Music in our Schools Month

The title of this post is "Music in our Schools Month" which feels a little surreal because there's no school happening right now. Not happening in any real way, that is. Everything we do right now, all our little routines, our complex and intricate web of functioning society has just commenced a massive shift to maybe save a large portion of our most vulnerable population.

And because schools have shut down and moved online for now, I've seen many music teachers express frustration about how does one even teach an ensemble class online? Death by worksheet? Creative projects? Theory websites and playing tests? And almost overnight a plethora of ideas came forth. Shared documents, Facebook groups, links to Pinterest boards and dedicated websites. Survival. Give our supervisors and administrators an excuse to keep paying us though they must surely know this is not ideal for any sort of teaching and learning.

Among my professional performer and artist freelance friends, I see two themes: First, they are justifiably worried about how they will pay their bills. They express gratitude for significant others who can float them or gratitude for day jobs that will squeak them through for now. Others who are not so lucky to have that cushion don't know where help will come from but are putting on a brave face and doing the best they can. Second, they are all continuing to make art, even if just for themselves---because it keeps them sane in a world that feels more and more like it's completely upside down.

I'm also taking philosophy of music education this term for my PhD program and we keep coming back to why is music different? Why educate in the arts at all? And I think THIS. THIS SITUATION IS WHY WE DO THIS. Forget about the theory worksheets for now. How are students using music to get them through this terrible time? How are we as music educators encouraging them to use music to get through this? How will they use it to get through hard times in the future? THAT is the purpose of educating in the arts. Not for better math scores. Not because it helps them get into college. Because it's part of their humanity. Because we can rage through it. Because we can weep through it. Because we can laugh through it. Because we can unite through it.

Music in Our Schools Month and every month always.

And to end this post, I'd like to play one of the first songs I ever learned on guitar: A communion song that was written by my high school choir director. I had already decided to be a music teacher before I took his class, but it was largely because of my experience there that I ended up teaching choir (although I did also teach band for a while). I decided not to sing in this video because I can't find the CD and I don't remember all the words, my guitar playing isn't as secure as piano (ha!), and also because I didn't trust myself to not cry. It's been a day.