Teaching to the Test-for music teachers

Teaching to the test is a common phrase heard throughout the education world. It basically means that teachers only use information that they know will be on the standardized tests to pound into their students brains. I can see how this is unfavorable to most uneducated, idiotic, power hungry men (you know who I'm talking about..) but at the same time, I can also see how this is a last resort and only choice for most teachers. Their jobs depend on the ability of their students to score high on standardized tests. These test are used as a critiquing method for the teachers. So when they try to make sure the kids pass the test, they are torn between teaching useful information, and actually having the kids learn something and just shoving this information at the kids so they don't lose their jobs.

This is different for music teachers. We don't have a section on the tests, which means we don't have to worry about teaching to the test....or do we?

I've noticed that a lot of music teachers do teach to the test. Our test just isn't on paper. Our test is our concerts. Many music teachers teach to the concert by having their students learn their music and that's all. I feel that one of the reasons music teachers and music classes are on the chopping block is because after the concerts, that's it. The kids don't walk away with anything and there are way too many "music teachers" just covering the basics. If a music classroom were to be influential on students it would cover a broad range of musical elements like:

-theory
-history
-technology

Theory is a HUGE subject within music covering dynamic, chords, scales, composition, orchestration, sight reading, aural notation, written notation, etc, etc. It covers the in's and out's of music, how its written and read and its an amazing tool to have when students are learning pieces. They can see why certain chord progressions are used in certain pieces and how the music fits together.

History is the basis of music. This covers composers, musical eras from medieval to contemporary, Western and non-western music, musical cultures, and world music. Its for the students to see why certain piece were composed and provides them insight into interesting stories like why Beethoven was deaf, how mozart only wrote the first 4 measures to one of the final movements in his requiem, yet its finished today, and how the music of centuries ago influences the music they listen to today. An amazing way to get students interested in music is to connect it with their own live, cultures, and experiences.

Technology is necessary because the world is becoming engrossed with it. Technology is everywhere and showing students the new possibilities to recording, producing, and composting music opens up unlimited possibilities for their musical ideas.

I think these three main aspects should always be part of a music classroom. I feel that they open up a whole new world full of different experiences and information that can be used by our students, and in their own way advocate for music education.