Musically Educated Adults

I recently went to a workshop on curriculum development and the clinician posed the question: "What is a musically educated adult?" This video would be my answer.

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It's JUST Elementary School

I hear this a lot, as well. "Don't worry....it's JUST elementary school." In a way, I can understand where this is coming from: young children aren't capable of producing the same technical level of music that high schoolers are, however, elementary students are certainly as capable (if not more) of meeting their potential to succeed. 

I believe in giving the upmost to the youngest children. And, I expect them to do their very best musicking in a developmentally appropriate way (although it's important to remember that this doesn't always happen). As referenced in the previous post, I don't rely on the "cuteness factor" of kids...I expect excellent effort and achievement from the students, and I hope my programs can be evaluated on genuine music making. 

Again, this is a major issue for the music education profession where...by and large...the "glory" jobs are the high school positions. Elementary teachersare often forgotten about. 

That's SO CUTE!

I hear this a lot after programs: "The kids were so cute." This, frankly, is offensive. Although I understand kids are naturally cute, I work to educate children musically--this is my focus. My place in the school is not the provider of "cute" programs for parents, or "fun" assemblies for the school as a whole. My job is certainly not to provide a time for kids to kick back and relax--a release period.

Whenever I'm getting bogged down with administrative tasks, or having trouble getting something going, I'm often reminded by folks, "It's about the kids--focus on the kids and you'll be able to muscle through the unpleasant stuff." Yet, many of these same people quickly talk about how "cute" the kids were after we present a program. If it were about the "kids," I would hear comments about their learning, their efforts, their accomplishments, and their progress. Discussing "cuteness" is about the adults.

I think this issue also falls back on us music educators. When we are programing music, are we really planning for the kids? Or...is it serve some personal or community need?