I believe the ultimate goal of teaching, regardless of the subject matter, is to produce students who can become teachers. Even if a student does not plan on becoming an educator; there is nothing more valuable to be taught if they can independently teach themselves and continue to progress in knowledge without outside instruction. This is not to discourage learning from others by any means, but common knowledge declares if you successfully can teach something to another (or yourself) then you have attained a far greater grasp on the subject manner than the average student. Of course, as a music educator it is my goal to teach students to reach their full potential. However, we all know having a personal instructor on hand is not always possible, so it is important to impart the ability for students to critically think and deduce knowledge on their own. For students to reach this goal, I believe it’s imperative for me, as well as all teachers, to inspire the students to never stop learning.
I believe that all students have the capability of learning, however, since all human beings are different, they all learn differently at many different levels and rates. I believe lecture is a very important part of learning, but in music the best way for students to learn is by doing. A very large part of playing an instrument is muscle memory, which takes time to cement in the brain. Of course, consistent practice on their instrument is necessary to achieve this, and at the same time it cements their music reading skills, and listening skills. I believe the instructor should lead by example in this area; if the educator doesn’t consistently try to better themselves, I believe that demonstrates the idea that you eventually stop having to learn.
