Accessible music education is crucial for sustaining and growing a bright future for music and the world. Music educators — whose work in everything from private lessons to primary school, university and conservatory — are utterly essential to music and our humanity.
"Music education enriches our lives and turns us into fans who want to help sustain the music industry," says Sue Ennis, a songwriting and music industry professor at Shoreline Community College in Washington state, who has written songs for Heart.
In honor of Music In Our Schools Month, GRAMMY.com spoke with six music educators who also balance professional careers in the music industry. These educators discuss how their work helps the community thrive by empowering and uplifting the next generation of music creators and professionals.
Teaching Is Not A One-Way Street
The most effective educators keep their passion for learning at the heart of their teaching practice, staying open to change and learning from their students.
"One of the biggest reasons I enjoy teaching is the exchange. If it were just a one-way street where I gave whatever information I know to others, I probably would be out of it long before now," says Terri Lyne Carrington, a three-time GRAMMY-winning drummer, composer, producer, and the founder and artistic director of the Berklee Institute of Jazz and Gender Justice.
Throughout her 40-year career, Carrington has toured and recorded with legends including Esperanza Spalding, Stan Getz and Herbie Hancock — a diverse roster of masterful players whose differences have informed her own musicality and, likely, her approach to education. "I never had a cookie-cutter approach to teaching. I start as best I can with a blank slate because everybody needs something different to learn effectively," Carrington says.
Terri Lyne Carrington | Michael Goldman
The challenges and gratification of working in an ever-changing industry, as well as the opportunity to regularly work with new students, draws many passionate professionals to education. For Stacy McMichael, an adjunct bass professor at Saint Xavier University and Joliet Junior College in Illinois, teaching also serves a motivation to improve her own craft.
"Helping a student navigate a tricky passage where you have to create a solution is the kind of reciprocal education we never really identify as such," says McMichael, who recently performed in a Broadway production of "SIX: The Musical." "A substantial portion of my confidence in my own playing comes from connecting my students to their power. Witnessing a student’s breakthrough moment is something I truly relish."
Stacy McMichael | Courtesy of Stacy McMichael
When musician, producer and engineer David Barbe first started teaching, he realized how much he still had to learn.
"I realized there's so much more for me to know, and how can I teach if I don't know? I can’t just be knowledgeable in what I’m already familiar with," says Barbe, the Director of the music business certificate program at the University of Georgia. "I have to learn about the country business, the hip-hop business, and sync licensing. I got to know about how these artist managers do things. Teaching completely broadened my perspective."
"Once You Feel It, You Won't Forget It"
With increased budget cuts and decreased emphasis on the arts in K-12 education, many students are losing the chance to experience music in the classroom. That lack of early arts education could be detrimental to their education and life as a whole.
"Once you feel it, you won’t forget it," Sue Ennis says of early exposure to music. "Without basic music education, people have no on-ramp to access music because they have no framework to process or appreciate it and recognize that it is an essential part of our culture."
A study by the National Association of Music Merchants Foundation found that schools with music programs have an estimated 90.2 percent graduation rate and attendance rates to match; those without music programs have an average graduation rate of 72.9 percent and attendance rates of 85.9 percent. The non-profit also found that secondary students who participated in a music group at school reported the lowest use of all substances currently and in their lifetime.
Sue Ennis | Courtesy of Sue Ennis
Though a 2019 Arts Education Status Report found that the majority of students in the U.S. have access to some form of music education, the positive effects of music education are not evenly spread throughout the community. The approximately 5,000 schools without music programs are disproportionately in major urban areas and in school districts that serve Black, Hispanic and Native American students. Many schools without arts education are also charter schools, the NAMM Foundation reported.
"Music education helps to create a more diverse and inclusive music community, as it provides opportunities for people from all backgrounds to discover and engage with the art form," says GRAMMY-winning composer Carlos Rafael Rivera, who directs the media scoring and production program at the Frost School of Music at the University of Miami.
Effective Educators Over All Else
An education in the business side of music is essential, especially when a single contract could make or break a career. This knowledge can empower students to make educated decisions and take command of their careers. But finding teachers who are both knowledgeable in the business and skilled in the art of teaching can be rare.
"I have seen too many examples of industry executives trying to move into teaching roles without the proper preparation," notes Serona Elton, who directs the music industry program and Associate Dean of Administration at the Frost School of Music. Elton was the Vice President of Product Management at Warner Music Group and the Vice President of EMI Recorded Music North America. "They might have been very good at doing something in the industry, leading a team or company, but they fail when it comes to teaching in a meaningful and detailed way."
Serona Elton | Addiel Perera Photography
Elton's passion for helping people understand complex topics drew her to education. She cites her own music industry education as essential to understanding the industry's inner workings and placing her work within the larger musical landscape.
Elton emphasizes that the need for passionate and effective teachers is more important than the need for those with extensive industry experience. "Great educators who have extensive experience are ideal, but not common," she says.
"I Work For The Students"
Looking to the future, all the educators interviewed for this piece would like to see more collaboration between schools and companies, with the goal of providing students with the necessary connections to grow their careers.
"Some schools are already doing this quite well, having their students work on projects for industry partners," Serona Elton notes. Among these examples is a partnership between the Frost School of Music and Netflix, secured by Carlos Rafael Rivera, that allows media scoring and production students to create music for current Netflix series.
"This historic collaboration sets a new standard for partnerships between academic institutions and production companies, paving the way for future innovative partnerships." Rivera says.
Many educators are also calling for more collaboration between schools. "We, the schools, should engage with each other more. Let's compare notes. Let's talk. We needn’t view each other as threats because we’re all here to benefit the students," says David Barbe. "The rising tide lifts all ships, smaller pieces of a bigger pie works better for everyone."
David Barbe | Brian Powers
Barbe travels across the country to meet with companies in person, advocating for his students in the hopes of landing them jobs and real-world connections. He recounts helping a student obtain an internship, and then a job offer, at legendary indie label Sub Pop records by flying to Seattle.
"These organizations are always taken aback when I come to them instead of trying to get them to come to the school, and that’s when you can bring real connections to life," he says.
Barbe says this kind of work shouldn’t be an exception, it should be the rule. "I work for the students. They pay tuition, I work for them. So, it's my job to engage with these companies, put two and two together, and land students real opportunities."
Whether it’s in the classroom or working hands-on in the industry, these individuals never step away from education. The future of music is bright as these professionals use their ties to both worlds to form much needed bridges between formal education and the industry itself. Their presence is a connection that puts students first, creating an informed and diverse music community.
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