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Ever see one of those posters like the one at left? They have headings like "Doctors"  or "Lawyers" followed by pictures of what people think they do.  I have been giving lots of thought to this idea from the music educator  perspective - what is a "music educator?" 

In my case,  I work at the Dallas School of Music and have been here for almost all of its 20 year existence.  It's a private music school.  We don't sell instruments or sheet music, we don't have 'group classes', and we don't have scholarships for 'gifted' students. We don't have a "board of directors", fund-raising performances, or after school programs at local junior highs.  We simply sell private music education to anyone who is interested in learning; all ages, and all levels of ability.  We also sell music education via the web with an online curriculum that reaches learners around the globe (so in a large way, the picture above applies to us far more than picture #1 below).  

I spend my days monitoring music-ed news, writing blogs, updating our social networks,  developing curriculum with great colleagues and creating incredible relationships with students... as I teach music.   I know that what I do on a daily basis is far different than what most music educators do, and that's just fine by me. 

The idea of selling music education is difficult to imagine for many. DSM's history is full of examples of people 'not getting it', from both within our profession and from the outside as well. There are even people in our own families who, like folks in those posters, often struggle with our work and vision. The examples are numerous and range from the funny to frustrating, yet we persevere. 

I interact with many passionate music teachers and advocates on twitter (#musiced) and I enjoy it immensely. I participate in #musiced chats, exchange ideas with some very important and influential educators/administrators from all over the world. I've even coordinated blog posts with contributors from near and far. I'm not sure many of these folks know exactly what I do, but that's ok - hopefully they will soon!  

Are you a music educator?  I'd love to hear your thoughts on this. What is a music educator? What is the perception of our profession?  I look forward to posting your responses and in the mean time - I thought I'd start the ball rolling with the following pictures: 
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WHAT SOCIETY THINKS I DO
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WHAT I ACTUALLY DO
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Today is the official release of Guitar Zero by NYU Professor and 'deep thinker' Gary Marcus. It's the story of how an internationally renowned scientist decided to conquer music, something that had been elusive and mystifying for most of his life, at the age of 38. 

"I had no musical talent whatsoever and at one point was gently told to stop taking recorder lessons when I was younger." That may be a sad commentary on poor teaching more than anything else, but Marcus wanted to know if musicality is something we are born with or can it be developed at any age?

His path included stops at Guitar Hero, Suzuki classes and even a summer camp for budding rockers where he jammed with 11 year-olds in a band called Rush Hour.  He shares his personal challenges with rhythm, theory, and technique and wraps it all in a thoughtful, insightful, and mostly non-academic memoir. 

It's a great read for anyone currently studying (and teaching!) music or wanting to.  And Mr. Marcus' experiences should strike quite a chord with DSM and DLP students. The book also raises some interesting questions about the science of human pleasure and the more basic question, what counts as a life well lived? 

“I might never be Jimi Hendrix... but for a brief moment I could sense what it was like to explore a new musical landscape.” His advice for future learners?  Enjoy the journey and don't fixate on the destination.

Excerpted from the following:garymarcus.combostonglobe.com
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A former student of mine  (and a very good player by the way) has decided after several years of applied instrument classes to be a music education major. I am not certain of his motives, but I have no doubt that if he decides to go ahead with this decision, he can be a super teacher. I thought I'd put down a few thoughts for him and anyone else who might be considering music education as a career.
1. Don't choose music education as a 'fallback'.
I've seen first-hand what a huge mistake this can be.  Most successful music educators are passionate about teaching or feel it is a calling. Those who 'back-in' to education are often disappointed or worse, burned out after a short time. If you want to be a performer, then be a performer. If you decide to teach, make it a career decision and jump in with both feet. Your performing career will most likely become secondary.

2. Be ready for anything!
Anything? Yep...anything. If you are in a school setting you may be asked to monitor study halls and the lunch room. You may have only a handful of colleagues on your team and you may be working with students who care as much about music as they do math....which is to say about nil. I have taught in a janitor's closet and a math classroom. And you may wind up outside of your comfort zone when someone asks you to design a half-time show or cover a French class. If you go the private practice route, be ready to learn bookkeeping and management skills, scheduling, and tuition collection. In fact, you may very well spend more time on the business end of things than on actual teaching. Who knows, you may be asked to write a blog!

3. Keep all of your options open.
The job market can be limited. Your ideal teaching gig may be at a small private school working with a jazz quartet, or as an instrumental teacher at a college.  But those specific jobs are tough to get aside from being few and far between. It's sort of like saying you'd like to coach basketball... at Duke; it's probably not gonna happen for a while. However, the future of music education is bright if you keep your options open. Consider the private instruction studio or starting a small private 'practice' with colleagues. Innovations online have made this a tremendous option in many communities and even globally. Lastly, do not be defined or confined by your chosen instrument or area of expertise! Having a teaching degree means you are the expert and should be able to work with students on many levels, in many genres, and on any number of instruments. 

Most of all have fun and enjoy the ride!
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