The vital role of music educators.(Creativity for All)

"I am a music educator." We believe music educators can play a vital role in society, one that is rich and fulfilling. To do this, we have found it necessary to make two major shifts in our teaching over the years.

From Instructor to Educator

To be fulfilled as a teacher, we discovered that we must be educators rather than instructors. The word educate means "to lead out." An educator is one who welcomes a student's latent gifts into the light of day. Educators strive to cultivate the unique nature of each of their students by offering them a haven in which they can discover and express hidden parts of themselves.

These days, teachers are expected to be instructors rather than educators. We are supposed to stuff information into our students rather than lead gifts out of them. We are expected to efficiently impart information, motivate students, teach them to precisely perform piece after piece and prod them to accomplish standard goals.

The educator's motto is different: teach people, not pieces. An educator cares more about her student's inner desires and gifts than climbing a ladder of accomplishments. As a result, an educator teaches each student very differently. The goal is not to create competent performers but creative, confident human beings who are doing what they are called to do. The world has many instructors, but the need for educators has never been greater.

From Notes to Music

Most of us were taught to make music by reading notes and translating them into movements and sounds. As a result, we teach our students the cognitive process of deciphering musical notation and try to ensure they execute the notes and markings correctly.