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After having spent the past semester student teaching in an elementary general music school setting, I found my philosophy of music education has changed slightly. I believe it is my duty as a music teacher to give children the most comprehensive musical experiences possible, and that way, children will be able to take what they have learned and do whatever they desire to musically. Therefore, I don't think grades in music are meant to be about right and wrong; they're meant to show effort. Especially at a young age. This way, there isn't the pressure on the kids to be right, they can hopefully have a relaxed anough environment to explore and discover on their own. Not to say that the teacher isn't assessing. In my student teaching experience, I assessed all the time. I assessed the progress of the children within the lesson, deciding if I needed to spend more time on one thing instead of moving on. I was always listening to their singing to make sure the song was right, especially if we were moving to Orff instruments with the song. I was assessing their responses, their performances, and their questions to know if I needed to alter something as the teacher in order to make the experience more beneficial and learning filled for the children.