Cait Question 1.
In chapter 1, they have a statement by Dewey saying that he does not support traditional learning. However, in the next sentence Dewey says that he supports independent thinking, but it is critical of those who would stifle it. How can the two sentences coincide with one another? Especially when independent thinking is very much a traditional part of learning in todays society. Thinking independently is nothing new in the 21st century. What do you think Dewey's reaction would be to modern education?


Mike Answer 1.
In my opinion Dewey would be disappointed in the modern educational world. What drastic changes have occurred in the educational field that has affected it across the board. We continue to argue about how the “traditional” methods of banking are less effective then modern practices and yet these traditional views are still held by teachers worldwide. I ask you, where is the independency in modern education? We have the few exceptional teachers with whom freedom and independency is used regularly. As to the first question, the ability to have a class in which the students and the teacher are both comfortable in their abilities to use both teaching models (using the traditional when needed and having the comfort to allow for a “free flowing” class) is the exact way in which the two coincide. We are shown the positive and negative features of both of these styles and know how, when, and where each of them is best used.


Mike Question 1.
On page 23 of the text, the idea of the intellectual in democracy is discussed. At one point it describes music education teachers and undergraduates as being conservative and introverted when it comes to the culture of the day. Within critical pedagogy we discuss the use of popular music in the current classrooms as a way to connect with our students. However, what do we really know about popular music when we leave the walls of this school? We take classes in classical music. Most of our musical repertoire is classical music. Even the classes denoted to teaching music in the 20th century deal primarily with classical music. If we were in the classroom what other examples besides classical music could we compare popular music too? Would we be comfortable discussing in depth the history or effect of jazz or blues and having the students ask us penetrating questions? We can name a piece of classical music, tell you the composer, and say when and for whom it was written by hearing a few short lines, but can we do the same for a piece from the early days of rock and roll? My real question is, what makes us feel that we are fit to call ourselves music teachers when we focus on simply a span of a few hundred years.

Cait Answer 1
I agree in that we are taught by mainly a specific era in time. However, I feel that as music educators we need to go above and beyond what is required for us in a program. Obviously, you will get a students attention more effectively if you play something in the classroom that has just been played on the radio (like 94.5fm) I think that we need to show the similarities between the two music worlds (classical and pop.) I think it is important for students to understand where music came from, and to show them what Bach and Mozart did. But let’s face it; the students in a public school are not in college yet, so therefore, they really do not need to be forced to learn about the classical era in such a depth manner. I think that if we really want to build the music programs in schools and keep them going, you have to teach music to what the students listen to in their free time. Once you have their respect and dedication to the program (say mid way through the year) then you can go back and teach the classical era. But I think teaching about Beethoven right off the bat gears students away from music, because it bores them. I feel that this part of teaching is all a matter of perfect timing.

Mike Question 2.
Dewey notes in chapter 1 of text that democracy in the world is a rather new idea. For centuries the new ideas in music education was always defined by the old. In this democratic world that we now live in, why is it that the idea of democracy is only just being applied to the classroom? Why is it that we have gone this long before coming to the realization that in order to create a democratic and intelligent people, we must allow people to discover what it means to be democratic in their schooling as well as their everyday lives?

Cait Answer 2
Wow that’s a really good question. I don’t know why it has taken so long for us to start being democratic in our teaching. Perhaps it is because philosophers and professors have always looked at education as an educational view or as a theory. I don’t think people really ever realized that politics and democracy play a huge role in education. I think that people view democracy as a tool that is used in politics and governments. I almost think that people are afraid of using democracy in education because it is something new. And usually humans’ first instinct to something new is to shut it out or shy away from it. Perhaps this is why it has taken so long for democracy to finally hit the schools.

Cait Question 2
Since I am on a kick about politics. How/When should a teacher know when to introduce their own political views and when ethics should over ride those views? Should a teacher feel free to express their feelings of democracy, freedom of speech, and world-views to the students? Or should personal ethics state that the views of a teacher be left totally out of the classroom?

Mike Answer 2.
I believe that the ethics of political views in the classroom is a rather sticky issue. True, things dealing with how a teacher feels about a certain government official or their feelings upon say the war are things that should be kept out of the classroom. However, their views on education are going to come out in their teaching whether consciously or unconsciously. These views are the basis of the teachers work and are important to how effective the teacher is. So I suppose what I am saying is that ethically any non-educational political views should be set aside from the class.