What is your core Musica Educational belief?

 So, years ago when I first started teaching, a veteren music teacher in our district spoke at one of our inservices and shared that her grandaughter was admiring her job.  "Grandma, you have the best job.  You get to sing songs and play games all day!"  The veteren teacher in her bucked that idea and thought, "I do WAY more than that!" But the more she thought about it, the more she realized her grandaughter was on to something.  

I would like to add "tell stories" to that.  Really, think about being a general ed music teacher for Pre-K through 5th or 6th grade.  If you aren't Singing (or playing) Songs,  Playing Games, or Telling Stories in your lessons, then what are you doing?  Is it worth it?  

The way I run my classroom is not the same as someone who does one on one music lessons.  The kids in our classrooms were not given the choice to be here.  Their academic career does not hinge on how well they can read a piece in 6/8 meter.  They are shuffled into our classrooms and the way I see it, this is our time to introduce them to the magic and glory of music in a way that is accessible and maybe even a little out of reach for them.  We are meant to inspire them to find those teachers to give them lessons in the future.  Most of them do not have access to music at home past youtube videos and what Mom and Dad listen to in the car.  We are there to open their minds to beauty and passion and peace through music.  It's so simple and it's also very complex.

In the meantime, if we teach notation and technique, that's great.  It should not be the focus of your lessons.  Fun, inspiration, wonder, beauty.  That's what we should be grading on.  And the people being graded should be the music teachers, not the kids.  Okay, that's maybe a bit off the rails.  Still, this is why I prefer to grade on participation.  Just try.  If you get it, great.  If you don't, just listen and enjoy.  It will reach you or it won't.  

So this is how I feel about the job of the Elementary General Music teacher.  Does that follow Orff?  Fierabend? Kodalay?  While I have used aspects of their programs in my job, I really don't know enough about their core beliefs to know for sure.