I Am A Great Musician

Before even entering college, I have taught multiple students music weekly for free. It was a grueling experience as I also had to continuously study and learn new topics to plan ahead accordingly so that the students’ proficiency in music grow naturally so that their techniques would be engraved in their body and mind. Yet, even though it was an exhausting job, to this day, it is still one of the most invigorating experiences I have had as a high school student. This choice to teach has allowed me to continue teaching in different environments, and I now ultimately wish to a chance to teach in the JET program. Through my experience in teaching, teamwork, and music education I can bring an enjoyable school life for the Japanese students while sharing my experience as a foreigner that can pique interest for people of Japan.

I learned discipline was the key to success, and it was needed to become the best. Not only did I learn discipline but passion: the Passion for learning and teaching. The importance to understand you need a passion to teach is what makes or breaks you as an educator. If you don’t care; your students don’t care. Teaching children to discipline themselves to be great takes a tremendous amount of effort. Whether it be to go home and practice or to build up the courage to perform in front of the class. “The idea that the students, as collaborative musicians, aim perpetually propel themselves towards an impossible goal of perfection (knowing that they will never achieve it) but do it anyways, is invigorating” (loffredo). The feeling of knowing you can never be perfect no matter what you do is a struggle but you have to transcend to new highs and push

Despite the experiences and changes in thinking brought by college, I haven’t changed majors. Going into college, I chose the right major for all the wrong reasons. I chose Music Education as a safety net. I knew teaching music in a high school could be very fulfilling, but I really wanted to teach in a college—a position I could obtain by majoring in Performance. However, my time at Concordia has shifted my entire perspective on the importance of education at all levels, due in part to the highly skilled teachers I came to know, and in part to the classroom teaching experiences I’ve received through the Education program.

I was already a member of Stringendo’s orchestra program as a violinist in the top orchestra, but I wanted to further encourage younger children to love music. I wanted to help them develop the musical skills that would have helped me tremendously when I was their age, so that they wouldn’t have to go through the self-doubt in my playing that I had when I was a beginning violinist. Every Saturday morning, I attend my younger orchestra’s rehearsal before going to my own in the afternoon. I observe what the group’s director wants done, whether it be intonation in a specific excerpt or developing rhythmic understanding, and over the course of the two and a half hour rehearsal, I pull my four assigned students out of rehearsal to work with them individually. I’ve put in over a hundred hours in community service through Morning Helpers, but aside from the hours, I’ve bonded tremendously with the younger musicians I tutor, and I’ve learned a lot about how to teach effectively, from improving my communication skills to acting

In the last decade America has had to deal with the difficult economical down turns in order to stay above water in many businesses. The education field has had to make its own internal adjustments to keep afloat economically. “Funds have been cut in more than 80 percent of U.S. school districts since 2008. The very first programs to get cut are often disciplines such as music.”(Boyd). The removal of music programs can seem to be a reasonable response to the lack of revenue, but what is the real cost? Music is not a peripheral side subject that has so real meaning in the development of a person. Playing music is beneficial to a student in many ways. It develops a student’s emotional health. It develops the self-confidence of a student

Even though I’ve been playing since fifth grade I learn something on a daily basis. Whether it’s moving my fingers just a bit quicker or having a slightly more advanced tone, I hunger for improvement. Music teaches much more than traditional classroom curriculum. I’ve learned teamwork, discipline and the importance of hard work.

When schools are low in money ,and have budget cuts, if the music program isn 't good enough, it’s usually the first program to be cancelled (Bartimoccia). Meaning it is no longer available to students. With this in mind, good and successful music instructors are important to society because without them music programs and all other musical activities or people don 't have a chance to make it into the musical business. A music educator is a rewarding job because they help students learn about general music, choral or voice music , instrumental music, or a combination of all music.

Although having a good rapport requires the whole staff of the university, the most important rapport takes place in the classroom with the instructor, this is who students will spend the majority of their time with. One issue that I have seen with building a good rapport with students is, ethics and rapport. Building a great rapport with students does not require that an instructor be their best friend, it requires respect on both sides of the desk. Becoming too close to students lends its way to ethical issues, this is a thin line that must be

The “call” to music education is an urge that people receive to take the musical knowledge that they have retained throughout their lives and pass that knowledge on to other people. It is more than an enjoyment of music; it is the wanting of the pleasure and satisfaction that one obtains from widening a person’s understanding of music and making music a part of that person’s life. I was once, and still am, one of those people who acquired an education from teachers who received the “call.” Coming from a very athletic family, from a young age I was placed into every sport imaginable: basketball, volleyball, softball, and even swimming and gymnastics. I was not very good at any of them, so my parents, having seen my eager young self being the loudest singer at my school Christmas concerts, asked if I wanted to join a children’s church choir. I happily accepted, and soon after I began to perform in choirs, musicals, and recitals. I had found my passion, though I did not yet realize that it would soon become my career path. That realization came a little later, when I met my choir teacher, Mrs. Spiri. She taught me everything I know about music, and without having met her, I would not consider myself a musician today. I love music and I love children, and I realized that I wanted to make the same difference in a child that Mrs. Spiri made in me. I know that this path is not the easiest, but I feel that teaching music is what I was meant to do. To

Nurturing students' growth is another important aspect of music. Music gives students a comfortable niche in which to grow, for everyone is welcome and capable of making music. After trying and participating, students feel pride in their very own accomplishments through music. Working with peers of the same musical interests and talents is a healthy experience. The idea of teamwork appears again because it is so important. Students working together in something as challenging and wonderful as music can give them more than adequate training for life's future situations. As Eiji Oue, conductor of the conductor of the Minnesota Orchestra, wrote in Teaching Music, "They can take the good experience from their hard work- the discipline, the practice, and the accomplishment of being unified in an ensemble -- and apply it to whatever they want to accomplish later in their lives" (45). Also, students mature as a group the more they work together. Helping each other as they grow through music is an experience found nowhere else.

In the middle of the year, a few of us get to take a trip to some of the elementary schools in Chesterfield County, teach the students about music, and play a piece or two for them. Their faces when they experience this is something my peers and I love to see. Also, when they ask us questions about how to join band or about our instruments, it makes me think about when I was in fourth grade just starting to learn how to play my flute. I was so excited and happy to be learning about music. I feel that music is a gift that has to be shared with others and it really does heal and help us. Next, if my friend or I don’t know the answer to a question in class, someone always knows the answer and we can go to them for assistance and guidance. Everyone is extremely personable and that helps when we learn new pieces. Lastly, we are taught new things everyday, especially when we go to assessment. Assessment is when we play for judges, get a score, and are told what went good and what we need to work on. This helps us improve our playing for future pieces and performances. This class is a great learning experience for ourselves and everyone around

Throughout my life, I have found that the experiences or activities that helped me the most in music weren’t necessarily music related. Instead of teaching my students legato and staccato by giving them

As we approach the midpoint of the semester, I find myself thinking about my expectations coming in as a fellow to this program and whether or not I have made any progress in fulfilling them. However, one of the biggest components I find myself lagging in is the student interaction component.

It is not any easy job being a musician actually it can be a very grueling job sometimes. Many of the best selling artists often use drugs to help them cope with everyday functions and some have even overdosed and passed away using drugs to cope with depression. Being a music artist means you have to deal with being criticized about almost everything you do. Some musicians have reached record sales of almost seventy-five million. Nowadays sales can be through digital stores like Apple’s iTunes. Soundscan and Billboard magazine are two of the most up-to-date figures for musicians today.

Teaching is not as easy as people say. Everything needs to be planned and sometimes not all plans works out.