Professionalism--what is it and who needs it?(MTNA Certification)(Music Teachers National Association)

"The Professional Keyboard Teacher." This is the actual title of, not just a chapter, but an entire section in The Well-Tempered Keyboard Teacher by Marienne Uszler, Stewart Gordon and Scott McBride Smith. From the tried and true Bastien How to Teach Piano Successfully to the most recent Practical Piano Pedagogy: The Definitive Text for Piano Teachers and Pedagogy Students by Martha Baker-Jordan, piano teaching texts have touted the idea of professionalism in teaching. But what constitutes a "professional" music teacher, and who should be "professional"?

Some would say the professional is one who has a college degree. After all, education in the subject being taught is important--but is a degree in music all that is necessary to be a professional teacher?

Some would say the professional is the one who performs confidently, frequently and flawlessly. This might constitute a professional artist, but our goal is to be a professional music teacher. Certainly, a degree of competency on the instrument of choice is mandatory, but does consummate concert artist equal professional teacher?

Some would say the professional is the one who operates a teaching studio like a business and out of a storefront instead of a home studio and has more than seventy-five students. Without a doubt, the value of professional business practices in the operation of a teaching studio is undeniable, but does that make us professionals?

We are not encountering as many "hang a sign in the window and teach for spending money" piano teachers as we have in the past, but the "What's in it for me?" attitude from the '80s still is affecting our ability, or lack thereof, to become professionals in every sense of the word. Anyone who has joined MTNA or a local, state or national music teacher organization has taken the first step toward professionalism. Might I suggest the next step should be the credentialing program of MTNA Professional Certification?

When MTNA's leaders founded a national certification program in 1886, their goal was to "protect the public from incompetent teachers and to protect the teachers who have made adequate preparation." Furthermore, MTNA President Edward Bowman recognized that an image of professionalism was good for the whole membership when he said, "... is not such a movement of paramount importance to the well-being of the whole profession--not just a select few." (1) The motto of MTNA Professional Certification has been, "A statement of professionalism; a commitment to excellence." So, who of us would not benefit from such a commitment, and this commitment is not just to the public, but also to ourselves. The MTNA Professional Certification program provides a set of teaching standards defining what every music teacher should know and be able to do for their performance area. These standards not only provide benchmarks by which to measure our professionalism and standards toward which to strive, but also a way to document our continuing commitment to excellence in the renewal process. The committed teachers are not ones who will be content to "sit on their laurels," but are availing themselves of new ideas through professional journal articles, seminars, conferences, networking with other teachers and putting their teaching skills forward for evaluation. MTNA Professional Certification is the ...