Keynote address ISME legacy conference September 6th, 2019. Istanbul, Turkey

Making Children Happy through Music:
A Universal Mission of Music Teachers in the Classroom

Masafumi Ogawa, D.M.E.
Yokohama National University, Japan

Abstract

My speech is about an issue of music teachers. I would like to explore if there is a common theory of music teachers regardless of difference in politics, educational systems. I limit my argument primarily within the general school curriculum.
In my previous keynote speech at the Silk Road Music Education Conference, I have checked national music standards in twelve countries and found that objectives of music standards could be categorized into at least five domains each of which is continuously linked each other namely; (1) Music experience & literacy, (2) Cultural identity, (3) Aesthetics, (4) Morals, and (5) Patriotism. From this result, it is certain to say that intrinsic objectives are seen in most Western countries whereas Eastern countries tend to have more extrinsic objectives.
I chose eight music teachers around the world to compare how similar or different between them. The countries I selected are China, Korea, Taiwan, Vietnam, Indonesia, the United States, Norway, and Japan. Regardless of difference of nations as well as teaching styles, it could be true that all music teachers were trying hard to make friendly atmosphere in the classrooms. Teachers are doing their best to have their students enjoy and learn music. As far as I have observed music classes of the world, any music teachers are not different among nations regardless of political, educational, and social backgrounds.
It is inevitable that national curriculum policy or educational purpose sometimes conflicts with individual teacher’s philosophy or mottos of music teaching. Music teachers in Japan may not be an exception. I would posit three fundamental flaw of music education and school system in Japan. First, music itself is not the purpose music education in Japanese schools. Second, Japanese music teachers are forced to follow the curriculum guidelines or school tradition. Third, Japanese school music teachers suffer under harsh working condition. Japanese teachers in Japan have to spend much more time in life guidance, non-academic matters than preparation for teaching. Teachers often have to work even holidays to attend local events without salary.
From the discussion above, we come to a new conclusive statement. Although the gsational curriculum and education system are different nation by nation, but music teachers are essentially the same. Why so? Because every music teacher is willing to teach music of what they have and wishes to improve musical skills and knowledge so that the students could enjoy music making and listening.
I would like to propose that the universal mission of music teachers is to make children happy through music. This is the mission that any music teachers in the world must achieve. Why this mission? Because it is also the mission of music by itself. Happiness, I believe, is one of the purposes of what humans are doing music. If this mission fails, any teaching theory or latest technology are meaningless. Happiness, by what I mean, is not just being joyful or cheerful. It also includes healing mind, consolation, and deep satisfying feeling.
How can we achieve that mission? To answer this, let me propose two key words, these are “Flow” and “My music.” “Flow” is a moment when human is most creative and happiest. It is most precious and important thing to experience state of “flow” when we are doing music. Thus in music class, to make “flow” state, teachers must give students appropriate tasks matching their skill levels. Music teachers must have “My Music” and teach “My Music” to students, not anything else. The term “My Music” was coined by me as an essential component of music teachers. Whenever music teachers teach music, the music materials must be belonged to both teachers and students, and perhaps local cultures. And teaching music is a process of becoming “My Music” of students.
When setting educational objectives in the music curriculum, it might bear great risk of that music, teachers, and students become slaves of that curriculum. We definitely need theories of music teachers because music teachers must improve their musical skills and knowledge continually in order to make better teaching performances.
Music teacher’s duty is not just teaching music, but teaching how to live wise, how to think deeply, and how to grow to his/her maximum possibilities through and with music. Only music teachers are able to change students’ lives through music for the future. Music teachers are not the soldiers of political forces, nor state curriculum guardians. Music teachers are always for the students as Thomas Regelski states “the service should benefit the students, not the teacher and not the programs as though they were autonomous ends in themselves. Music education in schools, regardless of educational systems, political states, nor economical status of nations, should be education in music, not music in education. And music teachers always play the central role in this structure.