An online community of interns: Examining the music student teaching seminar in a virtual setting

Abstract

Communities of Practice are integral as a network for engaging in regular interactions, sharing resources, and offering support. As online collegiate communities continue to expand, exploration of virtual courses—specifically, the music student teaching seminar—seems necessary. The purpose of this instrumental case study was to describe music student teachers’ (MSTs, N = 20) and instructors’ experiences in a virtual music student teaching seminar in the United States. Data collection included (a) observations of weekly seminar meetings; (b) focus group interviews with MSTs and seminar instructors; (c) text chat transcripts from virtual meetings and the class Facebook® group; and (d) course documents. Findings highlight the successes and challenges of developing, instructing, and facilitating the seminar in a virtual space, the perceived impact of online chat platforms/functions as an instructional and reflective tool, the benefits of regular seminar meetings, and participants’ perceived purpose of the music student teaching seminar.