The Challenge of Honest Communication in Music Education 🎵

As educators, we make choices every day that shape not just skills, but the emotional and intellectual lives of our students. When it comes to music education, those choices hold an even greater responsibility. Music, after all, is more than a collection of notes and rhythms—it is a unique language for communicating feelings.

Fred Fennell’s Call for Integrity in Music

While preparing a lesson, I came across an essay by Fred Fennell, a legendary conductor and educator, written in 1957 for the Eastman Wind Ensemble’s landmark recording of Hindemith, Schoenberg, and Stravinsky. Fennell critiqued the compromises made in music composition for young bands, pointing out how technical limitations often lead to emotionally superficial repertoire.

He wrote:

“The cause of playable music is certainly understandable, but too often its end musical results are a compromise of the composer's psyche, affording neither challenge to the performer nor satisfaction to the listener, nor granting much that is honest to the craft of composition.”

Fennell’s words resonate just as strongly today as they did 66 years ago.

The Crisis of Emotional Superficiality

Many compositions for young ensembles prioritize technical accessibility over emotional depth. While this approach may help students achieve technical milestones, it risks missing the heart of what music is about: honest communication of the composer’s feelings.

As a conductor and educator, my role isn’t just to teach scales and rhythms—it’s to foster a connection to the emotional core of music. That means being deliberate about the repertoire I choose for young musicians.

Our Responsibility as Educators

It’s not enough to select music that’s easy to play. We must challenge ourselves to find compositions that, despite technical limitations, strive to communicate something real and meaningful.

Here’s how we can apply this principle:

Curate with Purpose: Evaluate the emotional authenticity of every piece you program for your students. Does it challenge them to connect with and convey deeper feelings?

Teach with Integrity: Emphasize the “why” behind the music. Encourage students to think beyond technical precision and explore the emotions the composer intended to communicate.

Inspire Emotional Connection: Remind students that music is a language of feelings. Help them see how this translates into all areas of their lives—relationships, careers, and personal growth.

Music as a Special Language

Fred Fennell’s challenge remains clear: let’s be ruthless in our assessment of the music we teach. Whether we’re conducting a school band or working with professionals, we must remember that music is fundamentally about feelings.

🎶 As music educators, we hold the power to shape not just performances, but perspectives. Let’s honor that responsibility by making every rehearsal and performance a testament to the emotional depth and honesty that makes music so transformative.

What are your thoughts? How do you balance technical skills and emotional depth in your teaching or leadership?

#MusicEducation #LeadershipInTheArts #EmotionalIntelligence #LifelongLearning