"Good teachers are like expert acrobats," says Wendy Sims, professor and director of music education at the University of Missouri-Columbia. "They are creative, quick-thinking and flexible, well-balanced, able to keep many plates spinning or balls in the air at the same time, good teammates, and dedicated to their art form."

Sims adds that expert music educators "demonstrate a solid grasp of the fundamentals, and execute complex routines and artful performances with grace and style."

Martin Bergee, a faculty member in music education at the University of Kansas in Lawrence, says that great teachers have three critical qualities:

• a passionate and abiding commitment to help people of all ages learn, especially children and young people
• the ability to inspire and motivate people to learn
• a deep, deep knowledge of one's subject matter.
   

Both MENC members, professors Sims and Bergee work with preservice and in-service teachers. Experience has taught them that the ability to listen with patience and compassion can also help make a person a better music teacher, parent, and human being.

Resource for Your Students: Know a future teacher who'd like MENC's Teacher Success Kit? View this resource free using your MENC member ID number. An inexpensive CD-ROM version is also for sale; call 800-828-0229.

-- Ella Wilcox, April 9, 2008, © MENC: The National Association for Music Education (www.menc.org).