In Praise of the Playful, Silly, Goofy Middle School Music Teacher

Anecdotal evidence from observing masterful middle school music educators suggests they often place emphasis on inside jokes, quirky puppets/mascots/artifacts, imaginative conversations, and a mode of teaching that invites laughter and fun. This type of playfulness can satisfy both community-building and instructional purposes. Despite the prevalence of such playfulness, this important aspect of middle school music teaching has been long neglected in scholarly journals. Therefore, the purpose of this article is to recognize the effectiveness of middle school music teacher playfulness and the approaches built around such an ethos. I first define teacher playfulness and relate it to the concepts of play, pedagogical creativity, and adolescent brain development. I give examples of how ensemble teachers engage with purposeful playfulness in their classrooms, and I give recommendations and considerations for the music teacher interested in infusing their teaching with playful ideas. Although there are possible objections to playfulness in secondary ensemble classrooms, I aim to persuade middle school teachers to acknowledge the value of being silly and using humor to derive positive effects on community and learning.