2-1 Content Knowledge

The candidate understands the central concepts, tools of inquiry, and structures of the
discipline(s) he or she teaches and creates content-specific learning and literacy experiences
that make the discipline accessible and relevant to assure mastery of the content. The
candidate should complete a reflective essay illustrating appropriate content knowledge
utilized in teaching the content.

As music educators we must understand the central concepts, tools of inquiry, the
structures of discipline that we as teachers show as example, create contact specific learning and
literacy experiences that are relevant to assure mastery of the content.
No matter the grade level, the teacher must be proficient and knowledgeable of the music
they’re teaching and the message they want to come across while teaching that music. If the
teacher was teaching elementary school, they wouldn’t have to know the most popular teaching
methods and approaches for music learning. This includes the successful teaching styles of
Kodaly, Dalcroze, Gordon, and Orff. These are all very good teaching styles yet teachers must
create their own unique teaching style using these in combination with their own personal beliefs
of a classroom should be run. By observing other teachers and learning different styles of
teaching, I and other future teachers can come up with our own teaching style that is unique unto
ourselves but has reminiscent concepts or factors that have been done before and are successful
therefore they are used.
As in any classroom there has to be a level of discipline and structure for the students. If
this is not brought in early into the classroom he can cause mass disarray and confusion for the
rest the school year. Students need structure in their every day school lives in order to function
well in class and produce the results we want them to. By establishing these criteria first within
ourselves and in collaboration with the students, we can produce a classroom environment that is
both structured, satisfying, and productive.
With the teachers knowledge and background of the subject at hand, students will have a
greater opportunity and better chance of producing better quality music by having this
established level of expectation and classroom rules that are effective yet not overbearing.
When students are given the opportunity to collaborate with their teacher to create rules they
have a sense of belonging and a sense of authority within their own classroom because they had
a chance to make a difference or make a rule that is only reserved for “those in power“.