Control in the Music Classroom
Control in the music classroom has a long standing tradition of being very rigid and methodical. Elementary school music lessons are planned down to the minute, while high school ensemble rehearsals demonstrate a model of the director/music teacher as the all-knowing creative head and choristers as pawns in the process. Carlisle and Cameron describe the reality of the music classroom as “teacher centered, controlled, controlling, competitive, and focused on performance perfection...there is minimal collaboration at best, sometimes there is little consultation and cooperation, and compliance is demanded” (25). This current picture of the music educator displays a lack of trust, confidence and respect for the students. It is surprising that in a creative art such as music that this would be a positive and praised attribute of the class. If teachers continue to engage with students this way in the music classroom, creativity will be squandered and music’s ability to transform through individual expression will be compromised.
When music teachers adopt the use of reciprocal classroom control which emphasizes shared control between facilitator and students, it allows learners to be part of the creative process instead of just accepting the creative directives of the music teacher. If students are allowed this ability, transformative effects can take place in the music classroom such as discovering self, gaining a sense of belonging, and empowerment. As demonstrated by prisoners who are engaged in a music program, a sense of self was discovered when creatively making music. “The arts program had lit a spark of self-worth and provided them with an identity as an artist and not simply a prison number. They talked about the fact that through their music and the creative process they connected with parts of themselves they did not know existed. As their self-confidence grew, so did their self-worth. As they grew stronger in their own inner spirit, they sought to mentor others” (Brewster 37). Even though students are not technically prisoners, they can develop the feeling that they do not matter in the classroom and are just one of the masses when they do not have the opportunity to have their voice heard.
Former prisoner and musician Larry Joe talks about the power of music during his incarceration.
Music educators can help develop trust and ease the tensions between themselves and their students by sharing the creative process. In the general music classroom, this might be exemplified by teachers favoring student composition and improvisation over strict methods-based musicking in which there is one correct way to play a piece. With high school performing ensembles, reciprocal classroom control might be manifested through students taking leadership over their musical pieces, evaluating various performance styles and exploring new artistic directions. Benedict (2009) describes a music teacher in Queens who implemented a project that involved discourse about identity and multiculturalism. During the course of the project, the teacher shared her development of thoughts and ideas with the class as they worked together. Her journal produced these results:
I have noticed quite a change in the women’s choir as a result of this open dialogue between us. There is a greater sense of trust with me, with themselves, and with each other. They are not afraid to question themselves and others, and to think through things, something they were hesitant to do before for fear of being ‘wrong’ or being judged by their peers” (162).
This project displays the important role of the facilitator in sharing their own personal beliefs and bringing students in on the creative process so they understand they are valued and respected. In this approach, teachers must be aware of the “shift in focus from an outcomes-based music pedagogical approach to a meaningful engagement model [that] affect[s] a change in social relations” (Burnard 115). It can be challenging as a teacher who is used to complete control over the creative process to relinquish the musical outcome to students who might not agree with the teacher’s creative decisions. It requires confidence in the student’s ability to make a musical choice that is still in the process of developing as they interact with music inside and outside of the classroom.
Further reading on inclusive practices and shared control in music education.