I would say it depends on the goal of the assignment. If it is to have students attend concerts that are similar to what they do (school performances), and critique their peers, I think a more ‘empathetic’ approach should be utilized. I would not encourage students to critique the performance (ala American Idol), rather I would have them try to understand the process that the group went through in preparing their repertoire. The best way to do this might be to take a specific set of musical concepts that you’ve been working on in class, and have students comment on those. For instance, ‘how did the ensemble’s use of dynamics contribute to their overall musicality?’ Until you have students who can fluently converse about the elements of music in performance, I think it is OK to ask leading questions.

Also, how does the performance they are critiquing relate to their lives? Could they identify with the performers? Were there major musical benefits to attending this concert?

However, if your goal is to improve the ability to reflect on musical concepts and write a really great critique, I think you should consider taking it out of the context of a concert. Let students write about the music that they listen to. You can ask about the same musical concepts, and they will assign greater meaning due to the fact that it is music of their own interest. I could write a more meaningful critique of a Radiohead album than I could about vocal works of Kirby Shaw, for example. In my own musical world, I value one over the other. Your students make these priority judgments as well. Start with what they value and slowly work your way to what you’d like for them to experience.

Finally, perhaps have them read some examples of great critiques, and identify the common themes that authors write about. I know the New Yorker has really great music critics like Sasha Frere Jones and Alex Ross. Their articles are freely available online, and are very student-friendly in terms of content. The main thesis of these ramblings is to be relevant to what the student is learning. How does the music they are consuming outside of class relate to what you are teaching? This can be pretty powerful when students start talking about rhythmic cadences, differences in articulation, and dynamic contrast in the music they listen to. It will make its way into the music that you are doing with them.

I agree that performance plays a big role in exposure. I’m not sure I would term it as advocacy, though. Also, who says that performance must take the form of a sit-down concert? Couldn’t posting student work on a school website for parents to enjoy at their leisure also be termed as ‘performance’? I think this a largely unused realm for music teachers because it is cumbersome and requires a bit of knowledge about copyright law and, of course, a good deal of technological savvy.

As you said, we have to strive to make our programs more visible in the school community. But a new way to do that is to make student work (and I’m talking about original, creative work) available on a much wider scope via the internet. Schools are extremely insular and expanding our audience would serve as advocacy for individual schools and our discipline in general.

I do agree with much of what you have said in this article. One thing I have had trouble with is reducing performance. I want to reduce the number of performances we have (because then I can actually teach), but I have found that when I perform less, I my program doesn’t get as much exposure. In some ways performing is part of our advocacy. I am able to get more students involved in my program and in music if they see my kids perform and know that we are present in the school.

Let’s market it, package it and sell it so professional degreed music educators can make wages commensurate with other disciplines. Let’s make the profession fiscally robust so that future music educators have solid options outside of teaching band choir or orchestra upon graduation. Until then, the profession will languish in the bowels of academia and always be considered an ‘activity’ at best.