Rachael Whitmore 5047 Sylvanview Dr. Clarkston, MI 48348 rachaelawhitmore@gmail.

com Music Philosophy of Education My teaching philosophy can be summed up with a quote by Professor Hornbach at Hope College: I want to teach you how to teach yourself. My goal in music education is to teach students how to be independent learners, self-evaluators, and to provide a strong foundation for who they are as individuals. I view my future students as individuals with a myriad of different stories. There are many layers to every individual. As a teacher, it is my job to uncover these layers, learn who my students are as human beings, and meet their individual needs. My instructional methods are based on this belief. I incorporate many different teaching strategies in order to meet the varies needs of my students. By scaffolding, incorporating visual, auditory, and kinesthetic activities, the content will be understood by a greater majority of the class. It will also be solidified in the minds of all students as they learn the different aspects and applications of the content material. I view classroom management in much the same way. I desire to create a safe zone in my classroom where my students are respected and show respect to others. I want my students to own their actions and understand that there are consequences for their actions. My classroom management policy will include student made consequences for misbehavior. By allowing my students, through teacher led discussion, to create their own rules and punishments, they will be more likely to follow the rules and understand why they are important. I believe both assessment and evaluation are tools towards the end goal of learning and not the end goal in and of themselves. In music, I want to promote self expression and personal musical growth. Because music is subjective, I strive to create clearly defined rubrics that assess areas like technique, comprehension, and participation. However, students should never feel that a grade is a permanent mark of their musical ability. Instead, their evaluation will include their strengths and weaknesses, giving the students a plan of action with which they will be able to improve. I also strongly believe in self-evaluation. Music education is also the key to to self knowledge concerning your own beliefs, and where you fit into the universe. To me, it is more than teaching the content. It is meeting a students emotional, physical, and spiritual needs through music. Music is interconnected with every subject area, and it is my job to guide students into making these connections on their own. Through these connections, students will understand musical content on a deeper level, be able to manipulate music to express themselves, and to create their own musical and personal identities in an ever-changing world. About teaching, Robert Frost said, I am not a teacher, but an awakener. This is what I strive to be in the classroom for my students.