NAfME BLOG
Longy Resources for Music Educators
Longy Resources for Music Educators
Sponsored by Longy Master of Music in Music Education Online
Music educators have the unique power to make a meaningful, lasting impact on young lives with music—but that calling isn’t without its challenges. Our mission is to empower teachers to connect with their students and make a difference in their lives. We want to equip music teachers with tools and resources to maximize their abilities as educators. Read on to learn how you can grow your skills as an educator and change young lives through music.
Culturally Responsive Teaching
At the heart of Longy’s Master of Music in Music Education Online program is Culturally Responsive Teaching, a philosophy grounded in equity and diversity that provides a space of belonging for all identities and lived experiences. Culturally Responsive Teaching enables educators to forge deeper connections to engage students as individuals, and the class as a collective.
Teaching from a place of respect and compassion for your students’ complete selves helps create spaces of belonging where students can grow freely and explore their inner artistry. For many students, a strong and supportive connection with a teacher can change the course of their entire lives. When their passions, goals, and identities are recognized and fostered, students feel empowered to pursue not only their goals in music, but in all aspects of their lives.
As Longy’s Director of Teacher Education Erin Zaffini explains:
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“Every child is entitled to be inspired by positive musical experiences and to find a ‘home’ and connect with others through music. Just as our close community of music education faculty and students inspire others, we will prepare you to do the same for your future students—to influence their lives in ways you have always imagined.”
—Erin Zaffini, Director of Teacher Education at Longy
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Check out “Culturally Responsive Teaching in the Classroom,” a virtual event to teach educators how Culturally Responsive Teaching helps teachers become the one their students will remember forever.
Want to Learn More?
As an educator, it’s important to constantly examine, refine—and even, occasionally, completely revamp your teaching style. The key to Culturally Responsive Teaching is adapting your lessons with respect to individual students’ identities, and the identity of the class as a collective.
We want to give you some sources of information and inspiration to continue perfecting your classroom approach. Check out these scholarly articles by Erin Zaffini on new paradigms and strategies for music education, and click the link below to learn more.
- Cooperating music teachers’ experiences mentoring student teachers from multiple music teacher preparation programs
- Music and literature: Providing musical experiences for all
- Re-energizing your middle school general music program
Explore Music as Social Change with The Ensemble
The Ensemble is a Longy e-publication sent by Longy that offers music teachers additional resources for expanding their perspectives as educators and as people. The goal of The Ensemble is to connect and inform all people who are committed to ensemble music education for youth empowerment and social change. Take a look at these articles and click the link to browse The Ensemble in full.
- The Superar Effect: Overcoming Boundaries through ‘Music for All’
- Social Justice, Social Curriculum at El Sistema Aeolian
- Scenes from Skaramagas Refugee Camp
Conclusion
Longy is proud to empower music teachers to be agents of change, and we’re here to help you gain insights on crafting inclusive, individualized curricula; use Culturally Responsive Teaching to create a space of belonging; and more. Click this link to learn more about Longy’s teaching philosophy, as well as the Master of Music in Music Education Online degree program.
Did this blog spur new ideas for your music program? Share them on Amplify! Interested in reprinting this article? Please review the reprint guidelines.
The National Association for Music Education (NAfME) provides a number of forums for the sharing of information and opinion, including blogs and postings on our website, articles and columns in our magazines and journals, and postings to our Amplify member portal. Unless specifically noted, the views expressed in these media do not necessarily represent the policy or views of the Association, its officers, or its employees.
March 29, 2022. © National Association for Music Education (NAfME.org)
