Time flies. I know, that is the understatement of the year. The school year started only about a month ago and already look at all that you and your students have accomplished. Whether choral, general music or instrumental, a lot has happened since the first day of school. As we have moved through these past few weeks I am confident that you have noticed, whether you are a new or veteran teacher, that you have a wide range of personalities in your classroom. There are actually 16 defined personality types, as defined by Isabel Briggs Myers and her mother Katherine Briggs in their Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI). Four preference indicators make up each personality type. Each indicator is one each of the following pairs: Extraversion (E) or Introversion (I), Sensing (S) or Intuition (N), Thinking (T) or Feeling(F), and Judging (J) or Perceiving (P). Types are indicated by using one indicator from each category such as INTJ. This personality type is known as the Architect and they are known as “Imaginative and strategic thinkers, with a plan for everything”. The other end of the spectrum is the ESFP known as the Entertainer who is defined as “spontaneous, energetic and enthusiastic people – life is never boring around them”. 14 other personality types have a combination of these attributes, one from each category.
If you have an ensemble of around 75 you likely have most if not all of these personality types in your group. The fun thing is, that you have a personality type as well. Do you know what your personality type is? There are several places on the internet where you can take a free personality type indicator. If you don’t know what yours is, I would recommend that you take the time to find out. Knowing what your personality type is can help you to understand why you do things the way you do, and knowing the personality type of your students can help you understand why they do things the way they do.
Musicians are made up of all 16 personality types. Some of us are extroverted while others are introverted. Some of us take in information with Sensing whereas others do so with Intuition. Some of us come to conclusions using thinking while others base their conclusions more on Feelings. Some of us approach the outside world through Judging while others do so through Perceiving. No one personality type is better than the other. They just help to explain why we behave and react the way we do. When you are planning your lesson, or when you have someone who is having trouble understanding, consider the student’s personality type when you are trying to figure out how to reach them better.
In our education classes, we are taught that some students are auditory learners, some are visual learners, and some are tactile learners. We are told that it is best to present new information three different times in three different ways so that every student can grasp the lesson through one of the three different approaches. In music education, we use all three approaches naturally every day. Our course of study is naturally suited for it and, in fact, demands it. Movement is a major part of our profession from pre-K through college. Music is full of visuals, from music written on the staff to Solfege hand gestures in singing. Auditory learners learn best by listening to our musical examples or verbal explanations.
Our success in music education comes from understanding both ourselves and our students. Keeping an even temperament and high expectations while working with our students is key to gaining their respect and loyalty. I challenge each of you to spend a little time in quiet introspection. Be aware of all that is happening around you. Prepare to work with those who need to look at things a different way than you do to understand. Be a leader through your preparation and proactiveness.