Sociology Chapter 1
Cait Murach
Critical Pedagogy III
Schmidt
Sociology Chapter 1
Why do many music teachers identify themselves as musicians first and music teachers second? Are there sociological causes for this perception?
Many music teachers identify themselves as musicians first and music teachers second because I feel as though many music teachers see teaching as a fall back to their original career goals. Some musicians go to college to become professional musicians and to perform for a living, but if and when that does not work out, they feel as though teaching is the only thing left for them to do. I once had a music teacher in elementary school, who used to begin every year by telling the class how he didn’t want to be in class as much as we did and it immediately created a negative vibe on the classroom. He had gone to college to major in conducting, and when he became unsuccessful, he took up teaching and hated every minute of it, not to mention making the students hate it.
I think that music teachers should identify primarily with being music teachers, then musicians. It is a totally different mindset, and it will keep things positive in the teacher’s life. So many people look down on teaching and see it as a way out, but in reality teaching requires much training, and it is the teacher’s responsibility to want to change lives of students in a classroom, and not in a concert hall.
