When I came into college, I thought that I was going to be a high school choir teacher and

nothing else. This was probably due to the fact that my perspective of what I thought I wanted in my
career came from two very simple and limited ideas that I had composed. First, I was aware that I
loved music. Second, I knew that I wanted to pursue a career that shared this love of music for
others. In high school I was just exposed to one possibility of music education. During this semester
of my collegiate music education experience my perspective of the future of my career has
broadened greatly. At first the concept of general music education bothered me. Although I know it
does not seem rational, there was a part of me that felt that this type of experience would prepare
me for a career to replace being a choir teacher. As I reflect on my experiences and where I am as a
Sophomore, I now understand that my education is just preparing me for the different possibilities
and combinations that I can pursue in my career as a Music Educator. I am slowly starting to
understand the concept that there may come a time in my life that I might have the opportunity to
become more than one kind of Music Educator. With this broadening of horizons, I began to
understand the specific possibilities of this field, and some of the challenges that came along with it.
For example, I feel confident in understanding how to structure making both tutorials, but also lesson
plans for classroom settings. I hope to continue expanding on these experiences as I learn about
more possibilities.
Through the preparation of the assignment of the ukulele tutorial, I began to understand the
opportunities that are offered using social media. These tutorials are an incredibly quick and
effective way to market yourself as an educator. The effectiveness of the teaching style of the
instructor becomes apparent when viewing a lesson in such a short frame of time. It might even be
more effective than an interview, as employers can view the teachers sense of communication and
professionalism in the context of what is being taught. Aside from the aspects of the benefits from
the teacher, the learner is benefits from the accessibility of this form of social media. Making these
videos is an important skill to know for as our world is continuing to change with technology and new
opportunities are constantly being created. Learning how to structure these videos was essential to
this experience.

In terms of a classroom setting, it was glad to continue gaining experiences in writing lesson
plans, otherwise known as Experience Designs. Hypothesizing what I might be doing on a day to
day basis in my future gave me perspective on the realities of my profession. Through reading
Allsups Remixing the Classroom, I continue to wonder how I will struggle as a teacher involving a
more student-centered classroom. Far down the line, I hope to not find myself in a routine where my
students are not feeling as engaged in music as they could be. I hope to never forget that the learner
comes first in my teaching and planning, and that they are the ones who should always benefit. This
is something that I will always remind myself when composing Experience Designs.

In a much wider scope, I continue to understand what it might be like as a general music
teacher through the work of my class ukulele curriculum. This assignment offered me an example of
a course that I might offer as a teacher that does not specifically fall under the category of band,
choir, or orchestra. I was glad to have exposure to this experience both in terms of benefiting from
learning how to write a curriculum, but also imagining possibilities of topics to cover as a general
music educator. I hope to continue to have exposure to this broader perspective of music education
as I am less familiar with it at this point in my education. This experience challenged me in my lesson
planning to create ideas that were engaging in music making. I hope that this concept becomes
easier as I gain more experiences in it.
 Although the assignments that involved lesson planning were challenging to me, I found that
I gained the most understanding from the JMUke Experiences. When I went to the Discovery
Museum, there was a moment when the projector stopped working and the planned structure of the
activity slowly began to unravel. I personally felt a form of panic set in as I did not know what to do.
As I was observing the Juniors trying to fix the projector behind me, I felt a tiny tap on my shoulder.
The little boy that I was sitting next to said, Whats wrong?. I explained to him that we would start
up the group singing again soon and that we just had to fix the projector. He then looked at me and
said, Can we just play a song?. The simplicity of his inquiry was in some way groundbreaking to
me. Knowing that the learner only cared about engaging in music was so important for me to realize.
That moment helped me to understand that music education goes beyond what you have prepared
or researched for. The most important part of engaging in music in this manor is interacting with
people. Structure becomes least important if it impedes learning. Even though we had to change
how we ran the rest of the event, we were still successful in engaging in music. This is a concept
that I hope to carry with me as an educator throughout my career.
That meaningful interaction inspired me to develop my ten pedagogical principles:

Engaging in music should benefit the musical growth of the learner. This idea applies
whether the teacher wishes to implement a student-centered basis of learning or not. The
teacher has the power to set parameters that meet National Standards of Learning.
Instruction must be executed in a way that effectively attributes to the growth of the learner.
Engaging in music should be an opportunity of artistic expression for the learner. Arts
are incredibly important, especially to an individual in varying developmental stages of life.
The teacher must not forget that it is impossible to know how much their students need time
for music in their lives. Engaging in music should create a space where students have the
opportunity to explore this side of themselves.
Learning about music should first come from engaging in music. This idea goes along
with the concept of showing rather than telling. Being a music teacher means that you are
not going to spend the majority of your time lecturing. Lessons should begin with engaging in
music before expanding on explicit details.
The teacher must make an environment that is conducive and adaptable to all
learners. Teachers must think of the perspective of more than one learner in the classroom
when planning lessons. No student should be denied the engagement in classroom activities
because of a disability. Music specifically serves as an important opportunity for
implementing inclusion.
The teacher must be able balance the roles of leader and facilitator. Music can serve for
a time of experimentation and exploration. There should be times allotted in the curriculum
for students to have the opportunity to create and compose music. A teacher must be
capable of stepping back and allowing for this time, while also understanding when it is
important to implement leading group activities.
The teacher must remain perceptive to concepts students are grasping or executing.
Music Educators need to understand when an experience design is not successful. It is the
job of the teacher to provide opportunities for students to stay engaged. Teachers must
notice behaviors of students as they learn to perform new musical concepts, and know when
to change or alter the plan for the benefit of the growth of the learner.
The teacher must remain perceptive to concepts students are enjoying (or not
enjoying). It is important to realize what music or lesson is well received. Sometimes even
though students may not like what they are doing, it may be better for them to stay
challenged. On the other hand, knowing what your students are enjoying can lead you in
positive directions for future plans.
 Effective communication is the most important aspect of education that a teacher has
power of. Teachers must be able to communicate expectations and implement structures for
learning. It is only fair that students understand what teachers want from them. This is
important for building student-teacher relationships.
Positive enforcement should be implemented whenever possible. This is the most
effective way to learn something. Making music a positive experience is what makes it
necessary in students lives.
The culture of the classroom that the teacher wishes to implement is entirely led by
the example that the teacher sets. The idea of person first language and professional
behavior falls under this. Teacher must be clear in what they want, but then continue to
implement their ideals.