Practicing...Writing

January 24, 2009

At the start of this new semester, I have made a new addition to my syllabi for those taking my MUS 105 Percussion Ensemble course and MUS 123B Percussion Private Lesson course. I have added the most beloved part of any course-writing papers.

In continued efforts to ensure that our graduates have as many tools as possible to be successful in their fields, I believe that having the ability to write well is absolutely essential. We live in a society where it is becoming increasingly more common to communicate with quick emails and text messages rather than a well written letter. I know that my students take their required writing courses, but I think that music educators can partake in that role of encouraging and underlining the importance of being able to communicate well with words. Encourage students to write. Just as we take time to underscore the necessity of practicing an instrument, let's take some time to have our students write a little. Perhaps a one page paper about their previous lesson, or even better yet, have them submit it in an email so they can have reinforcement that email can still be used as a proper form of communication.

As I started glancing through some of the papers I have to grade (over Dame Evelyn Glennie's documentary Touch the Sound) I noticed, not only are my students taking the time to write a good paper, but that I learn more of my students. Encouraging our students to write may not only be a necessary skill for them, but it may make us better teachers, allowing us to encounter more ways to be fully engaging in their education.