Kale Barnes

overview of my philosophy

There are four pillars to my philosophy on music education: the spiral curriculum, effective assessment, accessibility, and students. 

Jerome Bruner developed the spiral curriculum, and it has become a prominent learning theory in education. The spiral curriculum has three stages ranging from the most basic to the most advanced: enactive, iconic, and symbolic. In the enactive stage, students learn content hands-on through various actions. As students move through the stages, they are building upon their knowledge. The goal of the spiral curriculum is for the students to see content multiple times while adding new material along the way. This allows the students to reinforce their previous knowledge while learning new material. 

Effective assessment is a way to show students their own growth. If a student can actively see themselves making progress on their instrument and in the ensemble, they will be more likely to want to learn more. I will make sure students know the learning goals for each class, week, and semester so they can see their progress. Along with this, I find that only providing negative feedback is not beneficial to their learning. In my teaching, there is a balance between finding ways to improve and being proud of what the group or individual has accomplished. 

Finally, I am incredibly passionate about making music education as accessible as possible. There should be no barrier between a student and their desire to learn music. I am constantly working and learning about how to create an environment that caters to all students. In my teaching, I work to create a place where students who don’t want to play a traditional band or orchestra instrument can still find joy in music. Along with this, money should not be an issue regarding a student’s music education. Gone are the days when band and orchestra were only for the wealthy elite. Students with disabilities should also be able to participate in music education, and I’m prepared to make any accommodations necessary in order to allow disabled students to participate. 

My students are the most important part of my teaching. I would not pursue teaching if it weren’t for the incredible students I’ve worked with and will work with. I am constantly working on my teaching skills in order to create a better learning environment for my students. As Sean Junkins says, “So often you find that the students you’re trying to inspire are the ones that end up inspiring you.”