I was able to find quite a number of high school music philosophies online. Several of them were for music programs in general, but a few were specified for one ensemble (such as the Prescott High School in Wisconsin having the Instrumental music philosophy on their webpage). Some of these were more detailed and in-depth than others, but none of them were more than a few paragraphs in length, which may go to show that the best philosophies aren’t necessarily the longest.
The Los Osos High School in Texas makes an excellent point in the music philosophy, stating that participating in the band(s) or colorguard is not a requirement for high school graduation, rather that the students who participate are there because they WANT to be. It also goes on to say that participation in these groups is character building for the students. I believe it is important for music teachers and music programs as a whole to understand the lasting benefits of music, outside of simply learning how to read music. Music programs help provide a place for students to build lasting friendships, take pride in their hard work, and be devoted to a team. While these may not seem like the most obvious reasons for having a strong music programs, it is certainly difficult to overlook them in the way the affect students after high school.
Another music philosophy I found online came from Flower Mound High School, also in Texas. This philosophy tends to lean more toward the intellectual benefits of a solid music education. It mentions cultural and aesthetic awareness in life important outcomes of music education, as well as other values such as responsibility, devotion, cooperation, developing work ethic, and self discipline. The Flower Mound High school believes that discipline, commitment to pride, and excellence are the three factors necessary in creating a successful ensemble. Although this philosophy is quite different from the first one, it brings up many important points in how participation in music ensembles will benefit people after high school. The first philosophy, from Los Osos, focused more on character and relationship building through music; whereas, the Flower Mound school concentrated on certain positive traits someone in music will develop over time.
A third philosophy I found comes from Elmhurst School in Illinois. This one focuses on the musical skills that students will learn and hopefully carry on through their lives such as the abilities to create, perform, listen to and enjoy music on a higher level than most people. While this philosophy maybe doesn’t go as into detail as the first two did, by reading it, I can definitely tell that music and the arts are important to the school district.
I find it interesting to read the different philosophies of these different high schools, and finding that although they may be different in some aspects, they are all quite similar in some way. Many of them look to the future for long-lasting benefits of music (instead of simply toward the concert at the end of the semester). I think it would be interesting to see how these schools go about implementing what they say is important in their philosophies, as well.
http://www.losososbands.org/new_incoming.pdf
http://www.fmhsband.org/web/images/pdf/2008-2009%20fmhs%20band%20handbook.pdf
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