My+dialogue  

Dialogue between myself, Michael Gordon, and Freire I was casually walking in the park one day, enjoying the rays of sun warming my bare forearms when I happened to recognize two scholars in a heated debate. I approached them to inquire further about their troubles and to see if I could act as the mediator for the two men. Gordon: Ah, but you see my dear Friere, music education has an effect of school performance. It increases reading behavior in childen, leading them to appreciate school more. Clearly the kids should have been fighting to keep their extracurriculars in tact! They loved school because of their activities. Freire: Right, but students are being trained to act as passive receptors of information in a classroom, this is a concept I call banking education and it is the source of all evil! Teachers feed information into the minds of kids and train them to recall it on tests, but the children aren’t actually learning, no they’re just memorizing. There is a difference. Me: Gordon, Freire, I see that you happen to be conveniently arguing over the very topic I was pondering in my head! Should the students of Plymouth, MA (my home town) have rebelled against the town government and spoken up against the pressing matter of school budget! Are kids supposed to take a passive role in the school system or can we stand up for our rights? Freire: I just don’t understand! Banking education says these students are drones, they are products of the school system. They receive information, process it, and regurgitate it. Why were these students different? Gordon: Well, instrumental music instruction has an increased effect on reading behavior and I’m willing to bet that instrumental music instruction also has some other benefits on the student as well. The benefits of music education have to transcend the ability to read, it spills over to other skills. And if these music students are superior readers, then they are superior analysts and this can apply to real life as well as books! Me: I agree Gordon, I’ve noticed that band students are more likely to be active and attentive in the classroom. We’re trained to work as a unit so we work well with others. We are also stimulated constantly by the activity and are well learned in discipline and determination. All of these things lead to us being better students. I really think that activities such as band, sports, and art challenge us to question the school system we are products of and seek out active change in the world. Band gave us something to do with our time, it gave us friends, unity, and feelings of belonging. When they tried to take that away from us, we were devastated. We wouldn’t stand for it to happen. Freire: Do your coaches and music instructors act like narrators to your education as well? Do they have the same function in your education as teachers do? Me: No, Freire, that’s the beauty of it. Extracirricular activties are much more inclusive and I think that is part of the reason we are better students and more active, don’t you agree Mr. Gordon? Mr. Gordon: Yes, I agree. I have proven that music has an influence on behaviors including attentiveness, self-esteem, attitudes, and verbalization. All of these qualities lead me to believe that these students would act out against the school system to fight for what they believe in. Sorry Freire, there’s a whole in your banking education theory. Freire: Well, I don’t endorse banking education, I just discovered it. I think education should be problem posing. If teachers actively stimulated students through problem posing education, do you think that students would be more likely to speak up? Me: Personally, I think that is true. If students are stimulated to be active in the classroom, shouldn’t that apply outside of the classroom as well? I think that’s a very good point. Thank you both for helping me out but my mediation services are now closed. I walked away from the two men feeling fulfilled yet even more confused due to the deep and troubling questions they both posed. But I suppose that is a topic for another conversation…