Featured Teacher
Mrs Jillian Fox Helps Students
to Strike The Right Chord
“Music expresses that which cannot be put into words and that which cannot remain silent.”
~ Victor Hugo
M
rs Jillian Fox’s love affair
with music began when she
was a child. Hailing from the
west coast of Canada, she
began studying Music in Germany
and completed her studies in Canada.
Her career in teaching has allowed
her to travel to Egypt, China, and
now the U.A.E. She shares with Teach
UAE Magazine her enthusiasm for the
subject and some useful tips that work
inside her music classes.
Music makes you smarter! It inspires
greater connectivity between the right
and left brain. It supports the learning
of languages as well as science and
mathematics. Albert Einstein himself
said that if he were not a physicist,
he would have been a musician.
He believed that the true sign of
intelligence is not knowledge but
imagination, and that this embraces
the entire world, and all there ever will
be to know and understand.
Why did you become a teacher?
What are three activities that you
do to encourage students’ love for
music?
I had the advantage of a musical
upbringing. My father studied Music
and was a secondary school Music
teacher for nearly thirty years, so I
grew up seeing and experiencing the
benefits of Music Education. I also
have a passion for Music and Literature
as subjects, and such passions are
meant for sharing! I became a Music
teacher with the hope that other
children would benefit from music as
much as I have. I believe that music
makes people better. Who doesn’t
need a little of that in today’s world?
What are three key advantages
for students learning to play an
instrument? How does this contribute
to their overall development?
Music and the playing of instruments
teach students to work well individually
as well as in a team. They develop skills
that are valuable in their other subjects
as well as in their future careers and
endeavours. They also feel good
about their own accomplishments.
Music builds communication skills
and confidence. Students receive
positive reinforcement and immediate
feedback when they set musical goals
and accomplish them – there’s nothing
quite like it!
• We listen to a variety of different
kinds of music – students know that
their choices and preferences are
valued.
• We create and make it personal –
our lessons focus on taking what we
learn and hear and making it our own
in individual and group composition
or performance. Students find more
value in the music as it is their creation.
• We have fun! We laugh and play
music games, and make a big deal
out of small accomplishments. Weird
music facts are a particular favourite…
did you know the baton was only
invented after the French Baroque
composer Lully jabbed himself in the
foot with a staff, and later died of an
infection?
What advice would
you give to fellow
music teachers who
are
experiencing
challenges
with
getting
students
interested or to focus
during
music
classes?
Music also addresses the whole child.
It allows children to say things that
can’t be said in any other way. It is
an expression of their intellect, their
emotions, personality, character, and
values. One might say Music educates
the soul. It encourages empathy, care,
and compassion in addition to the
attainment of skills and knowledge.
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Class Time
Find music they love. Make it
relevant.
Celebrate
the
small
stuff!
Encourage students to be openminded, and to appreciate music
in terms of what it offers musically.
Be hands on. Let the kids make
music and make it their own.
Provide opportunities for positive
feedback, and for sharing!
Be tech-savvy! If your school has
a studio or recording capabilities,
let students know that class work
could extend to recording sessions,
CD production…or even studio
sessions sequencing or recording live
performance.
Mrs Fox’s passion for music coupled,
with her love of teaching have resulted
in a fruitful and productive learning
environment for her students. It’s
easy to see why her students enjoy
the subject…her enthusiasm is
contagious.