Community Involvement

Connections Outside of the Classroom

I have also learned valuable lessons regarding community involvement. Mr. Adee often demonstrated new ways of seeking and engaging the student, parent, staff, and neighbourhood communities. Sometimes this involved playing instruments in the student pick-up line or organizing a staff band that played for special events. It also involved utilizing events already occurring within the school community, such as Red Nose Day, which inspired us to do a short theme on musical comedy our classes. In the past, my music teaching experiences were more isolated, as I had never been part of a staff and felt more like a “visitor.” I learned, however, that community involvement, while it takes extra effort, is worthwhile, as it builds trust and rapport with teacher, students, staff, and the surrounding community. Not only are trust and rapport built, but ideas are generated, and creativity burgeons in these efforts. Now, I make more efforts to connect with students and families throughout the week. I create personalized playlists on Spotify and YouTube and send fun photos of things I know they would like to their parents. I also create videos that reinforce concepts or provide duets the students can perform at home. I communicate often with parents, reminding them of their value in their child’s education. I also work to stay connected to colleagues, both offering support and mutual resourcing.

Learning the accordion made it easy to share music outside the classroom during my student teaching

Music Education Advocacy

Part of this community involvement also includes music education advocacy. While taking Music in School and Society, I debated relevant music education issues and discussed ideas such as Merriam’s functions of music, which caused me to value music education at a deeper level. Previously, I used more subjective statements when defending music education, but now, when the question of music’s place in schools arises, I can discuss how music education has served societies in many ways over the course of history. My arguments for music education are no longer limited to emotional ones, but are more well-rounded and grounded in history and social theory. These experiences, alongside my newfound value in community involvement, have caused me to have more discussions with parents, teachers, and the general community about the importance of music education. Parents often share with me how they believe music is beneficial to other academic areas, to which I agree, but also add that it is a completely unique area of study unto itself. I often share these thoughts in conversations, correspondence, and on personal music education social media sites, in efforts to inform and raise awareness with parents, students, and the community.

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