Growing as a Professional Music Educator

Education is a lifelong adventure that is ever-changing and active. Educators continually adapt their practices to meet the needs of an ever-changing population of children flowing through the schools. It is advantageous for teachers to be committed to lifelong learning for their own professional and personal development. As a novice teacher becomes more adept in the profession, new reflections and new perspectives can bring into focus additional ways to improve one’s teaching, classroom demeanor, and the like. Professional interactions with other teachers are important for the music teacher to facilitate a dialogue for growth for the music teacher. Teachers who are learners throughout their careers realize that they are not the source of all knowledge pertaining to music. Good teaching practices are defined according to current educational thought, especially when the educator incorporates learner analysis and reflection into teaching and not only the acquisition of knowledge and imitation. Keywords lifelong learning, music teacher education, professional development, recruitment and retention The marks on the hall closet door recorded the height of the children from kindergarten through their senior year of high school. Visiting grandparents were often hear