Becoming music teacher educators: Learning from and with each other in a professional development community

The Mountain Lake Colloquium, a biennial conference held since 1991 in Virginia, has become a robust and dynamic site for the professional learning of music teacher educators. The colloquium aspires to serve as a welcoming space for new colleagues, a seedbed of ideas, a forum for dialogue, a venue for disseminating scholarship, and a community of practice. This chapter captures the dimensions of the scholarship, practice, conversation, inquiry, reflection, and collegiality that have come to characterize participation in this community. It also describes the parallel creation and publication of six issues of the Mountain Lake Reader, a journal for disseminating related examples of practice and scholarly essays in artistic forms. The playful and polyvocal qualities of experience integral to the colloquium may inspire those interested in the professional development of music teacher educators and colleagues who are on the search to integrate scholarship and practice more fully and imaginatively.

Download Full-text

Examining the long-term impact of participating in a professional development community of music teacher educators in the USA: An anchor through turbulent transitions

International Journal of Music Education ◽

10.1177/0255761417704214 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 36 (2) ◽

pp. 145-159 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Kristen Pellegrino ◽

Julie Derges Kastner ◽

Jill Reese ◽

Heather A. Russell

Keyword(s):

Professional Development ◽

Sense Of Community ◽

Collaborative Research ◽

Teacher Educators ◽

Teacher Educator ◽

Research Process ◽

Early Career ◽

Music Teacher ◽

Long Term Impact

Peer mentoring and participating in professional development communities (PDCs) have been documented as supporting individuals through the transition into the teacher educator profession. However, Gallagher, Griffin, Parker, Kitchen, and Figg (2011) suggested future researchers examine the lasting impact of participating in PDCs. The purpose of this study was to explore and describe the long-term impact of participating in a PDC of music teacher educators. We, as four participant-researchers and one participant, were five early-career women music teacher educators in tenure-track positions at different institutions, reflecting back on our PDC and collaborative research experiences. We used a social constructivist framework to examine how we made sense of our experiences. Data included individual interviews, paired interviews, reflective journals, and a Facebook group. Findings included: (a) feeling empowered through a sense of community and support; (b) coming to new understandings of ourselves as music teacher educators; (c) experiencing benefits and challenges of our collaborative research process; and (d) still learning/becoming. The sense of community and support, benefits from collaborating on research, and opportunities to “play” with our developing identities had lasting professional and personal implications, which helped us successfully navigate the transitions and provided an anchor during the turbulent process of becoming music teacher educators.

Download Full-text

Higher Education Music Teacher Educators and Assessment: Their Understandings, Efficacy, and Satisfaction

Journal of Assessment in Higher Education ◽

10.32473/jahe.v2i1.122913 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 2 (1) ◽

pp. 35-53

Author(s):

Kelly Anne Parkes ◽

Jared Robert Rawlings

Keyword(s):

Higher Education ◽

Professional Development ◽

Teacher Educators ◽

Mixed Methods Study ◽

Music Teacher ◽

Factor Analyses ◽

Parallel Design ◽

Quantitative Factor ◽

The Relationship ◽

Assessment Pedagogy

In this study, we report what music teacher educators (MTEs, N = 149) in higher education understand about assessment. We include their assessment pedagogy, their levels of assessment pedagogy efficacy (APE) at both programmatic (unit level) and personal levels (ProAPE and PeAPE respectively), and the relationship this efficacy has with their (MTEs) satisfaction of assessment pedagogies within their institutions. This mixed-methods study uses a convergent parallel design, with qualitative inductive coding and quantitative factor analyses, correlational analyses, and non-parametric tests. We determine that MTEs report some misunderstanding of the assessment lexicon nevertheless they hold mostly high levels of both personal and programmatic assessment pedagogy efficacy. Differences were observed between MTEs that graduated after 2008 than those who graduated prior to 2008. Findings center on higher education faculty comfort with assessment in higher education with implications for professional development and continued research in the area.

Download Full-text

Perceived Concerns of Preservice Music Education Teachers: A Cross-Sectional Study

Journal of Research in Music Education ◽

10.1177/002242940705500206 ◽

2007 ◽

Vol 55 (2) ◽

pp. 162-176 ◽

Cited By ~ 26

Author(s):

Mark Robin Campbell ◽

Linda K. Thompson

Keyword(s):

Professional Development ◽

Music Education ◽

Teacher Development ◽

Student Teaching ◽

Teacher Educators ◽

The United States ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Music Teacher ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Practicum Students

The purpose of this study was to explore perceived concern.s of preservice music education teachers across four different points in professional development. A 45-item Teacher Concerns Checklist (Borich, 2000), based upon Fuller and Bown's (1975) three-stage model of teacher development, identified respondents' levels of self-concerns, task concerns, and impact concerns. Participants included 1,121 preservice music educators from 16 institutions of higher education in the United States. Data analysis indicated Field Experience/Practicum students held higher levels of concern than did students in Introduction to Music Education, Methods, and Student Teaching. Fernales consistently held higher concerns than did males. Students indicating a preference to teach elementary level or university level held higher concerns than those intending to teach high school. At all professional development points, impact concerns ranked highest, followed by self concerns, with task concerns ranked lowest. Implications for music teacher educators and suggestions for further research are discussed.

Download Full-text

Developing Effective Dispositions for Teaching Music

The Oxford Handbook of Preservice Music Teacher Education in the United States ◽

10.1093/oxfordhb/9780190671402.013.15 ◽

2019 ◽

pp. 321-344

Author(s):

Michael Raiber

Keyword(s):

Music Education ◽

Teacher Educators ◽

Systematic Approach ◽

Music Teachers ◽

Developmental Stages ◽

Music Teacher ◽

Teacher Dispositions ◽

Teacher Concerns ◽

Teaching Music ◽

The Impact

The impact of teacher dispositions on the professional development of preservice music teachers (PMTs) has been substantiated. This chapter describes an approach to dispositional development within the structure of an introduction to music education course. A teacher concerns model is used to organize this systematic approach through three developmental stages that include self-concerns, teaching task concerns, and student learning concerns. A series of 11 critical questions are presented for use in guiding PMTs’ dispositional development through these developmental stages. Activities to engage PMTs in the exploration of each of these questions are detailed for use by music teacher educators desiring to engage PMTs in dispositional development.

Download Full-text

Pushing the Boundaries from the Inside

The Oxford Handbook of Preservice Music Teacher Education in the United States ◽

10.1093/oxfordhb/9780190671402.013.1 ◽

2019 ◽

pp. 1-22

Author(s):

Colleen Conway ◽

Shannan Hibbard

Keyword(s):

Teacher Education ◽

Preservice Teachers ◽

Music Education ◽

Best Practice ◽

Teacher Educators ◽

Music Teacher ◽

Adaptive Expertise ◽

Music Teacher Education ◽

Classroom Relationships ◽

School Based

This chapter situates the study of music teacher education within the larger body of music education and teacher education research. It problematizes the terms teacher training, teacher education, and best practice and introduces the concept of teaching as an “impossible profession.” Goals of teacher education, including reflective practice and adaptive expertise, are discussed. The chapter outlines the challenges that music teacher educators face as they try to prepare preservice teachers for the realities of P-12 school-based music education while instilling in these new colleagues a disposition toward change. It concludes with narratives that examine teachers’ descriptions of classroom relationships throughout the lens of presence in teaching as a way to remind teacher educators of the importance of their work to push the boundaries of music teacher education in order to serve the profession at large.

Download Full-text

“I Do Belong Here”: Identity Perceptions of Postgraduate Music Education Majors

Journal of Music Teacher Education ◽

10.1177/1057083719865890 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 29 (1) ◽

pp. 56-70

Author(s):

Crystal Sieger

Keyword(s):

Identity Development ◽

Music Education ◽

Teacher Identity ◽

Teacher Educators ◽

Teaching Profession ◽

Music Teacher ◽

Music Teacher Identity ◽

Group Interviews ◽

Axial Coding ◽

Music Education Majors

Students choosing to enter the music teaching profession after having already obtained undergraduate degrees in other music fields may experience unique forms of socialization and teacher identity development. Participants were four students enrolled in a 3-year master’s program with a music teacher licensure component. Through individual and focus group interviews, participants shared their perspectives on program experiences, course elements, and interactions with peers and professors as important influences on their developing music teacher identity. I examined the data for emerging patterns and applied open and axial coding to the most prominent responses, resulting in themes centered on participants’ socialization experiences, desire for independence, need for self-justification, and “outsider” status among peers. To combat lack of peer recognition or support, participants developed strong, collaborative relations with each other. Implications for music teacher educators are considered.

Download Full-text

Music Teacher Education Program Practices: Preparing Teachers to Work With Diverse Learners

Journal of Music Teacher Education ◽

10.1177/1057083720984365 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 30 (2) ◽

pp. 51-64

Author(s):

Mara E. Culp ◽

Karen Salvador

Keyword(s):

Teacher Education ◽

Preservice Teachers ◽

Music Education ◽

Teacher Educators ◽

Teacher Education Program ◽

Music Educators ◽

Diverse Learners ◽

Music Teacher ◽

Music Teacher Education ◽

Education Programs

Music educators must meet the needs of students with diverse characteristics, including but not limited to cultural backgrounds, musical abilities and interests, and physical, behavioral, social, and cognitive functioning. Music education programs may not systematically prepare preservice teachers or potential music teacher educators for this reality. The purpose of this study was to examine how music teacher education programs prepare undergraduate and graduate students to structure inclusive and responsive experiences for diverse learners. We replicated and expanded Salvador’s study by including graduate student preparation, incorporating additional facets of human diversity, and contacting all institutions accredited by National Association of Schools of Music to prepare music educators. According to our respondents, integrated instruction focused on diverse learners was more commonly part of undergraduate coursework than graduate coursework. We used quantitative and qualitative analysis to describe course offerings and content integration.

Download Full-text

Integrating popular music into urban schools: Assessing the effectiveness of a comprehensive music teacher development program

International Journal of Music Education ◽

10.1177/0255761420986220 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 025576142098622

Author(s):

Hal Abeles ◽

Lindsay Weiss-Tornatore ◽

Bryan Powell

Keyword(s):

Professional Development ◽

New York ◽

Music Education ◽

Popular Music ◽

Teacher Development ◽

Development Program ◽

Music Teacher ◽

School Year ◽

Music Program ◽

K 12

As popular music education programs become more common, it is essential to determine what kinds of professional development experiences that are designed to help teachers include popular music into their music education classrooms are effective—keeping in mind that the inclusion of popular music in K–12 classrooms requires a change not only in instrumentation and repertoire but also pedagogical approaches. This study examined the effects of a popular music professional development initiative on more than 600 New York City urban music teachers’ musicianship, their pedagogy, and their leadership skills throughout one school year. Results revealed increases in all three areas, most notably in teachers’ musicianship. The study also showed an increase in teachers’ positive perceptions about their music programs, specifically, their level of excitement about the state of their music program and that their music program was more effective at meeting their students’ needs than it had been previously.

Download Full-text

Is Music Teacher Professional Development Becoming More Effective? Evaluating Practice and Policy in the United States, 1993–2012

Journal of Research in Music Education ◽

10.1177/0022429420982525 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 002242942098252

Author(s):

Justin J. West

Keyword(s):

Professional Development ◽

United States ◽

Social Interaction ◽

Teacher Professional Development ◽

The United States ◽

Music Teacher ◽

Policy Practice ◽

Teacher Professional ◽

Nationally Representative ◽

Using Data

The purpose of this study was to evaluate music teacher professional development (PD) practice and policy in the United States between 1993 and 2012. Using data from the nationally representative Schools and Staffing Survey (SASS) spanning these 20 years, I examined music teacher PD participation by topic, intensity, relevance, and format; music teachers’ top PD priorities; and the reach of certain PD-supportive policies. I assessed these descriptive results against a set of broadly agreed-on criteria for “effective” PD: content specificity, relevance, voluntariness/autonomy, social interaction, and sustained duration. Findings revealed a mixed record. Commendable improvements in content-specific PD access were undercut by deficiencies in social interaction, voluntariness/autonomy, sustained duration, and relevance. School policy, as reported by teachers, was grossly inadequate, with only one of the nine PD-supportive measures appearing on SASS reaching a majority of teachers in any given survey year. Implications for policy, practice, and scholarship are presented.

Download Full-text