Music Pedagogy: Discussion forum questions
Behr, Annemie
This OER is based on a workshop designed for educators teaching music as part of the CAPS Life Skills/Creative Arts syllabus. The questions can be used as a guide for open class discussions or as prompts for online discussion forum activities.
The theoretical foundation behind these questions is that success in any classroom is informed by two loves: love for the subject and love for the learners. These questions aim to guide music educators-in-training in reflecting on their own pedagogical attitudes in their music classrooms. They first focus on their personal relationship with music (the phenomenon, not just the subject) and then transfer these attitudes to the music classroom.
When reflecting on personal beliefs around teaching music, the goal is to help educators discover their “WHY”: Why do they teach music? In the context for which these questions were designed, many educators did not volunteer to teach music; they were assigned to do so. Therefore, I encourage them to be honest in their reflections, avoiding answers they believe are proper or acceptable. By being truthful about their attitudes without judgment, they stand a better chance of managing those attitudes and minimizing any negative impact on their learners. Ideally, they may even use their unmediated relationship with music as a phenomenon to positively adjust their view of music as a subject.
By understanding their relationship with music-as-phenomenon first, and music-as-subject second, the questions then explore educators' perceptions of their learners' attitudes toward music.
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