Effectual thinking and music education: One view of creative adaptation in an underserved urban middle school

2020 ◽  
Vol 38 (4) ◽  
pp. 625-643
Author(s):  
Josef Hanson
Keyword(s):  
Middle School ◽  
Music Education ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Social Activism ◽  
Teaching Experience ◽  
Music Educators ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Urban Middle School ◽  
Teaching Context ◽  
Challenges And Opportunities

This descriptive case study superimposed Effectuation Theory onto the experiences of an American music educator and the challenges and opportunities facing him in an economically disadvantaged teaching context. Luke Guerra, the primary participant, possessed 11 years of teaching experience in an underserved urban middle school. His military experience, lack of canonical content knowledge, social activism, and exclusive use of popular music set him apart from conventional music educators. Data collection comprised semi-structured interviews with the participant and his colleagues, direct observation and documentation of the participant’s teaching, logging of researcher memos, and analysis of artifacts and participant reflections. Four themes emerged from inductive analysis that suggested the salience of Effectuation Theory: (a) teaching ethos informed by unique personal circumstances; (b) embracing uncertainty; (c) socially conscious, student-centered teaching and learning; and (d) collaboration. Rather than allowing the limitations of his teaching context and knowledge gaps to exert control over his program, Luke created an alternative future by leveraging his means and limitations into a vision around which others could rally and invest. Luke’s story and its connections to the principles of Effectuation may provide transferable benefits to music educators working in teaching contexts hindered by uncertainty.

scholarly journals Teaching general music to young adolescents: Findings from a survey of music teacher perspectives

2018 ◽  
Vol 37 (1) ◽  
pp. 43-58 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephanie Cronenberg
Keyword(s):  
Middle School ◽  
Music Education ◽  
Lived Experience ◽  
Teaching Experience ◽  
The United States ◽  
Music Educators ◽  
Middle Level ◽  
General Music ◽  
Young Adolescents ◽  
The Impact

Middle school general music is an often-overlooked aspect of music education in the United States. Yet at some point, many music educators face a teaching assignment including one or more sections of middle school general music. In this study, I investigated whether the principles that guide music educators in teaching middle school general music align with the middle level concept, articulated in This We Believe: Keys to Educating Young Adolescents. In addition, I sought to examine the impact of a teacher’s lived experience on these principles. This survey of middle school teachers revealed that while less than 10% of respondents were aware of This We Believe, over 60% regularly use principles aligned with the middle level concept to guide their teaching, with the major exception of diverse assessment techniques. Analysis also revealed that over 80% of respondents are greatly influenced by their teaching experience when making teaching decisions compared to less than a third by their preservice preparation. Implications for this study include the inclusion of the middle level concept in preservice education, the diversification of assessment approaches in middle school general music, and the potential influence of the school community on a teacher’s practice.

Could There Be Deleuzian Assessment in Music Education?

2019 ◽  
pp. 121-136
Author(s):  
Lauren Kapalka Richerme
Keyword(s):  
Music Education ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Music Educators ◽  
Assessment Practices ◽  
Continuous Assessment ◽  
Education Policies ◽  
Philosophical Inquiry ◽  
Music Making ◽  
Musical Practices ◽  
Contemporary Education

Authors of contemporary education and arts education policies tend to emphasize the adoption of formal, summative assessment practices. Poststructuralist philosopher Gilles Deleuze’s emphasis on ongoing differing and imaginative possibilities may at first glance appear incompatible with these overarching, codified assessments. While Deleuze criticizes the increasing use of ongoing assessments as a form of control, he posits a more nuanced explanation of measurement. This philosophical inquiry examines four measurement-related themes from Deleuze’s writings and explores how they might inform concepts and practices of assessment in various music teaching and learning contexts. The first theme suggests that each group of connective relations, what Deleuze terms a “plane of immanence,” demands its own forms of measurement. Second, Deleuze emphasizes varieties of measurement. Third, those with power, what Deleuze terms the “majority,” always set the standard for measurement. Fourth, Deleuze derides continuous assessment. His writings suggest that music educators might consider that assessments created for one musical practice or style should not transcend their own “plane of immanence,” that a variety of nonstandardized assessments is desirable, that the effect of measurement on “minoritarian” musical practices must be examined carefully, and that it is essential to ponder the potentials of unmeasured music making.

A toe-tapping good time: Informal musicking through critical pedagogy in inclusive settings

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (3) ◽  
pp. 497-511 ◽  
Author(s):  
Verne Hélène Lorway
Keyword(s):  
Critical Pedagogy ◽  
Music Education ◽  
Learning Process ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Music Educators ◽  
Western Society ◽  
Good Time ◽  
Student Voices ◽  
Inclusive Settings ◽  
Music Class

This article draws upon the experiences of the author as a music educator creating inclusive music programmes over the past 24 years. She describes how informal learning gleaned from the approaches of popular musicians, combined with musicking as a means of building powerful relationships and critical pedagogy to infuse student voices into the teaching and learning process is a potent recipe for building an inclusive music class. Such a method needs to be guided by music educators throughout the learning process. Examining inclusive music education leads to further questions regarding what constitutes musicality and non-musicality in western society. When persons of all ages are involved in musicking in school and community contexts, music educators need to be involved in the challenges surrounding notions of musicality and non-musicality to steer processes that can create spaces for learning and growth.

Exploring lived experiences of spirituality amongst five Dalcroze teachers

2018 ◽  
Vol 48 (2) ◽  
pp. 163-181 ◽  
Author(s):  
Liesl van der Merwe ◽  
John Habron
Keyword(s):  
Music Education ◽  
Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis ◽  
Case Analysis ◽  
Music Educators ◽  
Spiritual Experiences ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Individual Participant ◽  
Movement Awareness ◽  
Conceptual Study ◽  
Cross Case Analysis

This article presents an interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) of the lived spiritual experiences of five Dalcroze teachers while teaching Dalcroze Eurhythmics. It responds to a recent expansion of research into spirituality within music education and also in relation to Dalcroze Eurhythmics. However, there is no study on the lived spiritual experiences of Dalcroze practitioners. Therefore, the purpose of this article is to understand how five Dalcroze teachers make sense of their spiritual experiences while teaching Dalcroze Eurhythmics. After semi-structured interviews, we interpreted the experiences of each individual participant separately before doing a cross-case analysis. A six-step, iterative, and inductive data analysis cycle was followed. The superordinate themes that emerged are: Breathing is essential; Giving and receiving energy (physical and emotional); Creating connections through sound and movement; Awareness of self, other, environment, and music; Growth and learning; Meaning and holism; Wellbeing; and Precious moments of transcending time and space. Participants’ spiritual experiences are discussed against the background of “A conceptual model of spirituality in music education” as well as “A conceptual study of spirituality in selected writings of Émile Jaques-Dalcroze.” Music educators’ awareness of spirituality while teaching Dalcroze Eurhythmics could be heightened to increase their “pedagogical thoughtfulness and tact.”

In Here, Out There: Professional Learning and the Process of School Improvement

2014 ◽  
Vol 84 (2) ◽  
pp. 145-161 ◽  
Author(s):  
James Noonan
Keyword(s):  
Middle School ◽  
School Improvement ◽  
School Reform ◽  
Professional Learning ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
School Personnel ◽  
School Transformation ◽  
Transformative Change ◽  
Urban Middle School ◽  
Administrative Team

In this article, James Noonan uses portraiture to examine how the administrative team and the teachers at a small, urban middle school approach school improvement. He illustrates the ways in which the pressures associated with attempting school reform in our current high-accountability environment make it difficult for school personnel to engage in the deep learning that transformative change requires. Noonan finds that at Fields Middle School, district-initiated redesign is built around an expansive view of learning that embraces uncertainty, collaboration, and reflection as catalysts for broad and sustained school improvement. He illuminates school transformation efforts that hinge on adult learning and an understanding of schools as learning organizations, in contrast to reform efforts that adopt linear and hierarchical views of teaching and learning.

Naming Moral-Political Discourses in Music Education: A Philosophical Investigation

2021 ◽  
pp. 002242942110199
Author(s):  
Lauren Kapalka Richerme
Keyword(s):  
Music Education ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Music Educators ◽  
Music Teacher ◽  
Music Teacher Education ◽  
Political Discourses ◽  
Political Beliefs ◽  
Balanced Approach ◽  
Nurturant Parent ◽  
Main Ideas

Given the contemporary polarized political landscape and the elective nature of much music teaching and learning, it is important that music educators understand how they reinforce or undermine stakeholders’ political beliefs. The purpose of this inquiry is to investigate alignment between Lakoff’s moral-political metaphors and Allsup’s main ideas and to consider the value of certain moral-political discourses for music education. I demonstrate that Allsup favors concepts that align with Lakoff’s liberal nurturant-parent metaphor, while his ideas work in tension with the conservative strict-parent metaphor. When conservative moral discourse goes unacknowledged, discussions about what kind of ethics should inform music education get misrecognized as arguments about whether ethical concerns should inform music education. I also examine the potential implications of practices aligning with music educators’ individual moral-political beliefs, a community’s moral-political preferences, or a balanced approach to the two metaphors. Yet, nurturant-parent values and associated practices often remain unarticulated and peripheral in music teacher education. I propose that music educators might name the role that conservative ethics play within the profession, provide increased attention to practices aligning with the nurturant-parent moral-political metaphor, and experiment with discourse and actions not directly invoking either moral-political metaphor.

scholarly journals “DISTANCED” TIMES: INVESTIGATING PRE-SERVICE MUSIC TEACHERS’ EXPERIENCES ON ONLINE TEACHING AND LEARNING DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC

2021 ◽  
Vol LXIX (1) ◽  
pp. 111-124
Author(s):  
Miruna Luana Miulescu ◽  
Florentina-Lavinia Matei
Keyword(s):  
Music Education ◽  
Technology Use ◽  
Online Teaching ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Learning Experience ◽  
Qualitative Inquiry ◽  
Learning Technology ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Online Teaching And Learning ◽  
Service Music

The technology use is flourishing in a growing set of educational contexts. Music education is no exception, seeing more and more learning practices be actively incorporated into educational frameworks. Our study seeks to investigate the online teaching and learning experiences of music university students who are participating in the pre-service teacher education during the Covid-19 pandemic. The participants of the present study are pre-service music students (n=22) enrolled in the teaching education programme in their 2nd or 3rd year at the university. By making use of a phenomenological qualitative inquiry, data was collected through participating at semi-structured interviews via ZOOM videotelephony software in January and February 2021. The key findings indicate a neither overtly positive or negative teaching and learning experience, even if the students had to navigate an avalanche of offline learning technology requirements both as students and teachers in a limited amount of time. The results of the study indicate that teacher training programmes should consider the move to virtual teaching and learning as an opportunity for change and to go beyond the emergency online practices and develop quality online educational activities.

The Oxford Handbook of Philosophical and Qualitative Assessment in Music Education

2019 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Critical Thinking ◽  
Music Education ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Music Educators ◽  
Qualitative Assessment ◽  
Community Music ◽  
Music Teaching ◽  
Education Assessment ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
The World

The Oxford Handbook of Philosophical and Qualitative Assessment in Music Education offers global, comprehensive, and critical perspectives on a wide range of conceptual and practical issues in music education assessment, evaluation, and feedback as these apply to various forms of music education within schools and communities. The central aims of this Handbook focus on broadening and deepening readers’ understandings of and critical thinking about the problems, opportunities, “spaces and places,” concepts, and practical strategies that music educators and community music facilitators employ, develop, and deploy to improve various aspects of music teaching and learning around the world.

International Perspectives

2012 ◽  
pp. 39-62
Author(s):  
Marie McCarthy
Keyword(s):  
Music Education ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Geographical Location ◽  
Music Educators ◽  
Cultural Transformation ◽  
First Century ◽  
Instructional Programs ◽  
International Perspectives ◽  
Common Purpose ◽  
New Generation

Music educators are united by a common purpose: To engage children and youth in music and to develop their artistic life and their humanity. To achieve that purpose, they advocate the values of music, develop instructional programs that are comprehensive and dynamic, and expand what is known about music teaching and learning through reflective practice and participation in research and inquiry. In these and other ways, music educators serve to build on past traditions and open the way to cultural transformation through the imaginative and creative contributions of a new generation of music-makers. The process of music education is manifest uniquely in each national context, based on political, social, and cultural histories; geographical location; and economic circumstances. This article provides a historical perspective on how music education has developed into a global community during the twentieth century. It examines trends and challenges that confront music educators at the beginning of the twenty-first century and makes projections about the future course of music education.

The classroom culture of a middle school music technology class

2019 ◽  
Vol 38 (3) ◽  
pp. 383-399
Author(s):  
Daniel J. Albert
Keyword(s):  
Middle School ◽  
Music Education ◽  
Teaching Practice ◽  
Music Technology ◽  
Classroom Culture ◽  
Musical Composition ◽  
Critical Examination ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Constructive Feedback ◽  
School Music

The purpose of this study was to examine the culture of an American middle school music technology classroom based in musical composition. Research questions explored students’ perceptions of how they co-create the classroom culture with the teacher and how the classroom culture influences participation in musical composition activities, if at all. Data sources for this ethnographic case study included field notes from multiple class observations, audio- and video-recordings, and semi-structured interviews. Findings determined that teacher and students’ mutual use of constructive feedback in their discourse, the teacher’s role as co-learner, his facilitation of “messiness” as part of the learning process, and his pedagogical style helped to create an affirming classroom culture that motivated students to compose. Implications for teaching practice include critical examination of classroom cultures and thoughtful inclusion of technology in music education courses.

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