My desire to educate students in the arts spawns from my first experiences with my high school chorus. From recent involvement with directing, designing, working with music and theatre organizations, to my position as worship coordinator at my church, music has played a pivotal role in shaping the person that I am today. Music has taught me the un-teachable: valuable principles of dedication, servitude, and perseverance. Throughout my educational career, music has served as a means of expression that has grown beyond the classroom, and has given me confidence to develop other characteristics that have propelled me to choosing the arts as a career path. Three guiding principles have shaped my philosophy of music in the education spectrum and my desire to educate students: The need for music awareness in communities and as career paths, the reinforcement of core curriculum subject areas, and the need for positive learning environments in the educational setting.
Through my college journey, I have gained personal understanding of music and its importance to the community. The general exposure of music to a diverse sampling of people is very important. Music plays a pivotal part in the lives of both musicians and non
- musicians. One of my goals as an educator is to provide an avenue to share music in various forms to expose individuals of the importance of music in the development of young students and how music can help enhance their performance in the core subject areas. I would also like to share the plentiful options for students who wish to make music a career path. With new and emerging programs of study such as modern music, music therapy, and commercial music there are many opportunities for young students to enter the study of music. All of these career paths employ basic skills in theory, music comprehension and analysis which are foundational in the development of a choral program. For students who wish enjoy music recreationally, opportunities for involvement in community choruses, paraprofessional theatres and church choirs all begin with music fundamentals, which are integral to music curriculums in the educational spectrum. These opportunities stem from awareness of music and serve to further enrich the tradition of music in our schools and community.
- musicians. One of my goals as an educator is to provide an avenue to share music in various forms to expose individuals of the importance of music in the development of young students and how music can help enhance their performance in the core subject areas. I would also like to share the plentiful options for students who wish to make music a career path. With new and emerging programs of study such as modern music, music therapy, and commercial music there are many opportunities for young students to enter the study of music. All of these career paths employ basic skills in theory, music comprehension and analysis which are foundational in the development of a choral program. For students who wish enjoy music recreationally, opportunities for involvement in community choruses, paraprofessional theatres and church choirs all begin with music fundamentals, which are integral to music curriculums in the educational spectrum. These opportunities stem from awareness of music and serve to further enrich the tradition of music in our schools and community.
Music also has long lasting effects in students’ performance in other core educational areas. Through the decoding of rhythm, meter, and time signature students find cohesion and practical uses for math. Through exploration of musical styles, students learn about the connectivity between American and World History. Through exploration of poetry in music, students find unity in the practicality of language arts. These parallels are so important in providing students with a well rounded education and I personally value the opportunity of further validating the importance of a secondary education through the development of a high school choral program. These factors translate into confidence in both the music classroom and academic classrooms.
While all of these factors play into my motivation to study the arts, my motivation to teach stems from the need for positive and effective role models for adolescents. Through innovative lesson planning and hands on activities, I feel that students leave the secondary educational setting with a heightened awareness of self, the ability to participate in the arts for not only self edification but for possible scholarship and education funding, and most importantly, the transmission of music and music practices to a variety of community members from various backgrounds.
Through my practicum experiences and long-range interaction with students in the Lamar County School District and leadership experiences at William Carey University, I gained valuable hands on, real-life experience that I can apply to a variety of educational and teaching endeavors. It is my wish to apply the skills that I have learned into the development of a well rounded choral program. My idea of a choral program is an all encompassing musical experience that has both familiar and new experiences for both students and community members involved.
This philosophy of Music Education and other portfolio items can be found at https://sites.google.com/site/antonydkeeler/home .
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