How to Be a Successful Music Education Major
Reach a High Note With These Popular Lifehacks (Part 1 of 3)
Whether you’re a professor at a large or small college or teach in a large or small music program, every educator wants to impact their profession. We all do this in various ways. Performer, clinician, adjudicator – these are but some of the methods of how we do this.
As a professor of music education, I want to positively affect young people. This is how I want to give back. An effective way I can do that is to provide advice before academic training begins.
One way I’ve accomplished this is through various speaking engagements. I’ve discussed many personal adventures as a student and as a teacher. I've provided advice based on my experiences over my twenty-year career.
On one such occasion, I sought to be clever. I wanted to use the idea of "lifehacks" for aspiring music educators – and give little "tricks" to be successful.
The truth is, there are no real lifehacks for music education.
Music education, as I hope you’ll come to learn, is a goal without an end. You’re learning to be an educator of future citizens of the world. You’ll want your students to be knowledgeable persons cultured in music. You'll want to establish passions that ignite the next generation of musicians, artists, consumers, and advocates. And that they’ll project music into the next great reincarnation of composition, performance, and understanding.
No pressure.
You’ll want to give your students more opportunities than you – so hack away on these concepts:
Listen.
Develop Self.
Be Proper.
It's the best way you’ll prosper in your journey through the music education degree. To better yourself for those you have yet to meet – your future students.
Please allow me to expand on those concepts I mentioned. Then you can begin hacking away at the obstacles you may not even be aware of. This blog will examine the first of these – listening.
Part I – Listen
Listening involves focus. I didn’t understand this as an undergrad. Well, to be fair, I didn’t think about it. I mean, I listened in rehearsal to blend and balance. I listened for intonation when playing. I listened to directions and suggestions – and mostly applied them – at least at the moment.
But I was a good player. Why did I need to listen? I just wanted to play. Performing with others was intoxicating, but listening? That wasn’t important.
The same goes for classes. As an undergrad, I was attracted to what was easily understood or interesting. Those courses that didn’t fall into those categories were “bad.”
What a hack I was.
But now I wish I could go back, sit myself down, and explain the benefits of listening. Or I wish someone did. To be honest, my first music teacher, Mr. Vance, did.
I should clarify, he inferred the benefits. He was so smart. He simply made listening part of band class. This was in 4th grade! And lasted until I left that school after 7th grade. This meant that listening was a natural part of band class.
I absorbed so much without even knowing it.
Unfortunately, that didn’t continue in 8th grade or beyond. It led to my resentment of band – so much so I didn’t want anything to do with music going into college! (Says the guy with two masters and a Ph.D. in music!)
So what I share with you now is me talking to me.
Hack #1 ― Talk to Your Professors
This may seem like a “no brainer,” but allow me to hack away the obvious such as:
“I talk to my professors during classes every day.”
“I see my advisor every semester.”
“I go to see my professors for help regularly when I do not understand an assignment or homework.”
If you’re doing these things, awesome – but this is not what I’m referring to.
The hack I am referring to is the first day of class. The first day typically involves two purposes: (1) taking roll for academic and financial aid reasons, and (2) distribution and discussion of the syllabus. This is a great opportunity that rarely (in my experience) is seized: ask your professor what the expectations are.
Now please allow me to be clear, asking the professor “what the expectations are” on the 1st day will most likely result in a snarky comment along the lines of, “that’s what the syllabus is.”
Once the syllabus is disbursed and discussed – highlight key components you’re uncertain of – then ask the question(s). This could be in an email or during office hours.
So what are the questions to ask? Since you cannot ask what you do not know, ask questions about expectations:
What do you expect me to know right now before our first assignment?
Are there specific procedures for doing the assignments?
Are there any skills I should be familiar with?
Are there any musical attributes you expect us to know before class?
If nothing else, it illustrates a desire to be prepared for the upcoming course, assignment, or performance. And remember, the faculty will talk about you. So guiding their perception is critical.
Hack yes it is.
I also endorse talking to your professors throughout the semester, academic year, and your entire college career. But if you start with the initiative of being proactive in your preparations, you will create a positive “label” right from the start.
Hack #2 ― Listening
“Most people seem to resent the controversial in music; they don't want their listening habits disturbed. They use music as a couch; they want to be pillowed on it, relaxed, and consoled for the stress of daily living. But serious music was never meant to be used as a soporific (narcotic). Contemporary music, especially, is created to wake you up, not put you to sleep. It is meant to stir and excite you, to move you--it may even exhaust you. But isn't that the kind of stimulation you go to the theater for or read a book for? Why make an exception for music?”
― Aaron Copland, What to Listen for in Music
“I listen to music!”
Well, duh.
But do you make an effort to listen to music that challenges you? You participated in several ensembles and courses that asked you to listen to music you are unfamiliar with regularly – but were you understanding that music?
Famed American composer, Aaron Copland (1900 – 1990) wrote a book entitled, What to Listen for in Music. It was first published in 1939 and remains in print after several republications. I recommend reading it.
In it, he discusses three levels of listening to music – sensuous, expressive, and sheerly musical. I’m paraphrasing, but here’s an explanation of what Copland meant:
The sensuous level, or plane, is the most basic, but pleasurable level of enjoyment. This level of listening requires the least amount of brainpower – so we usually engage this level when we use music as background music.
The expressive level requires some concentration, for we can feel some sort of emotion from the music. Copland stresses that we may not be able to specify what we feel, but we know it is there.
Then there’s the third level, the sheerly musical level. Most people do not reach this level, which consists of "the notes themselves and their manipulation." Professional musicians are quite aware of this level, but so much so that they lose the ability to enjoy it on the sensuous level.
Copland explains these levels are not used separately. All three levels of listening to music contribute to the musical experience. Therefore, even “everyday people” must become educated about the sheerly musical level. Copland asks all to become more active listeners to music.
So what’s the hack for listening?
Treat listening as if it were a lecture.
Say Whaaaa?
Yes. It’s assumed that students know to take notes during a lecture.
Note-taking can be in various forms (highlighting, transcribing, short-hand, etc.). Whatever manner you practice in a lecture can, and should, be applied to listening. The annotations you make will reinforce the listening you are focusing upon and should lead to a deeper understanding of music.
Hack #3 ― Music Marking
Of course, this leads to hack #3 – music marking. Again, it's assumed that you know how to rehearse (not practice, but rehearse).
Marking your music in a rehearsal should be a standard habit – along with bringing a pencil! – in a rehearsal, but what about in practice?
During your practice sessions, you should force yourself to listen to your music. In an age where you can record yourself in audio and/or video with ease, as well as find videos/recordings online, forcing yourself to listen should be commonplace.
But to truly hack the effort, you should treat the listening as if it were a lecture. Compile your observations, define any unfamiliar terms, and be an active listener.
“Why is it that the musical public is seemingly so reluctant to consider a musical composition as, possibly, a CHALLENGING experience? When I hear a new piece of music that I do not understand I am intrigued - I want to make contact with it again at the first opportunity. It's a CHALLENGE - it keeps my interest in the art of music thoroughly alive.”
― Aaron Copland, What to Listen for in Music
The Recap
So far we’ve talked about three hacks that will improve your quest to be a music educator.
Well, listen up, because in part 2, we’ll discuss the expected traits your professors have – especially in a small music program – and how to meet them.
See you soon!
