Problems: Music Education online

SIMULTANEOUSLY very personal and social, music "evokes emotions that resonate within our deepest selves and may help us manage negative moods and stress." (Hesmondhalgh, 2013) Studies on the power of music during Covid-19 showed that listening to music relieves feelings of depression and anxiety. People use music as "a replacement for social interaction," hence making us "feel connected to others, and may help to create a sense of belonging." "Thus, music may aid in coping with difficulties arising from the situation created by the pandemic" (https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/0305735621 1003326) For its great value, we hope for music education not to lose its quality whilst it is taught online since the pandemic unhinged our peace.

Pre-pandemic issues. Even before the pandemic disrupted Philippine education, we already faced significant problems in music education. Though in some ways these problems have been being met to ease the situation, there are still major problems that until today have not been much resolved. Foremost of the problems has been the lack of enough music teachers in our basic education. Teachers teaching music are not necessarily music teachers. Music teachers refer to teachers whose studies are on music education as their concentration or major field, not those whose major in their education degree music is just one of several other concentration areas (Mapeh). Our lack of enough music teachers cannot be met with generalist teachers assigned to music education. In their circumstances as such they "lack subject knowledge and skills about the syllabus requirements and personal musical experience." Good that among teachers with majors in Mapeh, there are those who pursue a Master's in Education major in Music Education. Another major problem is the lack of resources such as musical instruments. In general, low priority is given to music in schools — all these resulting in the marginalization of music education and programs. Given the acknowledged importance of music education to holistic education, let us try knowing our students' perception of the extent to which online education is making them learn what they are being taught. The insights we gain would help us improve music education, especially that online teaching seems to have no alternative while the pandemic is not over.