scholarly journals Integrating popular music and informal music learning practices: A multiple case study of secondary school music teachers enacting change in music education

2019 ◽  
Vol 37 (2) ◽  
pp. 298-310
Author(s):  
Martina Vasil
Keyword(s):  
Secondary School ◽  
Music Education ◽  
Popular Music ◽  
Music Teachers ◽  
Music Learning ◽  
Informal Music Learning ◽  
Learning Practices ◽  
School Music ◽  
Multiple Case

The purpose of this multiple case study was to examine the practices and perspectives of four music teachers who integrated popular music and informal music learning practices into their secondary school music programs in the United States. A primary goal was to understand music teachers’ process of enacting change. Data included 16 semi-structured interviews, eight school site visits and observations, documents, and a researcher journal. Findings revealed that teachers enacted change within micro-contexts—their classrooms. Teachers had an internal locus for change; they developed rationales for change and initiated curricular changes in response to a lack of student engagement, which seemed to stem from students feeling insecure in their musical abilities and disconnected from the content and pedagogy used in music classes. For the teachers in this study, the solution was integrating popular music and informal music learning practices. Thematic analysis revealed eight characteristics of effective teacher-initiated change in secondary music education: (1) holistic and gradual change processes, (2) teacher reflection and inquiry, (3) teacher autonomy, (4) enabling institutional factors, (5) use of a variety of supportive networks, (6) student-centered pedagogy, (7) teacher-selected professional development, and (8) a balance of structure and chaos and formal and informal learning.

Inspiring the Next Generation of Music Educators: A Multiple Case Study of High School Music Experiences and Career Choice

2020 ◽  
pp. 002242942097578
Author(s):  
Tiger Robison ◽  
Scott N. Edgar ◽  
John Eros ◽  
Kimberly H. Councill ◽  
William E. Fredrickson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
High School ◽  
High School Students ◽  
Music Education ◽  
Multiple Case Study ◽  
Music Educators ◽  
Future Research ◽  
School Music ◽  
Multiple Case ◽  
High School Music

The purpose of this instrumental multiple case study was to explore the roles that high school music educators and the experiences they provide play in influencing high school students’ decisions to pursue a career in music education. Four bounded systems, consisting of programs led by ensemble directors with documented records and reputations for helping matriculate music education students into undergraduate music education programs, were studied. Findings were organized into the following themes: (a) formative attraction to the profession, (b) differing approaches to encouragement, (c) forms of encouragement, and (d) life as a music teacher. Specific implications for practice for multiple stakeholders and implications for future research are provided based on these findings.

Songwriting with digital audio workstations in an online community

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 237-252 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthew Clauhs
Keyword(s):  
Music Education ◽  
Popular Music ◽  
Online Community ◽  
Music Teachers ◽  
File Sharing ◽  
Digital Audio ◽  
Google Docs ◽  
Music Production ◽  
School Music ◽  
High School Music

Digital audio workstations and online file-sharing technology may be combined to create opportunities for collaborations among many groups, including performing ensembles, music technology classes, professional songwriters and preservice music teachers. This article presents a model for a digitally mediated online collaboration that focuses on popular music songwriting activities in school and higher education settings. Using an example from a high school music production class that collaborated with an undergraduate music education course through Google Docs and a file-sharing platform, the author outlines steps towards facilitating partnerships that focus on creating music in an online community. Such collaborations may help remove barriers between our classrooms and our communities as music teachers leverage technology to develop relationships with creators and performers of popular music everywhere.

Informal Learning as a Catalyst for Social Justice in Music Education

2015 ◽  
pp. 301-317
Author(s):  
Lucy Green ◽  
Flavia Narita
Keyword(s):  
Social Justice ◽  
Critical Pedagogy ◽  
Music Education ◽  
Informal Learning ◽  
Critical Consciousness ◽  
Music Classroom ◽  
Informal Music Learning ◽  
Learning Practices ◽  
School Music ◽  
Teachers And Students

This chapter considers social justice in relation to the incorporation of a set of informal learning practices within the secondary school music classroom and teacher education. It interprets Nancy Fraser’s view of social justice as “parity of participation” in order to suggest that the dialogical approach of informal music learning practices can potentially promote such participatory parity. It then examines Paulo Freire’s concept of critical pedagogy, which emphasizes the need for teachers and students to participate together in the learning process so as to enhance critical consciousness. Through an application of Green’s theory of musical meaning, the authors suggest that critical consciousness in music can be aided through a deeper understanding of music’s sonic materials and their inter-relations. Informal learning in the music classroom may promote both parity of participation and critical consciousness, with the potential to lead to a liberating musical experience.

scholarly journals Integration of informal music technologies in secondary school music lessons

2013 ◽  
Vol 31 (1) ◽  
pp. 19-39 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dan Stowell ◽  
Simon Dixon
Keyword(s):  
Secondary School ◽  
Music Education ◽  
Mobile Phones ◽  
Ethnographic Study ◽  
Informal Music Learning ◽  
Use Of Technology ◽  
School Music ◽  
Mp3 Players ◽  
Class Context ◽  
The Uk

Technologies such as YouTube, mobile phones and MP3 players are increasingly integrated into secondary school music in the UK. At the same time, the gap between formal and informal music learning is being bridged by the incorporation of students’ preferred music into class activities. We conducted an ethnographic study in two secondary schools in London, investigating the roles of technology in the negotiation of musical concepts in music classes. From this, we report some observations on the relation between formal/informal and authorised/unauthorised activities in class, and some specific observations on the role of YouTube, mobile phones and MP3 players in the class context. In the lessons we observed, these technologies functioned as part of a richly multimodal ecosystem of technologies, combining aspects of formal and informal use. This carries implications for how we plan for the use of technology in the delivery of music education.

Adolescents' Expressed Meanings of Music in and out of School

2007 ◽  
Vol 55 (3) ◽  
pp. 220-236 ◽  
Author(s):  
Patricia Shehan Campbell ◽  
Claire Connell ◽  
Amy Beegle
Keyword(s):  
High School ◽  
Secondary School ◽  
Music Education ◽  
Identity Formation ◽  
Music Teachers ◽  
Music Programs ◽  
School Programs ◽  
School Music ◽  
Character Building ◽  
Out Of School

This study aimed to determine the significance of music and music education to middle and high school adolescents, including those enrolled and not enrolled in school music programs. Of particular interest were their expressed meanings of music both in and out of school, with attention to adolescent views on the role of music in identity formation, the musical and nonmusical benefits for adolescents of their engagement with music, the curricular content of secondary school music programs, and the qualities of music teachers in facilitating music-learning experiences in middle and high school classes. An examination of essays, statements, and reflections in response to a national essay content was undertaken using an inductive approach to analyze content through the triangulation of interpretations by the investigators. Five principal themes were identified within the expressed meanings of music by adolescents: (a) identity formation in and through music, (b) emotional benefits, (c) music's life benefits, including character-building and life skills, (d) social benefits, and (e) positive and negative impressions of school music programs and their teachers. Overwhelming support was expressed for music as a necessary component of adolescent life, with support for and comments to probe concerning the work of music educators in secondary school programs.

Healing bruises: Identity tensions in a beginning teacher’s use of formal and informal music learning

2018 ◽  
Vol 42 (1) ◽  
pp. 3-18 ◽  
Author(s):  
Julie Derges Kastner
Keyword(s):  
Music Education ◽  
Informal Learning ◽  
Teacher Identity ◽  
Learning Processes ◽  
Music Teacher ◽  
Music Learning ◽  
Informal Music Learning ◽  
Formal And Informal Learning ◽  
School Music ◽  
Definition Of

The purpose of this narrative case study was to describe the developing teacher identity of Nicole Downing, a first-year teacher in the US, in her use of both formal and informal learning processes. As music education continues embracing approaches like informal music learning, it should also reflect on the voices of teachers in the field. Data collection included interviews, observations, and participant writings. Findings revealed that Nicole (a) questioned and eventually accepted her music teacher identity, (b) exhibited a dualism between her use of formal and informal music learning processes, and (c) broadened her community’s definition of school music. Nicole used the metaphor of a bruise to describe how she believed some in her undergraduate studies would judge her interest in popular music and creative musicianship, but as she became a music teacher she had agency to incorporate the informal learning she valued. Nicole exhibited a duality in her use of formal and informal learning processes, which were not integrated in her teaching. Ultimately, she developed a broadened definition of school music that she believed was beneficial for students but perceived negatively by other music teachers. Music teacher education should support teachers’ diverse identities and continue to explore the teaching strategies used in facilitating informal music learning experiences.

The integration of music technology into popular music ensembles: Perspectives of modern band teachers

2019 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 297-310 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bryan Powell
Keyword(s):  
New York ◽  
Music Education ◽  
Popular Music ◽  
Music Teachers ◽  
The United States ◽  
Music Technology ◽  
Student Agency ◽  
Music Ensembles ◽  
School Music ◽  
K 12

The increased presence of technology into music education classrooms has coincided to some extent with the increased presence of popular music into school music spaces, especially in the United States. This study examined the integration of music technologies into K-12 (ages 5‐18) popular music programmes in New York City (NYC). One hundred sixty-eight music teachers responded to a survey, all of whom had previously participated in a modern band workshop as part of the Amp Up NYC initiative. Results of the study found that many of the challenges of incorporating music technology into modern bands, including lack of access to technology or faulty hardware, are not unique to popular music ensembles. Some of the successes mentioned by the teachers, including songwriting, beat-making and increased student agency, provide a glimpse into the benefits that integrating music technology into modern band classrooms can offer.

Exploring teachers’ approaches to popular music: Attitudes, learning practice, and issues in South Korea

2020 ◽  
Vol 38 (3) ◽  
pp. 456-469
Author(s):  
You Jin Kim ◽  
Moo Kyoung Song
Keyword(s):  
Music Education ◽  
South Korea ◽  
Popular Music ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Music Teachers ◽  
Related Factors ◽  
Korean Music ◽  
Learning Practices ◽  
Starting Point ◽  
Teachers Attitudes

In recent years, a strong focus on popular music has increased in South Korean music education. Although this shift in the curricular content has led to studies on the formation of popular music repertories in the curriculum, few studies have attended to teachers’ attitudes and learning practices to popular music as related factors. To understand popular music education in South Korea, we investigated music teachers’ attitudes, learning practices, and critical issues that have arisen in their teaching. We conducted an online survey with secondary music teachers ( N = 138) followed by a focus group interview ( n = 6). The findings suggest that teachers’ attitudes toward popular music (positive, neutral, or negative) were associated with their learning practices, including the time they spent on popular music, their selections of popular music genres, and musical activities. This provides a starting point for further investigation of the teachers’ attitudes related to their learning practices in shaping popular music curriculum. Regardless of the teachers’ attitudes to popular music, they agreed popular music a good place to start for their students. In addition, they had similar or divergent perceptions and concerns of teaching popular music depending on their attitudes, as they have found their own individual ways of incorporating popular music.

Factors that Affect Participation in Secondary School Music: Reducing Barriers and Increasing Access

2020 ◽  
Vol 106 (4) ◽  
pp. 43-49
Author(s):  
Mara E. Culp ◽  
Matthew Clauhs
Keyword(s):  
Secondary School ◽  
Secondary Schools ◽  
Music Education ◽  
Music Teachers ◽  
Music Educators ◽  
Graduation Requirements ◽  
Education For All ◽  
Course Selection ◽  
School Music

Students often enter secondary schools with increased autonomy over course selection and how they meet graduation requirements. Those who once participated in school music may discontinue music studies for a variety of reasons. Music teachers should be mindful of factors that may affect a student’s ability or desire to participate in school music. This article discusses these factors and suggests practices to increase access to music education for all students. By examining practices and considering ways they can be altered or expanded to provide more options and be more inclusive, music educators may be able to provide more opportunities for all students.

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