Much emphasis is placed on the expectation for students to achieve academic, professional, and competitive success that we forget what it takes to achieve said success. Without a good support system, a great mentor, and the passion necessary to achieve a high work ethic, students will have more difficulties achieving their goals.

A strong support system enables the student to feel safe, allowing them to make mistakes, voice concerns, and bring forth new ideas. A great mentor assist with guiding the student on their pathway to success, while also providing them with new resources to utilize, and a role model to look up to. Finally, by building a student's passion for a subject, the student is more likely hone in their on craft in that area of study. If a student enjoys playing an instrument, the likelihood they will want to practice and improve on that instrument is much greater.

As teachers we must try our best to create an environment in which success is the byproduct of passion, hard work and enjoyment for what the students do. This can only occur when we set up a positive support system, great mentorship, and instill passion within our students.

The purpose of education is to expose young students to the tools necessary to not only function, but thrive in society. This includes teaching students how to develop a strong work ethic, critical thinking, positive self-image, social skills, and more. In addition, education should serve as a way to hold ourselves accountable. George W. Carver once said "Education is the key to unlock the golden door of freedom." The freedom of a nation is based partially on the education of its citizens, and learning about the core subjects allows for our youth to grow up in a more free society for all. 

Whether we like it or not, students spend as much time, if not more time with their teachers than their parents. While a huge part of the teacher's job is teaching the information on the curriculum, an even more important role is that of the role model. Students look to teachers for inspiration, and every student has a handful of teachers that inspired them to peruse to become the person they have become. We must be cognizant of this responsibility in addition to our role as an educator. 

While there are a variety of factors that we cannot control that effect the student's education, such as socio-economic status and the student's upbringing, there are two crucial elements that play into how a students learns that people can control: a good support system, and a great teacher/mentor. A good support system, which includes family and administrative involvement, allows the student to feel comfortable in their learning. A great mentor, such as a teacher, can help create a spark within the student while also providing them with resources to develop their talents. Combining these two elements creates an environment in which a student can develop the necessary knowledge, passion, and comfort to learn whatever the subject is in the most effective manner possible. It is our jobs as educators to continue to pursue what is best for the students we are teaching. 

Music, as well as other fine arts, play a pivotal role in society as a whole. While I am of the belief music should be a core subject, it needs to be treated differently. Other core subjects focus on the content they teach, but music focuses on a getting in touch with the emotions. In a world where mental illness is rising within young adults and teenagers, utilizing the fine arts as a way of developing student's emotional awareness would greatly contribute to students' ability to identify and control their consciousness. While history and science might be able to teach us information about how the world functions, music and art can help students contextualize.  

Music plays an important factor in developing the school spirit. For starters, the school's alma mater and fight song is a part of the institution's identity, and plays a role in unifying the community within the school, but other pep-band type songs can help boost morale. Music serves as a unifying force, and incorporating it within the school's culture can help bolster a positive environment. 

As stated before, other core subjects teach how the mechanics of our world uses to function. Science and mathematics teach us about the laws our universe abides by, while social studies and language classes teach us about the laws humans create and follow. Music and the fine arts teaches how we as can interpret, process, and critically think about these concepts. In addition, music classes are a part of a 7 year curriculum from sixth to twelfth grade. This allows for students to learn the importance of long term planning and goal setting. Without music classes, these lessons would be difficult to teach. 

In addition to teaching music as its own subject, I am a big believer in the power of cross-curricular learning, through music. The ability to relate concepts across a variety of subjects is very important in understand music. History helps contextualize pieces and composers, science better explains the mechanics and acoustics of each instrument, math allows for deeper understanding of music theory, and concepts learned in language classes, such as critical thinking, creative writing, and poetry, can assist students with developing creativity that translates to the world of music. Understanding the psychology of performing allows students to better handle performance anxiety while in the marching band realm, the use of physics and physical education is critical in teaching students how to march. Furthermore, the core curriculum benefits from music in the same exact way. Using music as a vehicle to teach history, science, and other subjects is a great way to contextualize the subject being taught, and more importantly getting students engaged and focused on the material.