Starting off...

I feel like I should explain the title I chose for my blog; I just don't want anybody to think that I'm trying to say that my blog's content falls short of relevance, rather that I, as a pre-service teacher, am almost ready to move into a stage of my life where the things that I learn and talk about now will be relevant to my current situation, and not just ideas and ideals to be applied at a future date. I am a Music Education major, I play the tuba and I enjoy music theory. I enjoy being outdoors, mountain biking and hiking, just as much as I enjoy rehearsing and making music. I enjoy learning, I speak fluent French. I make it a point never to neglect learning things that are outside of the content area I plan to teach, because, in my opinion, you never know when you can use that information in teaching, whether directly or as a metaphor.

I have been involved with music since I was very young, and I have been interested in making a career in it for most of my life. I feel that music is something that is enjoyed almost universally, and as such there is great potential for it to bring people together. I also feel that the act of making music is one of the most intimate ways of interacting with people; it allows you to work together with those around you to create beauty and send it into the world. Music is magical, stimulating, exhilarating, and can greatly enrich those who choose to make it. This is why I have always felt so strongly that music and the arts are an important part of a student's development. They provide students with a means of self-expression as they are trying to forge their identity. They provide students with a new outlook, and expose students to other ways of thinking, other cultures, other time-periods.

I suppose that is what makes it so easy for me to consider music/arts education such an integral part of what it means to be literate. I see literacy as a multilayered skill set. The most basic level of literacy is simply the ability to read what is on a page, have a basic level of comprehension,and to be able to write at a basic level. This functional level of literacy is better than nothing, but it is by no means sufficient to empower. A person can attain a higher level of literacy by being taught how to think critically, and how to interact with the environment in which they live. There are many things that can contribute to an individual's cultural literacy, knowledge of art, literature, and the most relevant to my career goals, knowledge of music.

I find that a common fear among music education majors is the possibility that our programs will be cut when budgets become tight. Music is often dumped off in favor of subjects that are considered more valuable, math, science, English, or even football/sports in general. This is not to say that there is no value to these things, I love football, literature, and science. I think it is valuable to be informed about all sorts of things. I also firmly believe that literacy in regard to music is a very important thing. Music can be a wonderful means for self-expression. Music can make one relaxed or agitate, happy or sad, it can be a means for spreading love or hate. It is important, especially for young people, to learn to appreciate the very best that music has to offer, from Bach to Ellington, Chopin to Journey. Literacy in music can inspire students to perform better in other subjects, it can help them work through difficult times in their lives, and it can give them a hobby that they can enjoy throughout their life.