On the quality of professional development in the United States: Examining music educators’ experiences, sentiments, and emotions

2021 ◽  
pp. 025576142110191
Author(s):  
Brian C Wesolowski ◽  
Michael A Alsop ◽  
Myriam I Athanas ◽  
Levi H Dean
Keyword(s):  
Professional Development ◽  
United States ◽  
Music Education ◽  
Rating Scale ◽  
Assessment Tool ◽  
The United States ◽  
Music Educators ◽  
High Quality ◽  
Participation Bias ◽  
Service Music

The purpose of this study was to develop a valid and reliable assessment tool to measure music educators’ participation in and perceptions of their high-quality professional development (PD) experiences. A sample of 450 in-service music educators across the United States completed a 78-item rating scale embedded within 10 domains reflecting high-quality PD criteria: (a) content, (b) evidence/research, (c) coherence, (d) relevance, (e) active learning, (f) application, (g) collaboration, (h) reflection, (i) feedback, and (j) duration. Participants also answered the open-ended question, “What are some adjectives you would use to describe your overall professional development experiences?” Data were analyzed using Rasch measurement analyses and sentiment analyses. Results indicated an overall acceptable data-to-model fit, with the content domain reflecting most participation and the duration domain reflecting least participation. Bias analyses suggested that music educators received systematically different quality PD experiences based upon their teaching area and/or grade-level emphases. Participants had an overall positive sentiment of their PD experiences, which positively correlates with the level of quality PD they experienced ( r = 0.42, p < .05). The most frequent emotions of the participants were trust and joy. Implications for the development and programming of PD in the field of music education are discussed.

Encouraging Students to Consider Music Education as a Future Profession

2016 ◽  
Vol 26 (2) ◽  
pp. 12-24 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ann M. Porter ◽  
Phillip D. Payne ◽  
Frederick W. Burrack ◽  
William E. Fredrickson
Keyword(s):  
Professional Development ◽  
United States ◽  
Job Satisfaction ◽  
Music Education ◽  
Music Teachers ◽  
The United States ◽  
Music Educators ◽  
Teaching Profession ◽  
Music Teaching ◽  
Career Option

The purpose of this study was to examine the attitudes, communication, and opportunities provided by music teachers to encourage consideration of the music teaching profession. Survey participants ( N = 436) were music educators from the Southeast (235), Midwest (51), and Southwest (149) National Association for Music Education regions of the United States. Fifty-two percent of respondents reported encouraging students to explore the music teaching profession, one third reported uncertainty about their encouragement of a music education career, and 21% indicated active discouragement. Personal job satisfaction, student music abilities, and constraints/forces outside the profession were factors for respondents who discourage students from the profession. A majority reported providing opportunities to explore the profession as a viable career option and those experiences reflected the authentic practices of the teaching profession. Professional development opportunities for in-service teachers in the encouragement of students toward music teaching should be strongly considered.

Measuring pre-service music teachers’ creative identities: a cross-cultural comparison of the United States and Singapore

2019 ◽  
Vol 36 (02) ◽  
pp. 197-210
Author(s):  
Clint Randles ◽  
Leonard Tan
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Music Education ◽  
Popular Music ◽  
Music Teachers ◽  
Music Performance ◽  
The United States ◽  
Music Listening ◽  
Music Making ◽  
Creative Identity ◽  
Service Music

AbstractThe purpose of this study was to examine and compare the creative musical identities of pre-service music education students in the United States and Singapore. The Creative Identity in Music (CIM) measure was utilized with both US and Singapore pre-service music teacher populations (n = 274). Items of the CIM relate to music-making activities often associated with creativity in music education in the literature, including composition, improvisation and popular music performance. Results suggest, similar to findings of previous research, that while both populations are similar in their degree of creative music-making self-efficacy and are similarly willing to allow for creativity in the classroom, Singaporean pre-service music teachers value the areas of creative identity and the use of popular music listening/performing within the learning environment to a significantly greater extent (p &lt; 0.0001) than their US counterparts.

The Kodály Concept in the United States: Early American Adaptations to Recent Evolutions

2018 ◽  
Vol 41 (1) ◽  
pp. 55-72
Author(s):  
Megan M. Sheridan
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Music Education ◽  
The United States ◽  
Music Educators ◽  
Early Years ◽  
Philosophy Of Music ◽  
Zoltan Kodaly ◽  
Early American ◽  
The 1960S ◽  
Kodaly Concept

Zoltán Kodály, a Hungarian composer, ethnomusicologist, and music educator, is widely known for his philosophical and pedagogical contributions to music education. The purpose of this article was to trace the development of the Kodály movement in the United States from its implementation in the 1960s to present day. Questions that guided the research were (1) Who was Zoltán Kodály and what was his philosophy of music education? (2) Who were some of the American music educators who initially implemented the Kodály concept in the United States and what role did they play in the spread of the concept? and (3) How has the Kodály concept evolved in the United States? Following an overview of Kodály and his philosophy, the contributions of Mary Helen Richards, Denise Bacon, Lois Choksy, and Sr. Lorna Zemke during the early years of the Kodály movement are discussed. The evolution of the Kodály concept is discussed in relation to the work of Lois Choksy, Ann Eisen and Lamar Robertson, John Feierabend, Susan Brumfield, and Mícheál Houlahan and Philip Tacka. A conclusion includes suggestions for the advancement of the Kodály concept, including the need for research on the methods of the approach.

Music Education in the Nordic Countries

1987 ◽  
Vol 4 (3) ◽  
pp. 251-252 ◽  
Author(s):  
John Paynter
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Music Education ◽  
The United States ◽  
Music Educators ◽  
Nordic Countries ◽  
The Other ◽  
Other Hand ◽  
Enormous Amount ◽  
Academic Professions

Possibly because very few teachers in Britain are fluent readers of Scandinavian languages while, on the other hand, the majority in the academic professions in Norway, Denmark, Sweden, Finland and Iceland speak and read – not infrequently write – English, the flow of thinking about music education and its developments often appears to be one way.Yet although it may be true to say that, over the last twenty years or so, music educators in the Nordic countries have drawn quite a lot of inspiration from beyond their own borders (Finland and Sweden tending to look towards Hungary; Norway, Iceland and Denmark perhaps turning more often to Britain and the United States), it would be a serious error to imagine that they have no significant ideas of their own! Indeed, an enormous amount has been achieved in these countries from which the rest of us can usefully learn.

The state of guitar education in the United States

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 245-260 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert Pethel
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Music Education ◽  
Traditional Music ◽  
The United States ◽  
Music Educators ◽  
Substantial Body ◽  
Practical Advice ◽  
Service Training ◽  
K 12 ◽  
Guitar Class

Guitar education has emerged as a discipline in K-12 institutions alongside ‘traditional’ music education such as band, orchestra and chorus in recent decades. Despite the substantial body of literature containing practical advice on teaching guitar, research-supported scholarship is lacking. The purpose of this study was to provide an evidentiary-based understanding of the professional profiles of guitar educators. A large sample (n = 1269) of guitar educators participated in the Guitar Educator Questionnaire (GEQ). Findings from the GEQ suggest a low per cent (7.9%) of music educators who teach guitar class consider themselves to be ‘guitar specialists’. A substantial number of respondents (68.5%) indicated that they rarely or never participated in guitar-related professional development, and 76.1% of respondents reported that their pre-service training provided little or no preparation for a career in guitar education.

Recent and Continuing Initiatives and Practices in Special Education

2017 ◽  
Vol 104 (2) ◽  
pp. 32-37 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alice-Ann Darrow ◽  
Mary S. Adamek
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Special Education ◽  
Music Education ◽  
Students With Disabilities ◽  
Individualized Education Program ◽  
The United States ◽  
Music Educators ◽  
Disabilities Education Act ◽  
Basic Understanding ◽  
Education Act

A number of initiatives in special education have occurred in the United States over the years, some mandated by amendments to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. Having a working knowledge of these initiatives allows music educators to have informed discussions with colleagues and parents and participate more fully in Individualized Education Program (IEP) meetings. Adopting special education practices that are appropriate to music education can also promote consistent and coordinated efforts on behalf of students with disabilities. This article includes summaries of current practices and initiatives in special education. For music educators who would like a basic understanding of their colleagues’ discipline, these summaries offer useful information that can facilitate the inclusion of students with disabilities.

An Analysis of State Music Education Certification and Licensure Practices in the United States

2017 ◽  
Vol 27 (1) ◽  
pp. 65-88 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brittany Nixon May ◽  
Karen Willie ◽  
Cherilyn Worthen ◽  
Allyssa Pehrson
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Music Education ◽  
Teacher Educator ◽  
Relevant Information ◽  
The United States ◽  
Music Educators ◽  
Performance Assessments ◽  
Music Teacher ◽  
Grade Levels ◽  
Music Teacher Preparation

Teacher certification and licensure practices for music educators vary by state. Enhancing music teacher educator knowledge of state music education certification and licensure practices can inform music teacher preparation and improve future music teacher quality. The purpose of this study was to compile relevant information for music educators about the certification practices of each of the United States and the District of Columbia as of January 2016, and to examine the commonalities and differences among the states’ policies. Results revealed a movement toward comprehensive certification for all grade levels and music subject areas. Researchers noted heightened accountability through increased testing requirements and the inclusion of teacher performance assessments.

The Economic Accountability of Music Education

1987 ◽  
Vol 4 (3) ◽  
pp. 223-227
Author(s):  
Elizabeth Oehrle
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
South Africa ◽  
Music Education ◽  
The United States ◽  
Music Educators ◽  
The Arts ◽  
United States Economy ◽  
Economic Recessions ◽  
Phase Out ◽  
Positive Effect

Music education struggles to survive in countries such as England, United States and South Africa because of the lack of financial support, particularly during economic recessions. To counter this unfortunate situation, well-written books and articles have been appeared over the years, propounding the truth that the arts do have an essential place in the balanced education of children, but these well-founded and constructed arguments continually fall on deaf ears. During economic recessions government planners and educational authorities rationalise that they can afford to do away with the arts because these subjects make little or no difference to the economic welfare of the country.Information from the best-seller by Peters & Waterman, In Search of Excellence, reveals that the principle characteristics of the managers of excellent companies in the United States are characteristics that concern the creative process of thinking, creative aspects of personality, creative products and environmental conditions. These companies have a positive effect on the United States economy. As the aspect of education which is best equipped to nurture these characteristics is the arts, then it is reasonable to argue that we can not afford to ‘phase out’ music education.Because education in the United States, England and South Africa is closely linked to the economy, music educators in capitalist countries should begin to argue for the arts from an economic standpoint, as capitalistic societies are orientated primarily toward capital gain. Failing this, we shall have to argue for more fundamental changes in political and economic systems.

scholarly journals FILOSOFI MULTIKULTURALISME DALAM PENDIDIKAN MUSIK

Imaji ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Djohan Salim
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Cultural Studies ◽  
Music Education ◽  
The United States ◽  
Music Educators ◽  
Multicultural Music Education ◽  
Political Debates ◽  
Multicultural Music ◽  
Education Support

In these recent years, the issue of multiculturalism cannot be ignored in education. It has become a topic of discussions in various settings, such as academic and non-academic forums, political debates, cultural studies, and popular news. The aim of this article is to answer questions about what multiculturalism is and what it means to educators, especially those in music education. Support to music educators in all levels to understand and to implement multicultural music education is crucial. It also aims at describing multicultural music education in the United States and in other countries, including the philosophical ideas, problems and opportunities behind what are stated about multiculturalism. It is hoped that this article can give more perspectives about multiculturalism in education. Keywords: multiculturalism, political debates, music education

Diversifying Musical Experiences in Schools and Music Teacher Preparation Programs

2019 ◽  
pp. 891-901
Author(s):  
Robert H. Woody ◽  
Mark C. Adams
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Music Education ◽  
Popular Music ◽  
The United States ◽  
Music Teacher ◽  
Education Programs ◽  
Preparation Programs ◽  
Music Making ◽  
Large Ensembles ◽  
Classical Traditions

This chapter discusses the innate differences between vernacular music-making cultures and those oriented in Western classical traditions, and suggests students in traditional school music education programs in the United States are not typically afforded opportunities to learn skills used in vernacular and popular music-making cultures. The chapter emphasizes a need to diversify music-making experiences in schools and describes how vernacular musicianship may benefit students’ musical development. It suggests that, in order for substantive change to occur in music education in the United States, teachers will need to advance beyond simply considering how to integrate popular music into their traditional large ensembles—and how preservice music teacher education programs may be the key to help better prepare teachers to be more versatile and philosophically open to teaching a more musically diverse experience in their future classrooms.

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