scholarly journals General Music Teachers' Perceptions of District-Mandated Professional Development and Its Impact on Teaching Practices

2018 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarah Mattern
Keyword(s):  
Professional Development ◽  
Teaching Practices ◽  
Music Teachers ◽  
General Music ◽  
Teachers Perceptions

A Pilot Project Exploring Rural Classroom Music Teachers’ Perceptions and Practices via an Online Professional Development Course

2021 ◽  
pp. 105708372110086
Author(s):  
Daniel C. Johnson ◽  
Ann Marie Stanley
Keyword(s):  
Professional Development ◽  
Rural Communities ◽  
Music Teachers ◽  
Qualitative Content Analysis ◽  
Pilot Project ◽  
Online Professional Development ◽  
General Music ◽  
Delivery Methods ◽  
Teachers Perceptions ◽  
Challenges And Opportunities

Music teachers in urban, suburban, and rural communities face a multitude of challenges and opportunities. To identify and examine specific experiences that may be unique to rural general music teachers, we recruited six teacher-participants to complete a 5-week online professional development (PD) course for this exploratory study. We created a teacher-led approach for this PD, implementing topics and solutions generated by the participants. Using qualitative content analysis, we found two categories of themes in the online discussion posts that either connected or disconnected our participants with other music teachers on their general music context or their geographic setting. Although participants clearly articulated the influences of setting and place-based pedagogy, we found shared issues related to general music that transcended location. Implications for future PD include the importance of online delivery methods and developing PD differentiated by teaching contexts and geographic settings.

Elementary General Music Performances and Teachers’ Perceptions of Stress

2021 ◽  
pp. 875512332110104
Author(s):  
Jennifer Potter
Keyword(s):  
Time Management ◽  
Music Teachers ◽  
Management Control ◽  
Elementary Music ◽  
General Music ◽  
Teachers Perceptions ◽  
Time Control ◽  
Elementary General Music ◽  
And Performance ◽  
The Impact

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.

Being the Change: Music Teachers’ Self-Reported Changes in Mindset and Practice

2020 ◽  
Vol 39 (1) ◽  
pp. 17-26
Author(s):  
Karen Salvador ◽  
Allison Paetz ◽  
Abby Lewin-Zeigler
Keyword(s):  
Qualitative Analysis ◽  
Teaching Practices ◽  
Classroom Practices ◽  
Music Teachers ◽  
Teaching Experience ◽  
Music Educators ◽  
General Music ◽  
Practicing Teachers ◽  
Years Of Teaching Experience ◽  
Inclusive Instruction

Music educators sometimes enter the workforce un(der)prepared to design and implement inclusive instruction. The purpose of this descriptive interview study was to explore practicing teachers’ self-reported changes in mindset and practice as they worked to become more inclusive. Participants ( N = 20) were music educators with between 1 and 17 years of teaching experience. All participants taught some combination of preK–12 students in general music, choir, band, orchestra, jazz, and other music classes in 10 states. We present qualitative analysis from two sets of interviews concerning self-reported changes in mindsets and teaching practices. We conclude with implications of this study for practicing teachers who wish to enact more equitable and just classroom practices.

Teachers’ Perceptions on Current Piano Use in the Elementary General Music Classroom

2016 ◽  
Vol 35 (2) ◽  
pp. 23-29 ◽  
Author(s):  
Valerie A. Baker
Keyword(s):  
Music Teachers ◽  
Elementary Music ◽  
Future Research ◽  
General Music ◽  
Teachers Perceptions ◽  
Music Classroom ◽  
Teacher Opinion ◽  
Younger Age ◽  
Piano Lessons ◽  
Elementary General Music

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.

Cooperating Teachers’ Perceptions of Hosting and Mentoring Music Student Teachers

2018 ◽  
Vol 28 (2) ◽  
pp. 84-97
Author(s):  
Alden H. Snell ◽  
Jill Wilson ◽  
Carolyn S. Cruse
Keyword(s):  
Professional Development ◽  
Student Teachers ◽  
Cooperating Teachers ◽  
Music Teachers ◽  
Music Educators ◽  
Mixed Methods Study ◽  
Online Questionnaire ◽  
Teachers Perceptions ◽  
Teacher Skills ◽  
Service Music

Researchers have demonstrated the importance of professional development experiences for in-service music educators that are content-specific and that cultivate meaningful partnerships with higher education faculty and preservice music teachers. The purpose of this mixed-methods study was to explore cooperating teachers’ perceptions related to hosting and mentoring student teachers. We interviewed 13 cooperating teachers to document their views. Based on interview results, we created and distributed an online questionnaire, with 102 cooperating teachers from five U.S. regions responding. Cooperating teachers’ motives for hosting student teachers were largely altruistic, and they identified various student teacher skills and university supervisor supports as being important. We suggest that the immersive experience of serving as a cooperating teacher may be a form of professional development.

Preservice Music Teachers' Perceptions of Fieldwork Experiences in a Special Needs Classroom

2009 ◽  
Vol 57 (2) ◽  
pp. 152-168 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ryan M. Hourigan
Keyword(s):  
Special Needs ◽  
Music Teachers ◽  
Research Question ◽  
General Music ◽  
Students With Special Needs ◽  
Teachers Perceptions ◽  
Fieldwork Experience ◽  
Semistructured Interviews ◽  
Orientation Session ◽  
Case Writing

The purpose of this study was to examine phenomenologically a special needs fieldwork experience through the perceptions of seven participants. All of the participants were a part of a long-term field experience. The research question was: How was this experience, assisting and teaching students with special needs in an elementary general music context, perceived and constructed by the participants individually and as they collaborated and interacted with one another, as indicated by journals, semistructured interviews, case writing, and field observations? A qualitative particularistic case study design was used in this investigation. Data included journals, participant interviews, observations, and an orientation session video. Findings suggested that (a) the orientation process to fieldwork with children with disabilities, which included the case method of teaching, was perceived as valuable; (b) observation, journaling, discussion, and the relationships that emerged were important to the participants; and (c) reflective practice may have occurred in this study.

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