Professional certification: what is your teaching philosophy?(music teachers)

This is the first of a two-part series. The second part will be presented in the December/January AMT.

Our teaching philosophies identify our approaches, goals and motivation for doing what we do. We are all in the business of nurturing. Teaching music is very personal, individual and complex, but it is often more difficult to define than its counterpart--learning. A philosophy statement is the first required element in the MTNA Professional Certification Program final comprehensive examination and in the portfolio.

With the hope of having every teacher develop a teaching philosophy statement to fit their unique aims and abilities, the National Certification Commissioners have agreed to share their own teaching philosophies.

--Deborah Wallace, NCTM, Northwest Division Commissioner

As a nationally certified piano instructor, it is my responsibility to encourage, guide, and develop the musical potential of each and every one of my students, to the best of my ability. I believe each and every piano student should get as broad-based a musical education in as fun-loving an environment as I can possibly create. I want my students to learn not only to play piano literature, but to also be well-versed in score reading, rhythmic reading, theoretical and technical understanding, ear training, improvising and transposing. I want to help my students become responsible, disciplined, independently practice-oriented, and appreciative of the value of hard work. I try to instill, in my students, the belief that music sharing is essential for a lifetime of creativity and pleasure. I try to uphold and to pass along these goals through my own continued studies, performances, and involvement in professional activities. I pledge to attempt to make music study an enjoyable, educational, on-going, lifelong experience for all of my students.

--Karen Taddie, NCTM, Eastern Division

I try to share with my students my love of life, learning and music in hopes they will also develop a love of the music they study and perform. Hopefully, the experiences they have working towards musical literacy in piano performance will provide a foundation for a lifetime of musical enjoyment. Yet at the same time, I want them to enjoy the process of learning to play the piano. As a teacher, I try to provide a well-rounded musical experience with many opportunities for my students. My teaching philosophy is based on the following concepts: