Music Education

Yesterday I sat with a brilliant man at a picnic.
We discussed music teaching methods and some of the most enormous questions.

Do music educators teach using methods that will reach everyone, but that is limited in its ability to offer a higher level of understanding for those who could learn and thus leave everyone at a level of mediocrity?

OR

Do educators teach using a method that some students will most certainly be unable to excel with, while it offers more capable students an opportunity for massive understanding and musical growth, leaving a large disparity of knowledge between students on the educational spectrum?

I was able to discuss this with the gentlemen music director because I am reasonably informed on the subject, having spent my childhood following my mom to Orff classes, master classes, conductors seminars, choral lectures, music educators seminars, master of Ed graduate courses, etc etc.

He was shocked at the end of the discussion and said:

"And YOU got your DEGREE in Business Management??!"
I nodded at this, unable to say much.
He said then: "Well, as long as you have music in your life, it's ok that you chose the path to a bigger paycheck".

All I could do was think of the hard working music educators that receive the smallest of paychecks, many of whom are underpaid, undervalued, underutilized and live day to day, constantly trying to be the best educator they can.

Alas, I give the utmost respect to these individuals who make it their life work to inspire creativity, musical intelligence and most importantly to inspire greatness in all those that they teach.