~Marina Hall~

Philosophy of Education 

I view teaching as the most valuable thing a person can do to pass on the love and encouragement others have given to their life.  Teaching fosters the future and the more we contribute and put effort into its success, the better off we all will be.  Teachers are a student's parent for most of the day, which means that lessons should be taught with as much care and attention to the student's future as any parent could provide.  I believe that every student deserves that attention no matter what background or prior experience they have in a specific class or subject matter.  A teacher must make the student feel loved in this way for him/her to truly feel comfortable and grow to their fullest potential throughout the course of the class.  With clear, educated instruction, the student will truly enjoy the class and the material taught to the extent that they will feel positive reinforcement when reminded of that material throughout their life.  Hopefully, the class will even strike a desire within the student to further the interest in the subject into a career and to an enjoyable future. 

In this same mindset, the teachers that pushed me and took interest in my talents over the years have helped me become who I am today.  I want to close this cycle of teaching and learning by passing on my knowledge as a California High School Orchestra Teacher.  I want to make a school's music program as successful as possible by challenging the students.  In this environment, students will feel proud and successful from the feeling of accomplishment that the unity of an orchestra provides.  Completing a concert or competition after all the practice and frustration taken to learn the parts is (in my opinion) a much greater feeling of satisfaction than any other course can offer in public school.  I want students to benefit from the cooperation and interaction of the orchestra, as well as from the individual discipline and concentration music requires.  Knowing my students have felt the satisfaction I have found in music will make my job as a teacher very rewarding. 

I will continue my Music Education courses at USC and student teach to gain valuable teaching experience.  With my work in Thornton's Outreach program, I also hope to continue to explore beginning music classes I might not otherwise have been exposed to.  I hope to work hard and practice teaching & lesson planning as much as I can to prepare for my career as a Music Educator.