U·ni·son
simultaneous performance of action or utterance of speech. (Oxford Dictionary)
YOU·ni·son
simultaneous performance of action or utterance of speech that includes YOU.
YOUnison was started with one main objective: to positively influence the future of music education. At YOUnison, we believe in the pursuit of an expanded vision for K-12 music education. We believe that schools outside of the United States teach certain aspects of music more effectively. We believe that the arts are undervalued in our school systems, despite being equally as important as other disciplines. We believe that the rise of new, innovative technology gives us a unique opportunity to revise our teaching methods. We believe that arts courses are a sacred component of holistic education. We believe that every student should have equal access to high-quality music education. We believe that through individualized teaching, we can empower a generation to create and explore innovative solutions. We believe in music as therapy. We believe that music education is one of the keys to improving the world in which we live. YOUnison is a proud advocate for the advancement of music education and we aim to improve how students interact with the arts on an academic and social level.
The power of music education has been instrumental in my development. I seriously began studying saxophone in third grade and am fortunate to be continuing my studies today at West Chester University as a Music Education and Music Performance double-major. I am confident that music will continue to be essential to my future professional, social, and emotional development. I look forward to the future knowing that my musical journey is lifelong and can only hope that all future music students can incorporate music into their lives forever.
Since my elementary classroom days, I have pondered the most effective ways to teach music. During the past year, I was introduced to an element of Educational Philosophy entitled “Social-Emotional Learning,” and when I applied it to my understanding of music education, it rocked my world. A musical journey is not complete without collaboration, relationship-building, verbal and musical communication, internal self-motivation/management, self-awareness, social awareness, critical thinking, etc. The psychological connection between music and the individual has been proven time and time again, yet music education is still treated as secondary to other subjects in schools worldwide. I find this disturbing and illogical.
Amid the COVID-19 crisis, we are extremely fortunate to have technological resources to assist us in our music education endeavors. The will to continue learning and growing is strong. Yes, indeed, we cannot virtually replicate in-person music ensembles and courses in their purest forms. However, we can use technology to collaborate and share our musical ideas. We can take advantage of our resources to stress the importance of music education, to empower one another, and continue to craft a bright future for the arts. But what role will technology play in music education when we get back into the classroom? Is there a way to further embed social-emotional learning in our classrooms? How can we further individualize music education?
This is why the YOUnison community was created. We invite you to join us in our pursuit of advancing music education. We know that we will make mistakes and we will learn from our failures. We will be honest with everybody even when the information may not be positive. We wholeheartedly believe in YOUnison’s vision. It will take an army, but we believe we can use music education as a secret weapon in regards to changing the world. That is why we need YOU.
In the words of the legendary John Lennon,
“You may say I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one
I hope someday you'll join us
And the world will live as one.“
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