Christian School Music Education in the 21st Century
By: Henry E. Duitman
We could easily make the case that American Christian schools, particularly those in rural areas, are in trouble. While none of us are authorities, we would probably agree on the following reasons for our current predicament:
- Declining enrollment due to demographics
- Increased costly government requirements
- Increased wages for public school teachers, making it harder for Christian schools to attract qualified teachers in a shortage of teachers nationwide
- Less church and parental support than there was in the past
- In rural areas, the inability of many farmers to pay rising tuition costs
Many of us think that the problems in Christian school music education are even greater than those associated with Christian schools in general. In addition to all of the problems listed above, which certainly impact our programs, we also contend with:
- Shrinking budgets due to enrollment declines
- Rapidly rising costs for music and instruments
- School day shrinkage due to added classes, conflicting classes, added and conflicting clubs, sporting events, chapels, and assemblies during the school day.
We also share problems with every music educator in the country. These would include:
- A society-wide lack of appreciation for the essential qualities of classical music
- Adolescents are now given a steady dose of poor music-making models on TV and recordings.
- A society-wide emphasis on the trophy. In music, often a band program is known for the number of top ratings it has received at contests, for the number of students who made it to all-state, and for the number of bowl games at which the marching band has performed.
- A turn from classical music education to emphasis on ancillary ensembles and activities. In many places, the concert band and concert choir are no longer the central focus of the high school program. Instead show choirs, "Christian Music" choirs, marching bands, jazz bands, etc. are highlighted to the detriment of the principal ensembles.
- Many churches now rarely perform music that presents students with a good model of quality and quality musical performance.
In my estimation, however, the most serious dilemma we may all face is not directly connected to any of the above. I feel that we, as professional Christian school music educators and administrators, must be very careful that we do not forget our mission. We must have our rudder firmly rooted in a philosophy of music education that will steer us to a well-defined destination, one that we all share and one that is reachable within our lifetimes.
Where then, should this destination be? What is our reason for teaching music in our schools? What is our reason for teaching music ensembles during the curricular day rather than as an extracurricular activity? How can we educationally justify the amount of time we spend engaged in fundraising projects, with uniforms, with trips or with other things that have little direct correlation with the amount of musical learning the student obtains?
Will a solidly Christian and clearly articulated philosophy of music education mean that the many problems listed above will go away? Obviously not. May I suggest, however, that if our programs are not based on a clear philosophy, if we are rudderless and are following the winds of popular opinion regarding our programs, then our program will not stay the course.
Philosophy obviously deals with the question, "Why?" In music education we can call this a curriculum rationale question. "Why should general music, orchestra, band and choir be in the curriculum, taking up precious hours of the school day?" After all, like athletics, it is a group activity, often has out-of-school performances, and students are in it for several years without ever "passing."
Classical music education teaches us that the essential quality of our discipline is aesthetics. This presents us with a true dilemma, since even philosophers continue to disagree on a definition of this concept. Yet, we must cite aesthetics as the central justification for having our classes during the school day. In classical music education, we do not focus only on student learning in the cognitive domain, as many academic courses do, or exclusively in the psycho-motor domain as athletics do. We also deal with the affective domain. There are specific things to be learned in a band or choir class that cannot be taught in other academic courses and that go far beyond the skill-training and discipline most often associated with athletics.
How do we move forward to teach every student aesthetic learning? I believe we must focus on quality .
Christian schools are based on truth--the truth of God's word. Truth certainly connotes quality work rather than shoddy work. If a Christian school education is to teach the truths of creation (including musical truths), then quality must be insisted upon at each and every step of the educational process.
How then can we provide our Christian school students with a quality music education when money is tight, when scheduling problems abound, when we are asked to teach in areas that we are not professionally trained in ourselves?
The simple but profound answer, I guess, is with the sweat of our brow and the commitment of our heart .
Do we wait for the system and society to change before we can do our thing? Of course not! We work to the best of our ability with the hand we are dealt. We work constantly to educate students by giving them the best possible musical experiences with whatever resources we have.
What can each of us do to instill more quality into the music education program of our own Christian school?
Here are five suggestions that I believe are foundational to answering the question:
1. We must teach quality music.
Music is our curriculum, and choosing our music may be the most important thing we do as music educators. What is quality music? Here, I believe, we must often rely on those experts who are connoisseurs of our art form. In elementary general music, there are many outstanding new texts that incorporate quality folk and classical music. In Choir, Band, and Orchestra there are many lists put out by music directors who have years of experience and who have a track record of producing great music with their ensembles.
2. We must focus on student learning.
Assessment is called for at every level nowadays. We, in the music profession at large, should hang our heads in shame with how little students actually learn about music during the many years that we have the opportunity to teach them. We need to make sure that each of our students (even percussionists) can read music. We need to test to find out if our students know more about various styles of music and composers when they leave our class than when they came in. We need to avoid focus only on the mass group product. Within an ensemble class, you have to produce technical and music results each rehearsal. You do not have time for lots of individual testing when much of what they are learning in music is how to perform together as an ensemble. In one sense, we can all say that our assessment program is alive and well since our students' learning is assessed by the entire community at each concert. However, there are far too many individual students coming out of our programs who simply have not learned much about music even though they have been trained to perform it to some level of ability in a large group situation.
3. We must become knowledgeable and even vociferous advocates for music education in our schools and community.
We are the keepers of the aesthetic flame in our schools. If we do not fight for a schedule, for money for music and instruments, etc., no one will do it for us. Will we always win? Of course not. But by keeping everyone aware of the importance of a quality music education program that is available for all students, then, over a course of several years, we will make progress.
4. We must reeducate ourselves.
In many respects, this is the most important step of all. There is no way that any music teacher can learn all she/he needs to know about teaching the discipline in four short years of college. Whether it is graduate school, general music workshops, conducting workshops, MEA conferences, or simply asking questions of the known "pro teachers," we must be there, learning more about what we already know, and, most importantly, learning things in our weak areas.
The great music teachers, many have said, have one character trait in common and that is the ability to make themselves vulnerable. They are able to say, "I don't know how to do this. I need help."
5) We must regain our love for music.
We need to go to concerts. We need to buy CDs of music we haven't heard and immerse ourselves in the experience so that we can keep our own batteries charged with a gigantic love for music. Without this, it will be very difficult for us to get our students excited about their music education.
In conclusion, then, let us be thankful for what we have--the opportunity to teach God's beautiful children about a most wonderful part of creation, music. Let us dedicate ourselves to the goal of providing a quality education in music for all students. And let us pray together that God will continue to bless the works of our hands and will renew us as we work in his kingdom.
Henry E. Duitman is a professor of music at Dordt College . He is also the music director and conductor for the Northwest Iowa Symphony Orchestra.
Product Roundup
Conn-Selmer, Inc.
Founded in 1875, Conn-Selmer, Inc. is a top manufacturer and distributor of band and orchestral instruments. The company manufactures and distributes its products under brand names like Vincent Bach brass, Selmer USA woodwinds, C.G. Conn brass, King brass, Armstrong woodwinds, Ludwig and Musser percussion and Glaesel string instruments. Other brands include Scherl & Roth and William Lewis & Son string instruments, Emerson flutes, Benge brass and Artley woodwinds, as well as Leblanc, Holton, Noblet, Martin and Vito band instruments. Through its educational division, Conn-Selmer University , the company provides band directors with ongoing educational opportunities in band and orchestra administration, musical instrument development and leadership skills. Through workshops, educator in-service programs and educational materials, the company provides support to educational professionals, school systems and students.
www.conn-selmer.com
Blessing Band Instruments
E .K. Blessing is the oldest family-owned maker of band instruments in the US . Located in the world band instrument capital of Elkhart , Indiana , Blessing began handcrafting trumpets in 1906. Today, Blessing offers a complete line of brass and woodwinds and has become known for providing products of exceptional value for today's music students. Blessing student trumpets, including its popular step-up ML1S, provide high-quality performance. F-rotor trombone models B88 and B88-O allow aspiring trombonists to move up with confidence. Blessing also makes a complete line of marching brasswinds. Blessing products are available across America through an extensive listing of school music service dealers.
www.ekblessing.com
Rico 3-Reed Packs for Bb Clarinet, Alto Sax
The Rico three-pack is the perfect quantity of reeds for rental instruments, especially for students who need to have spare reeds, or their parents who balk at buying 10 reeds at once. With Rico three-packs, customers get exactly what they need. Each reed is individually packaged in Rico's patented plastic reed holder to protect from breakage and warping. The three-packs also are part of Rico's new Player's Points program, in which musicians can redeem points for free promotional merchandise by collecting the cardboard backers and redeeming them to Rico. The three-packs are available in the most popular strengths for both Bb clarinet and alto saxophone. www.ricoreeds.com
D'Addario Prelude Strings for Bass
D'Addario's Prelude strings, long regarded as a premier string for students and developing musicians, are now available for bass. The addition of bass strings completes the Prelude line, which has offered student-grade strings for violin, viola and cello for years. The new Prelude bass strings inherit all the popular features of the others, including a quick, easy bow response; warm, clear tone; a very fast break-in period and the durability required of student strings. Prelude bass strings have a specialized stranded steel core at their heart, designed to provide optimum playability for developing bassists. The ease of play builds confidence in student musicians. www.daddariobowed.com
MX White Marching Snare from Evans
The new Evans MX White marching snare batter head is getting a lot of attention in the marching community. Compared to thicker heads, the MX White produces a softer feel and a rich, edgy tone with great projection and articulation. Its unique "thin-weave" Aramid fiber and polyester construction delivers high durability and playability. As the name implies, the playing surface is a bright, clean white that will make any snare line look neat and professional. The MX White snare batter head provides great projection, yet blends well with the rest of the ensemble.
www.evansdrumheads.com .
Steinway Model A grand piano
For the first time since 1914, Steinway & Sons will build and market its Model A grand piano in the United States . Steinway's Model A grand was the first piano to feature solid spruce radial bracing, which reinforces the structure to accommodate 35,000 pounds of string tension, and the use of longer strings that greatly increase volume and tone. The one-piece unified rim-case construction transfers vibrations efficiently to the entire soundboard. Because of Steinway's innovations, the piano delivered the power and volume of concert grands in places where space was at a premium. While the modern Model A retains many elements of the original, it incorporates Steinway's design and technical innovations developed during the last century, as well as a touch or two that are distinctively its own.
www.steinway.com
The Ketron SD1+
The Ketron SD1+ is a well-regarded recording instrument, but it really hits the mark in a live performance. The high-quality instrument has been chosen by symphony orchestras for the accuracy of the sounds to compliment the live concert instruments. The SD1+ features a wide selection of human voices as well as symphonic and band/combo instruments, and runs the gamut of organ sounds, including virtual drawbars. It features a 16-track sequencer, as well as a sampler. Included as standard are hard-drive and vocal harmonizer. Options include a video interface card and many various foot setups for any and all types of performing.
www.ketronus.com
