Preparedness of Instrumental Music Majors Teaching Elementary General Music

2019 ◽  
Vol 67 (3) ◽  
pp. 304-322
Author(s):  
Christa R. Kuebel

The purpose of this multiple-case study was to examine the career development, choices, and goals of elementary general music teachers who identified as instrumental majors during their undergraduate degree programs. Data collection included a questionnaire, interviews, participant journals, and observation field notes; data were organized using the theoretical framework of social cognitive career theory. Themes are presented in two categories: internal influences (self-efficacy and perceived differences between elementary music and instrumental music) and external influences (economy, undergraduate preparation, and working in elementary general music). Implications regarding the development of self-efficacy and preparation for teaching outside of one’s specialization are discussed.

Author(s):  
Jennifer Potter

The purpose of investigation was to examine the perceptions of elementary music teachers concerning the preparation of elementary music performances and the impact on their perceived stress. Participants were practicing elementary general music teachers ( N = 3) representing three different elementary schools from a metropolitan area in the Midwest. All participants were interviewed twice over a period of two months via Zoom. Data were analyzed through an open coding process (Gibbs, 2007), which yielded three themes: time management, control, and isolation. Facets of time management included strategic planning, organizational techniques, and instructional time; control concerned scheduling, repertoire selection, equipment, and performance venues; and isolation pertained to relationships with colleagues and administrators and an overwhelming amount of responsibility. These findings indicate the importance of acknowledging various stressors affecting music educators and how those might positively and negatively affect teachers and students.


2019 ◽  
Vol 29 (3) ◽  
pp. 77-90
Author(s):  
Rachel Grimsby

The purpose of this instrumental case study was to examine three elementary music teacher’s perceptions of preparation to work with students with disabilities. Research questions included the following: How do elementary general music teachers define preparedness for working with students with disabilities? What challenges do elementary general music teachers face in their work with students with disabilities? What resources do general music teachers identify as helpful? Based on major themes that emerged from the analysis, I concluded general music teachers need more preservice preparation and ongoing professional development focused on students with disabilities, more time to collaborate with special education professionals, more consistent communications and recommendations about how to work with students who have disabilities, and access to assistive technologies.


2020 ◽  
pp. 105708372098046
Author(s):  
Jennifer L. Potter

The purpose of this study was to investigate elementary general music teachers’ classroom management self-efficacy. Targeted participants were novice and experienced elementary general music teachers teaching in urban, suburban, and rural/small town settings who received a survey disseminated through the National Association for Music Education. Survey participant data were analyzed using analysis of variance and analytic induction. Teaching experience had a significant effect on classroom management efficacy, while school setting did not. Themes that emerged from the analysis of responses to open-ended questions included adapting and implementing classroom management strategies, consistency, parental involvement, students’ home environments, and teacher expectations. Implications are also presented that relate to general music teachers’ self-efficacy.


2016 ◽  
Vol 35 (2) ◽  
pp. 23-29 ◽  
Author(s):  
Valerie A. Baker

The purpose of this study was to identify teacher opinion of piano use, the amount of piano use, and current purposes for pianos in elementary general music classrooms. A geographically diverse sample of general music teachers ( N = 189) completed a piano use survey. The data indicated that teachers felt piano was an important part of elementary music and that the piano should be used for accompaniment more than any other purpose. Pianos were most commonly used on a weekly basis. Teachers who began piano lessons at a younger age also tended to use more piano in their classrooms. Qualitative statements made about piano use were positive and enthusiastic. This study provides direction for future research in the investigation of relationships between amount of piano use and teacher variables, and the amount of a cappella singing in the elementary classroom.


2021 ◽  
pp. 105708372110245
Author(s):  
Karen Salvador ◽  
Mara E. Culp

Although many music teacher candidates begin university studies planning to teach secondary ensembles, most will ultimately be certified to teach younger children and may be called to do so. The purpose of this study was to examine how music teacher education programs prepare preservice music educators to teach music to children from birth through elementary school through coursework. We emailed survey invitations to representatives from 512 institutions accredited by the National Association of Schools of Music to prepare music educators. We received 134 usable responses (response rate = 26%). Nearly all respondents offered elementary general music methods (EGMM), and over three quarters required EGMM for all students in initial licensure programs. Only about one in ten responding institutions offered early childhood music methods (ECMM). We describe findings on EGMM and ECMM course structures, content, and materials as well as the employment status, degree background, and other qualifications of the person who typically taught this coursework


2020 ◽  
pp. 104837132096137
Author(s):  
Taryn Raschdorf ◽  
Brittany Nixon May ◽  
Amie Searcy

As social-emotional learning (SEL) initiatives are being adopted by many states and school districts, many music teachers have been actively and successfully integrating SEL into their elementary general music curriculum. Whether teaching in person or remotely music educators can create an environment conducive to SEL by practicing mindfulness, building relationships with and between students, encouraging family music engagement, and engaging in inclusive music activities. In this column, you will find resources and ideas about SEL, discover how it looks and functions in the music classroom (virtual or not), and hear from music educators who currently incorporate SEL in their teaching.


2020 ◽  
pp. 1321103X1987107
Author(s):  
Jody Stark

This article outlines the methodology and findings from an interpretive collective case study exploring the professional learning of three elementary music teachers. Participants were purposefully selected based on their differing career stages, background, and teaching situations, and each participant was interviewed five or six times over the course of the 5-month study. Additional data sources included field notes from classroom observations, a variety of artifacts provided by the participants, and responses to Pre-Interview Activity prompts. Through hermeneutic analysis of individual case data related to each participant’s teaching and experience of professional learning, participants were found to have a variety of highly personalized learning processes which they used as mechanisms for their ongoing professional growth. Cross-case analysis revealed three larger themes related to the participants’ professional learning: (1) The quality of the participants’ learning was always instrumental and related to specific personal goals for/issues in practice; (2) meaningful professional learning had a temporal element and was characterized by continuity; and (3) the participants’ professional learning was social in nature.


2002 ◽  
Vol 50 (2) ◽  
pp. 155-164 ◽  
Author(s):  
Evelyn K. Orman

The purpose of this study was to examine use of class time in elementary general music classes in relation to the nine voluntary National Standards for Music Education. Elementary music specialists (N = 30) were videotaped teaching students in Grades 1 through 6. Use of class time was analyzed separately for teacher and student according to activity and the focus of the activity. Overall, results indicated that elementary music specialists spent class time on all nine standards; however, less time was devoted to those standards that required creative or artistic decision-making skills from the students. Congruent with previous research, teachers in this study spent the majority of class time (46.36%) engaged in talking. Additional results showed that students spent the majority of class time (57.07%) in passive roles.


2019 ◽  
Vol 33 (3) ◽  
pp. 36-39
Author(s):  
Tiger Robison

Experienced teachers often know the value of partnering with students’ families to help students gain the most out of their time in school. Elementary general music teachers occupy a unique place in this triangle among students, families, and teachers because, unlike their other elementary school colleagues, they often see hundreds of students each week, year after year. Such circumstances can lead early-career general music teachers to feel overwhelmed about making connections with families. This column, the fifth in a series about classroom management and the first of several about the particular topic of students’ families, contains three techniques for making meaningful connections with students’ families and its benefits toward preventing classroom management issues.


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