why music education is important for all ages and environments; the what: what each instrument or voice’s role is in history/differing genres and repertoire, what techniques are characteristic of certain types of music, and what to prioritize when teaching certain age groups; and the how: how to create music curriculums that maximize learning and how students can use their knowledge to contribute to society. They must devote as much energy as they do to practicing or rehearsing an ensemble to learning more about music theory and history, recognizing the composers and context of the music they perform; to truly understand a piece of repertoire and thus teach it to one’s best ability, they must know the composer’s style and their intent behind the work, its social and historical relevance, and the theoretical makeup of the score. Because music is not a concrete subject and is ever-changing, there is always more knowledge to seek out as a musician; being a music educator means opening students’ eyes and ears to the vast world of music and all its facets, and the more expertise an educator can provide, the more the students will gain from the experience.