1 An aesthetic experience is something that cannot be
literally described, but can be met with certain characteristics. Abeles, Hoffer, & Klotman (1995) describe
an aesthetic experience as “…having no practical or utilitarian purpose…[but]
it is valued for the insight, satisfaction, and enjoyment that it
provides”. An aesthetic experience
involves feelings and contemplative thinking.
Being a musician, I have listened to and performed many different pieces
of music. I feel that every time I
listen to a performance I have an aesthetic experience. The level at which I contemplate this
experience is based upon the music being performed and at the level of the
group or person performing it.
As a senior in high school in 2003, I auditioned into the
Illinois Music Educators Association’s (IMEA) All-State Band. Coming from a very unstable band program, the
experience of performing with the top musicians from the state was an
incredible experience for me. While
being selected to perform was not an aesthetic experience, listening to the
ensemble was an aesthetic experience for me.
The first time we read through “An American Elegy” by Frank Ticheli in
the first rehearsal was an aesthetic experience for me. This piece of music did not serve a practical
purpose, but the beauty in it was amazing to me.
Knowing that Ticheli wrote the piece in remembrance of the
Columbine High School shooting, the performance of the piece was very
moving. As I listened to the piece, I
contemplated how each section represented different points of that experience
from the happiness of being in high school, to the sadness of the actual
violent act itself, to the funerals of the fallen, to the reflection of the
survivors in the aftermath, to the beauty of life. The focus was on the different timbres of the
variety of instruments to help stimulate these thoughts as well as the dynamics
and phrasing. I remember getting goose
bumps at multiple points in the piece and almost crying at the point where a
trumpet went off stage to represent taps being played in the distance. A variety of emotions were felt throughout
the piece from simplicity, to happiness, to sadness, to hopefulness for the
future.
This experience opened my eyes to the beauty of music. I know that sounds ridiculous coming from a
music teacher, but a live performance of beautiful music is a different
experience than listening to a recording.
While I often listen to recordings of music, a live performance is a
beautiful experience that shows the true idea of being human. A performer can make a mistake but it can
easily be forgotten if the performance is moving. Even going to hear the Chicago Symphony
Orchestra can produce mistakes by professionals. We are human and imperfect, but as musicians
we constantly strive for perfection. The
experience of a live performance is something that cannot be duplicated again
because it is always different…that is the beauty of it!
2 Teaching a sixth grade class about an aesthetic experience
can be accomplicated thing to do, especially if the word “aesthetic” is
used. Most students would be overwhelmed
by the word itself and would probably shut down. I often incorporate listening examples of
unfamiliar music into my general music curriculum. Tchaikovsky’s “Symphony No. 4 in F minor, Op.
36” is a beautiful piece of music, but probably something that sixth grade
students would say that they have never heard before. I believe that in order for students to have
aesthetic experience listening to this music, I leave out as many details as I
can. In fact, I do not even tell the
students the name of the piece or the composer before we have a discussion. Most students are visual learners so I would
incorporate a visual aspect to the teaching.
Each student is supplied with a blank sheet of paper and a
pencil. I would inform the students they
would listen to a piece of music without words.
Their assignment is to draw what they hear. They can have many different ideas and draw a
mural if they wish. They are not being
graded on artistic ability; the drawing helps them to express their thoughts
without using words. After we listen to
the piece once and have our drawings, we will listen to the piece of music
again, this time having the students write three to five sentences describing
why they have drawn their pictures. They
will describe what about the music made them feel that way. Students will then share (if they wish) their
picture and feelings behind the music.
At the conclusion of the class I will then inform the class of the
composer, name of the piece, and time period in which they wrote music.
3 Music is important for many reasons. There are non-musical and musical reasons for
its importance in every person’s life. For
people who are not musicians, non-musical reasons for the inclusion of music in
the school curriculum are often needed to show a bigger picture for the benefit
of its existence. Four non-musical
reasons for music advocacy are as follows:
1.
Students
of the arts continue to outperform their non-arts peers on the SAT, according to
reports by the College Entrance Examination Board. In 2006, SAT takers with
coursework/experience in music performance scored 57 points higher on the
verbal portion of the test and 43 points higher on the math portion than
students with no coursework or experience in the arts. Scores for those with
coursework in music appreciation were 62 points higher on the verbal and 41
points higher on the math portion. – The Student Descriptive Questionnaire,
a self-reported component of the SAT that gathers information about students’
academic preparation, gathered data for these reports. Source: The College
Board, Profile of College-Bound Seniors National Report for 2006; www.collegeboard.org
2.
“The
arts are not just affective and expressive. They are also deeply cognitive.
They develop the tools of thinking itself: careful observation of the world,
mental representation of what is observed or imagined, abstraction from
complexity, pattern recognition and development, symbolic and metaphoric
representation, and qualitative judgment. We use these same thinking tools in
science, philosophy, math and history. The advantage of the arts is that they
link cognitive growth to social and emotional development. Students care more
deeply about what they study, they see the links between subjects and their
lives, their thinking capacities grow, they work more diligently, and they
learn from each other.” – Nick Rabkin, Executive Director of the Center for
Arts Policy, Columbia College Chicago; Robin Redmond, associate director of
CAP. “The Art of Education Success”, Washington Post, January 8, 2005, pg. A19
3.
The
arts provide one alternative for states looking to build the workforce of
tomorrow – a choice growing in popularity and esteem. The arts can provide
effective learning opportunities to the general student population, yielding
increased academic performance, reduced absenteeism, and better skill building.
An even more compelling advantage is the striking success of arts-based educational
programs among disadvantaged populations, especially at-risk and incarcerated
youth. For at-risk youth, that segment of society most likely to suffer from
limited lifetime productivity, the arts contribute to lower recidivism rates;
increased self-esteem; the acquisition of job skills; and the development of
much needed creative thinking, problem solving and communications skills.
Involvement in the arts is one avenue by which at-risk youth can acquire the
various competencies necessary to become economically self-sufficient over the
long term, rather than becoming a financial strain on their states and
communities. – The Impact of Arts Education on Workforce Preparation, May
2002, The National Governors Association; http://nga.org/files/live/sites/NGA/files/pdf/050102ARTSED.pdf
4.
The
U.S. Department of Education lists the arts as subjects that college-bound
middle and junior high school students should take, stating “Many colleges view
participation in the arts and music as a valuable experience that broadens
students’ understanding and appreciation of the world around them. It is also
well known and widely recognized that the arts contribute significantly to
children’s intellectual development.” In addition, one or two years of Visual
and Performing Arts is recommended for college-bound high school students. –
Getting Ready for College Early: A Handbook for Parents of Students in the
Middle and Junior High School Years, U.S. Department of Education, 1997; http://www.ed.gov/pubs/GettingReadyCollegeEarly/step2.html
Music education needs to be preserved for musical reasons as
well. If, as music educators, we only
base the importance on music for non-musical reasons, are we really defending
our importance? Our chosen art form is essential for life in many ways.
Everyone who is able to hear knows what music sounds like,
but is it enough to go through life and not feel? Music provides us with the
opportunity to understand and to feel.
Music evokes emotion on multiple levels throughout life. Emotions are the basis for human life and
music is a means to experience it, rather than just going through the motions
of life.
Expression is a huge part of music. Words cannot describe a sound the same way to
everyone. People hear and perceive
things differently. Music is a means to
communicate without words. This is
evident in that musicians from any country can come together and perform the
same music in the same ensemble without ever being able to speak the same
language. A conversation through music
can be made without one word ever being spoken.
Cultures can come together and create a beautiful message to the entire
world without a hiccup along the way.
Music has the ability to drastically change our mood for the
better. The sounds of music can uplift
our spirits in ways that words or numbers cannot do. The beauty of music is something that can
only be experienced to fully understand, not described in its entirety.
Music makes life worth living. Throughout the history of man we see the
importance that music has had in every culture.
Music gives man a sense of purpose and joy that other areas of life
cannot give.
As a music teacher I feel very strongly about the aesthetic
reasons for including music into the school curriculum. These reasons, however, are not always the
best way to advocate for music in our schools.
The education system is very date-driven today. Aesthetic reasoning does not provide data for
school districts to see the benefit of including music into the
curriculum. In addition, the inclusion
of the common core standards into most school districts across the country
looks at how all of the subjects work together to produce better and
well-rounded citizens. Music teachers
must advocate how our art form can help schools achieve this goal. Also, not all administrators and school board
members have had the privilege to study music.
If music teachers only praise the aesthetic reasons behind music study,
people with non-musical backgrounds can easily make it a point of saying that
they “…were successful without music.
Why do our kids need it? I came out OK.”
Lastly, It is important that music teachers do not come off as elitists
to administrators and school districts.
It is very important that music not sound more important than reading,
math, or any other subject. As passionate
as we are about music, the math teacher is just as passionate about the
importance of math. Gaining supporters
is very important in regards to music advocacy, especially within the confines
of one’s building. If support is
garnered by fellow teachers and building administrators, then there is a
greater chance of success in regards to musical advocacy in that particular
situation.
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