An Examination of Music Student Teaching Seminars at Midwestern Universities

Abstract

This study was designed to (a) provide teacher educators and researchers with information about the structure and content of music student teaching seminars by gathering data on current practices and (b) examine whether the perceived needs of music student teachers were being met through the content and structure of the student teaching seminars. Music education professors ( N = 45) participated in a researcher-designed survey that included questions pertaining to the student teaching internship and accompanying seminar course. Results indicated that seminar instructors addressed student teacher responsibilities and preparation, classroom management, and employment more extensively than any other areas. Professional portfolios, résumé writing, and mock interviews represented the most common seminar activities. Findings suggest that with the exception of classroom management, the topics that instructors addressed most extensively in the music student teaching seminar did not align with the perceived needs of music student teachers, as reported in extant research.