Lehman- Ten Years Later

MUSIC 23241: MUSIC TEACHING AS A PROFESSION

Mr. Marcus L. Neiman, Assistant Professor

Kent State University School of Music

Fall, 2011

CRN:  200910 – Section number: 001 – Class Days: TR 7:45a – 8:35 am - Classroom: SOM E202

Office: Band Office - 330.672.2965 - Telephone: 330.672.2965 (Kent Campus) - E-mail: mneiman@kent.edu

Office Hours: TR 9:00 – 9:55 am (Additional hours available by appointment)

BlackBoard and Text Readings

Submitted by:  Emily Young

Submitted for: Mr. Marcus L. Neiman, lecturer

Date: October 13, 2011

Lehman, Paul R.  (2004).  Assesses ten years of national standards.

Teaching Music, (October), Pages 34-39.

            For this article, Teaching Music interviewed the former president of MENC, Paul R. Lehman.  This interview discusses the National Standards for Arts Education which were published ten years prior.  Lehman has a lot to say about why these standards are important in music education.  Lehman was a part of the committee that developed the standards.  These standards have had quite a bit of an impact on music education in the last ten years.  However, there are still things that can be done to improve music in the American school system. 

            There is no standardized test in music; therefore there is no means of judging whether the standards are being fulfilled.  In order for these standards to work, we need dedicated and passionate teachers in the classrooms.  These standards are there to provide guidelines to provide the best possible education to the students.  The standards are a great resource to show why music is necessary for students in grades k-12.  They were constructed by a team of capable musicians and educators and they can be achieved by all teachers of music in every course.

            Lehman said, “Standards make assessment possible. They also make it necessary.”  This is something I have been thinking about a lot.  There has to be a means of measuring the effectiveness of our teachers, but the current system is not the best way.  State and national testing have caused a lot of corruption in our school system.  Music teachers are lucky to not have to worry about test scores, but this also means that music programs get less importance in the eyes of administrators who depend on test scores to keep the school functioning.  Music teachers should do everything they can to fight for their profession and use all the time and resources they get to instill a vast array of musical knowledge in each and every one of their students.