Secondary Music Programs Sacrifice Academic Rigor for Performance Metrics

Key Quotes

"at the secondary level there's no true academic justification for all of these concerts music teachers just put on shows that's all they do and look as someone who has lived in these band rooms and sat on these podiums and watched thousands of kids grow up inside of these programs i need you to know something that statement isn't true but it is the perception that music educators are forced to operate under and it's shaping the entire system in ways that parents don't realize and kids don't understand and administrators often don't acknowledge"

The speaker, Mike Nifong, addresses the perception that secondary music teachers solely focus on performances without academic justification. He asserts that while this perception is untrue, it dictates how music educators must operate, influencing the entire system in ways that are not fully understood by parents, students, or administrators.

"well it's pretty simple it's because they have to not because it's the best pedagogy it's not because it's the only way that kids learn but because it is the only public facing metric that administrators directors and communities use to decide whether a music teacher deserves to keep their program alive or even to keep their job"

Mike Nifong explains that the high frequency of performances in secondary music programs is driven by necessity rather than pedagogical preference. He highlights that these performances serve as the sole visible metric for evaluating a music teacher's program and job security by administrators and the community.

"we train our kids in our programs for performance not academic mastery and believe me there's a lot to be mastered here academically we teach them how to play the notes how to blend how to tune how to march how to shape a musical phrase but what we don't have time for is why chord progressions work the history and cultural context behind the music ear training score study theory composition arranging oral skills improvisation music technology how to think musically and not just perform mechanically"

Mike Nifong argues that the current system prioritizes performance skills over deep academic understanding in music education. He lists essential academic concepts like music theory, history, composition, and improvisation that are often neglected due to time constraints imposed by the focus on performance.

"most kids have never experienced that level of academic rigor in music not because their teachers didn't want to teach it but because they weren't allowed to prioritize it so the kids who spent four years being the section leader the drum major the star player and because of that now want to pursue music in their academic pursuits possibly a career those kids get to college and suddenly it feels like they're drowning"

Mike Nifong points out that students pursuing music in college often struggle due to a lack of academic rigor in their high school education. He explains that while teachers may want to teach these academic aspects, the system's emphasis on performance prevents them from prioritizing it, leaving students unprepared for college-level musical study.

"the concerts that you attend the shows that you cheer for the parades the holiday concerts the spring showcases listen those are just events okay they're survival mechanisms they exist because your child's teacher has to constantly demonstrate value to the school in a very public way they're doing the job of an educator and the job of a public relations officer all at the same time"

Mike Nifong advises parents to view school concerts not just as events, but as survival mechanisms for music programs. He explains that teachers use these performances to publicly demonstrate their program's value, effectively fulfilling the roles of both educator and public relations officer.

"instead of when's the next performance try asking what are they learning in class how is the curriculum structured or my favorite how can we support the academic side of music not just the performance side we must shift the conversation from how often do you perform to what are you learning about music that will sustain you beyond high school"

Mike Nifong suggests that parents can help shift the focus of music education by asking different questions. He encourages inquiries about classroom learning and curriculum structure, advocating for support of the academic aspects of music rather than solely focusing on performance frequency.