I entered this program passionate about music and teaching but was not able to verbalize my philosophy of music education. The ideas I had were subjective and very general in nature. However, when I took the Music in School and Society course, I wrote a philosophy of music education which gave me the opportunity to pinpoint and verbalize what I found to be important as a music educator. One main value I formulated was that I believe music education should be well-rounded, involving all areas of musicianship. I desired my pedagogical practices to facilitate a high-quality experience. This was an idea I had prior to the program, but in the process of writing it out, I realized I had never defined it and identified its components, causing my practical application of it to be incomplete. My pedagogical practices were sharpened as I acquired specialized tools and practices to apply in my teaching with clear, precise purpose. They were also enlarged as I discovered the usefulness of practices I once rejected or did not have much experience utilizing. Now my perspective is broadened, as I am much more open and confident in these pedagogical practices which can support a quality music education. The ideas and skills supporting the value of a quality music education included: improvisation, rote teaching, and Orff and Kodály practice.
Evie Haskell Processfolio 