Ricardo Valle

September 16, 2009

Critical Pedagogy III

Dr. Schmidt

In what ways can belonging manifest itself in music education?  What can I do, pedagogically, to insure that it is an outcome of my teaching?  What awareness of exclusion is necessary, so that belonging can become part of music making?

I believe that belonging can manifest itself in music education by the having participation by both teacher and student. Like our learning in Critical Pedagogy, teachers and students should meet each other half way with their experiences and use those experiences to help one another not only learn but teach as well. Without doing so, one never knows what experiences might be beneficial to the learning environment. It is also a strong belief of mine that through activity and participation in the classroom, belonging manifests in a tremendous amount. Whether it be participation through a call and response activity or merely by answering a question, students feel comfortable and within time will feel the welcomed within our music community.

It has been my experience that students, myself being one of them, tend to shy away from answering questions and getting involved because of the fear they have of being wrong. This should never be the case. By building community and a sense of belonging, students will know that there is no shame of giving an incorrect answer and we must make sure of letting them know. We must work together to find the answer, that way, no one person feels “dumb” or “stupid” for giving an incorrect response. If we are going to belong to this community, then we must act as moral citizens and help our neighbors out to find a solution, which leads to a transformation that becomes an experience and then changes our lives.

Ricardo Valle

September 16, 2009

Critical Pedagogy III

Dr. Schmidt

In what ways can belonging manifest itself in music education?  What can I do, pedagogically, to insure that it is an outcome of my teaching?  What awareness of exclusion is necessary, so that belonging can become part of music making?

I believe that belonging can manifest itself in music education by the having participation by both teacher and student. Like our learning in Critical Pedagogy, teachers and students should meet each other half way with their experiences and use those experiences to help one another not only learn but teach as well. Without doing so, one never knows what experiences might be beneficial to the learning environment. It is also a strong belief of mine that through activity and participation in the classroom, belonging manifests in a tremendous amount. Whether it be participation through a call and response activity or merely by answering a question, students feel comfortable and within time will feel the welcomed within our music community.

It has been my experience that students, myself being one of them, tend to shy away from answering questions and getting involved because of the fear they have of being wrong. This should never be the case. By building community and a sense of belonging, students will know that there is no shame of giving an incorrect answer and we must make sure of letting them know. We must work together to find the answer, that way, no one person feels “dumb” or “stupid” for giving an incorrect response. If we are going to belong to this community, then we must act as moral citizens and help our neighbors out to find a solution, which leads to a transformation that becomes an experience and then changes our lives.