Open Invitation

I think it would be cool to have some of those who read (or stumble upon) my blog to write guest letters. So, if you have something that you’re ready to get out there, send me an e-mail at aschlip@gmail.com with your thoughts. I may revise (as I am a teacher and extremely uptight about grammar), but I would like to get a sense for what teachers and interested parties to the profession think about our future. Don’t be shy, and feel free to expand the context of what has been said so far.

All-State Festivals and the Like

I recently took one (yes one) student to audition for the IMEA District 7 Orchestra. I used to be a staunch advocate for activities like this. I used to think it was an important thing for students to do. I have since changed my stance a bit. To me, it seems like “more of the same.” Many say that it offers students an opportunity to play challenging music with a group of their highly skilled peers. I cannot argue this point. It is absolutely true. But I can’t help but go back to my argument of our focus in this country on a completely re-creative activity. We really need to stop confusing music playing and music making.

Is it wrong to be “against” these kinds of activities? (Read this as: I support any student who wants to do these festivals, but I will never make it an emphasis of my program). Should music teachers strive to do more than make our students better players? I am not convinced that I am right, and I am always happy to have disagreements about this, but I can’t help but point out some of these flaws with the profession. We want to advocate for ourselves as a vital part of the school curriculum, but we keep having these activities that are analogous to sporting events. If we perpetuate our image as an activity, we cannot promote our value as a core subject and an art.