Preservice Music Educators Research Articles

“Once We Found Our Groove, . . .”: A Study of Preservice Music Teachers Engaged in a Popular Music Education Experience

The purpose of this intrinsic case study was to examine the perceived benefits and challenges of implementing informal learning practices through popular music education for preservice music teachers. Specifically, we sought to understand why and how preservice music educators would perceive benefits and challenges from their experiences in a modern band. We conducted a study with five preservice music teachers in a modern band outside of the curriculum in a music teacher education program. We collected the data for 9 weeks, gathering multiple interviews, participants’ written responses, artifacts, and researchers’ field notes. Three overarching themes emerged from the data analysis: (a) a self-navigating process of aural-based learning, (b) autonomy with freedom, and (c) reflective educators. Our findings indicated that the ultimate goal of informal learning practices in music teacher education may not be limited to mastering musical skills but should include improving problem solving and classroom decision making.

Preservice music educators’ perceived self-efficacy in teaching students with disabilities following special education coursework: A comparative mixed-methods study

Preservice music educators’ (PMEs) experiences teaching students with disabilities (SwD) often occurs through general education coursework. Researchers have examined the effect of content-specific course work on PMEs preparation to teach music to SwD but have not examined if differences in course and clinical settings impact their self-reported feelings of self-efficacy. The purpose of this study was to examine whether differences in the delivery (online or in-person) of music-specific coursework and clinicals affected PMEs confidence to teach music to SwD. Students who participated in an online course reported a significant decrease in their self-efficacy ( t (17) = 3.57, p = .002, d = 0.89), while those who participated in an in-person course reported a significant increase ( t (10) = 7.116, p = .001, d = 2.15). Although no statistical significance was found between groups ( t (28) = 0.976, p = .33, d = 0.36), a comparative analysis of interview data provided nuanced differences. Applications for preservice music educator needs and instruction are discussed.

A Grounded Theory of Early Preservice Music Teacher Identity Development

The purpose of this grounded theory was to discover the process of undergraduate students’ music teacher identity development in the first 2 years of their preservice music education program. Participants in this study were 21 undergraduate students from an introduction to music education course. We collected multiple types of data, including interviews and written artifacts, from a course-based undergraduate research experience that focused on music teacher identity development. Consistent with Charmaz’s approach, data collection and analysis were grounded in a constructivist paradigm. We analyzed participants’ music teacher identity development in a cyclical, three-phase process during the early years of their undergraduate teacher education programs. The three phases involved (a) outer experiences and interactions, (b) inner reflective processes, and (c) actions based on their reflections. The phases were situated within the context of participants’ developing sense of self. Central to this process was the students’ personal development, particularly as individuals in the stage of late adolescence.

A Profile of Community College Students as Preservice Music Educators

The purpose of this explanatory sequential mixed-methods study was to provide a profile of preservice music educators who chose to attend community college and a description of factors that led to this choice. The study was framed by Perna’s college choice model and focused on participants’ experiences and the socioeconomic and educational contexts that predated their enrollment. Quantitative data were collected via a questionnaire to community college students who sought a career in music education ( N = 59). Qualitative data were gleaned from interviews with four participants. Most participants (77.97%) identified as White, 47.47% identified as female, the mean age was 21.90 years, and 50.85% were first-generation college students. Participants reported varying levels of cultural capital, with 54.24% receiving private lessons prior to college. Affordability, location, the opportunity to live at home, flexible scheduling, and prior positive experiences with the college were motivators for attending a community college.

Preservice Music Teachers’ Classroom Management Beliefs

The purpose of this study was to investigate the beliefs of preservice music educators regarding classroom management. Our sample consisted of 210 preservice music educators that were identified through National Association of Schools of Music–affiliated institutions. Participants completed a modified version of the Classroom Management Beliefs Survey developed by Kwok. Participants attributed the highest importance to creating a safe environment for all students and building a classroom community of care and respect for others, whereas they considered rearranging seating for desired student interactions and integrating a system of rewards and consequences as least important. There were statistically significant differences between certain categorical variables and participants’ indicated level of importance for aspects of classroom management. The implications of these findings for music teacher educators are also discussed.

Avoiding Praxis Shock: Optimizing Preservice Music Education and Mentoring for Early-Career Music Teacher Success

The shock that teachers experience as they enter the profession is well documented across all disciplines. Nothing can completely prepare new teachers for the wide variety of realities they will face. The purpose of this article is to give insight into making the difficult transition from music student to music teacher a smoother and more effective process. Specifically, the authors offer pragmatic suggestions to novice music teachers, particularly on the benefits of various types of mentoring that may aid in this transition.

Elementary General Music: Perceptions and Aspirations of Preservice Music Teachers

The purpose of this study was to gain a deeper understanding of preservice music educators’ perceptions of elementary general music (EGM), pedagogical competencies, and specialization preference. Preservice music teachers responded to a survey about perceptions of personal experiences with EGM, preparation and comfort related to EGM, and confidence in the ability to teach content and skills common in EGM curricula. Participants ( n = 203) also answered questions about their preferred specialization and about factors that would influence their choice of job in the future. Most participants remembered having positive personal experiences with general music in elementary school and believe it is important for future musical success. Confidence in content and skills common in teaching EGM increases as they progress through their degree program. Most identify ensemble teaching and middle and high school grades as their future aspirations. Significant predictors of future career choice included undergraduate major and comfort teaching.

Perceptions and experiences of preservice music educators working with students with disabilities: A mixed methods inquiry of online field experiences within a music for special education course

Music teacher preparation programs typically provide preservice music educators (PMEs) experiences working with many student populations, including students with disabilities. Researchers have shown the positive impact field experience and coursework has on PMEs preparation to teach music to students with disabilities (SWD). Yet, few music education programs provide PMEs with experiences teaching SWD. The purpose of this explanatory mixed methods study was to examine the influence of a 6-week online field experience, in combination with content-specific coursework, on PME’s perceptions related to teaching music to SWD. From pretest to posttest, participants reported a significant decrease in these perceptions. In subsequent interviews, the authors found that participants’ perceptions may have decreased due to feelings of inadequacy and the desire for more experience. Participants stated that the field experience was the most meaningful part of the course overall. Implications for preservice music teacher education are discussed.

Secondary choral students’ and preservice music educators’ perceptions of a service-learning experience in the United States: An action research study

AbstractThe purpose of this service-learning action research study was to develop and investigate after-school individualised vocal lessons for secondary students aged 14–18 years (n = 15) taught by preservice music educators (PMEs) (n = 12) in the United States. In service learning, all parties should benefit from the experience while addressing curricular and community needs. Therefore, our intentions were to: (a) improve secondary student preparedness for solo experiences, (b) provide an authentic teaching experience to improve the quality of instruction given by PMEs, and (c) develop a mutually beneficial and collaborative service-learning experience. The following themes emerged from the data: (a) perceptions of teaching disposition – such as confidence, interpersonal skills and enthusiasm; (b) perceptions of teaching skills – such as student engagement, questioning techniques and responsive teaching; and (c) perceptions of pedagogical content knowledge – such as vocal anatomy, physiology and pedagogy.

Perceived influences of a music teacher education programme on preservice music educators’ occupational identity development

ABSTRACT The purpose of this study was to examine preservice music educators’ perceptions of how the culture of a music teacher education programme and its embedded communities of practice influenced their occupational identity development. Research questions were (a) What specific cultural influences and communities of practice, if any, did the participants describe as particularly influential in regard to occupational identity development and why? (b) How did the participants describe their respective changes in occupational identities, if any? Participants were preservice music educators enrolled in an early childhood music education methods class with authentic-context learning (ACL) experiences. Data included audio recordings of classes, observational field notes, transcripts from multiple individual interviews and a focus group discussion, and students’ reflection journals. Participants cited several music teacher education courses, embedded ACL experiences, and supportive interactions with peers and professors, as a constellation of factors that influenced an occupational identity transition within themselves to think more broadly about their identities as educators and the means through which music could be taught.

Preservice Music Educators’ Preparedness, Self-Efficacy, and Commitment to Incorporate Popular Music

The purpose of the study was to examine preservice music teachers’ degree of preparedness, self-efficacy, and commitment to incorporating popular music into their P-12 music classrooms, as well as the relationship among the constructs in popular music teaching. Preservice music educators ( N = 81) from 23 music education programs in the United States completed a researcher-constructed questionnaire to rate their preparedness, self-efficacy, and commitment to incorporate popular music. Participants reported a moderate degree of preparedness to teach popular music and moderate popular music teaching self-efficacy. Moreover, participants rated their commitment to incorporating popular music relatively high. Correlation analyses revealed significant and positive correlations between preparedness and self-efficacy, as well as preparedness and commitment. In addition, a positive correlation was found between teachers’ self-efficacy for popular music teaching and their commitment to incorporating popular music. Additional findings include significant correlations between preservice educators’ preparedness to teach various musical genres and their self-efficacy.

Preservice Teachers as Policy Actors: Developing Policy Consciousness in a Student-Led Arts Partnership Program

The purpose of this study was to consider how the experiences of nine preservice music educators who participated in the development of Project B impacted their understandings of and participation in policy. Project B is an after-school program that seeks to provide music education classes for children at several metropolitan elementary schools as part of an arts partnership program. Drawing from the four dispositions of policy consciousness, I considered how preservice educators grappled with their complex roles as policy actors within this setting. In particular, I focused on the dispositions cultivated by these preservice teachers as they developed this program, as well as the ways in which participating in the creation of this program impacted how they engaged as policy actors and leaders as inservice music educators. Participants’ experiences offer implications related to the importance of participating in contextualized policy-oriented experiences for preservice music educators.

Student-directed learning in popular musicianship: An action research study of university music students

This action research study provides insight into the learning of university music education students who participated in a popular musicianship experience. The participants were thirty-four music education students (i.e. pre-service music educators) at an American university enrolled in a student-directed Popular Musicianship course. Although given access to “rock band” instruments and sound equipment during the semester-long experience, they did not receive any direct instruction from the faculty instructor of record. After organizing into bands, the participants were challenged to prepare for performance two or three songs, including one cover and one original song. They also indicated the confidence they had in their ability to lead their future students in popular music making. This measure of self-efficacy was collected at the beginning, middle, and end of the experience. Also, participant written descriptions of their experiences was analyzed qualitatively. The findings of the study indicated that participants believed their overall musicianship benefited from the experience due to the challenging nature of vernacular music making, which was also enjoyable and rewarding. The experience also appeared to impact their teaching philosophies for the future. Finally, their self-efficacy increased significantly across the experience.

Preservice Music Educators’ Perceptions of Online Synchronous Fieldwork: A Case Study

The purpose of this instrumental case study was to examine preservice music educators’ perceptions of teaching voice lessons to elementary and secondary students during an online synchronous fieldwork experience. I used Garrison et al.’s Community of Inquiry (CoI) framework to analyze the participants’ perceptions of cognitive presence (i.e., triggering events, exploration, integration, and resolution), social presence (i.e., emotional expression, open communication, and group cohesion), and teaching presence (i.e., structure and design of the fieldwork experience). During initial lessons, participants cited mostly triggering events and exploration, which occurred alongside indicators of social presence. Participants cited technological challenges associated with online synchronous learning (i.e., teaching presence) may have hindered instances of integration and resolution. Music teacher educators may consider using the CoI framework to structure collaborative and supportive online synchronous fieldwork experiences.

Exploratory and Creative Practices in Undergraduate Brass Techniques Coursework

Coursework across the music education curriculum provides teacher educators an opportunity to introduce and reinforce a range of instructional practices (i.e., creating, performing, responding to, and connecting with music) into the music classroom. Although instrument techniques courses are a foundational part of an undergraduate music education curriculum, previous research suggests that preservice music educators perceive these courses to be less impactful on their future careers than other courses in the curriculum. To create meaningful and transferable learning experiences, music teacher educators can include elements of experimentation, mistake-making, and creativity in brass techniques courses to provide preservice music educators with opportunities for independent learning and problem-solving. By offering these pedagogical techniques, music teacher educators can also model constructivist practices for students to use in their future classrooms.

Conducting and Rehearsal Skills in Preservice Music Education: A Review of the Literature

Preservice music educators are expected to develop a variety of skills throughout their undergraduate program to prepare them for the challenges of classroom instruction. One of the most complex tasks is to learn how to effectively conduct and rehearse large ensembles. Preservice music educators often struggle with conducting gestures, balancing verbal and nonverbal instruction, and error detection. Researchers have explored these and other aspects of conducting and rehearsal skills development and offered suggestions concerning undergraduate music education curricula. The purpose of this review of the literature is to synthesize research related to conducting and rehearsal skills development and offer suggestions for improving preservice music educators’ related skills.

It’s about time: An examination of the importance of timing on positivity of preservice music educators’ teaching reflections

“We do not learn from experience. . .we learn from reflecting on experience” (Dewey, 1933). Building on the theoretical frameworks of Dewey and Schön involving reflective practice, we expanded existent reflective research by examining timing of preservice music educators’ self-reflections after peer teaching. We examined reflection timing (immediately after peer teaching or after viewing video of that same teaching), effect of differing prompts immediately following teaching (free: “How did the lesson go?” or structured: “Name one good thing and one area to improve”), and changes over time (three peer teaching experiences). We examined 5,175 comments from 138 reflections across 69 lessons taught by 23 pre-service educators. Results, analyzed in terms of pre-determined categories, revealed that teachers were consistently less positive immediately after teaching than after viewing video. Positivity was well below 50% but increased across each lesson. Responses were primarily self-focused rather than student focused, especially immediately after teaching. Teachers tended to emphasize social aspects (confidence, atmosphere) during immediate reflections but mentioned music and instruction more frequently after viewing video. Descriptive data, consisting of percentages and graphic comparisons, were discussed in terms of implications for effective teacher preparation and suggested areas of further research.

Cultural Humility in Music Teacher Education: Toward Transformative Dialogues on Power, Privilege, and Social (In)equity

Cultural humility has gained traction as a potentially transformative construct in social justice work, compelling practitioners to engage in a lifelong process of self-reflection and self-critique to recognize the limitations of their knowledge, practice openness toward others, and actively work to mitigate systemic inequities. In this paper, we draw theoretical interpretations from an empirical study of cultural humility as negotiated and developed through dialogues within a preservice music education course. By considering cultural humility through an iterative analysis of both empirical findings and theoretical perspectives, we propose that cultural humility comprises a fluid interrelation of intrapersonal, interpersonal, and transformative dimensions. We further articulate the significant internal struggles and challenges that emerged from this work as students navigated the various complications and contradictions that materialized through the process.

Musical backgrounds and musical identity development in pre-service music education and primary education students: a narrative study

ABSTRACT This study examined Finnish first-and second-year music education major students and primary education students who participate 25-credits minor subject studies in music, childhood and adolescent musical experiences and musical paths. The participants (N = 30) were asked to write an essay on the topic ‘Music and Me’. Using holistic content analysis, five different composite stories were formed, each representing a different developmental path to a specific musical identity type: pop/jazz musician, ensemble musician, classical musician, leisure musician and music listener. Using self-determination theory (Deci and Ryan 2000) and a combined framework of personal and social identity development (Albarello, Crocetti, and Rubini 2018), it is proposed that versatility of instruction, consideration of basic psychological needs and fostering peer interaction are crucial to adolescent identity development, different musical identity types and pursuit of a musical career. Extended music programmes had a positive impact on participants’ identity development.

Preservice Music Educators’ Perceptions of In-Person and Asynchronous Online Fieldwork Experiences

The purpose of this instrumental case study was to examine preservice music educators’ (PMEs) perceptions of a semester-long fieldwork experience first delivered in person and then asynchronously online. Using the community of inquiry (CoI) framework, I analyzed the PMEs’ perceptions of their teaching presence in both fieldwork experiences. Participants cited benefits and challenges with lesson plan organization, in-person and asynchronous instruction, and building consensus about effective teaching. Notably, the asynchronous fieldwork provided a non-reactive environment where the script and delivery of content took precedent over a rehearsal mindset, which was more responsive and occurred during the in-person fieldwork. Based on these findings, music teacher educators might consider asynchronous fieldwork when in-person fieldwork is unavailable or as a stepping stone to prepare PMEs for in-person fieldwork experiences.