Performing as a Skill

I have been thinking a lot about the David Elliot article and his critique of the aesthetic concept of music education. I believe that it is extremely important for students to be able to listen to music and understand what they are listening to. However, a student will gain a greater understanding of a piece if they perform it themselves. I recently performed my senior recital, and in the process of doing so, I learned a great deal about the composers I sang, their compositional techniques, and the time periods they composed. Without a performing aspect of music education, students will never truly understand music. It is our job as teachers to create musicians, not patrons of music.