Carolyn G. Alford

Hugh Hodgson School of Music

Department of Music Education
University of Georgia
250 River Road
Athens, Georgia 30602-7278

Teaching Philosophy:

I see my role as a music educator as one of great responsibility. It is not my place to tell students what is or is not quality music; but rather to provide students with the tools to appreciate the arts and the role that the arts play in our society. The role of a successful music educator is to lead students in their quest to cultivate a better understanding of music and to connect it to other cultures and historical periods.

A well-rounded curriculum of repertoire encompassing many different styles should be explored so that a student can better formulate personal interests. Music should not just be listened to, but also performed, conducted, and analyzed from theoretical and historical perspectives to obtain a complete picture and achieve the utmost appreciation of various composers' works. Auditory, kinesthetic, and visual learners can all be successful by presenting music in these various ways. My utmost goal for these appreciators of the art is that they will discover a passion for a composer or style never before considered.

Students in my elementary and secondary music education courses are evaluated by their skills in selecting quality music based upon well-researched criteria and assessed on their ability to impart musical concepts to their pupils. Music education majors are videotaped while teaching and complete self- and peer-evaluations. Rubrics are used to determine the students' success rates and to allow these students to chart their development throughout the teaching process. In addition, students apply spiral curriculum, conceptual music teaching, and researched practices of such noted music educators as Kodaly, Dalcroze, and Orff in their weekly practicum experiences. My ultimate objective for these students is that they will feel well-equipped to handle the demands of any school teaching position and will be regarded as leaders in the field of music education.

No teacher should be without personal goals for self-growth and improvement. As a music educator, I stay abreast of my profession by participating in and presenting at annual music education conferences and events. I maintain active roles with the Music Educator National Conference (MENC) and the American String Teacher Association (ASTA). My praxis of music education is grounded in my belief that I should continually strive for betterment on my instrument, so I perform as a professional violinist and violist for several different orchestras. I hope that these efforts at being a well-rounded musician and educator will illustrate my love for the art and will positively affect my students to enjoy, appreciate, and transfer their love of music to others.