Teaching & Engagement

       Engagement in all contexts is central to a successful music program; it is the piece of the puzzle of music education that creates the kindest environment, highest learning capabilities, and quickest progression in skills. It is an educator’s responsibility to encourage engagement from their students, and I find that from an educator’s perspective, the best way to keep students engaged and curious in their learning is through displaying one’s own passion and knowledge for the subject. The best teachers are the ones who clearly love what they teach, are confident in their teaching abilities, and have a genuine desire for their students to reach their full academic potential. This type of environment teaches students, regardless of age level or personal interests, that there is value in the subject and that they can participate in class and ask questions with no judgment from the educator, creating a mutually successful experience for both the educator and the student; it is important that all parties feel heard, understood, and valued and that their curiosity is recognized as a positive quality.

       In music education, keeping an ensemble engaged in rehearsal produces the best results; if every student enjoys the experience, is interested in the repertoire and learning how to perform it, and uses the educator’s knowledge and guidance to improve to their best ability, the ensemble as a whole will be successful. Engagement in music also means kindness among peers and encouraging relationships between musicians to learn from one another, understanding that each individual has a different skill set and may be engaged in a different way. Encouraging engagement and curiosity in an educational setting involves an educator creating a goal for the student, the student recognizing that they have the skills and competence to reach the goal through positive encouragement from the educator and their peers who share a similar goal, and creating the desire to take on new challenges as they progress in their education.