scholarly journals Teaching Under Pressure

2014 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laurie Sklar
Keyword(s):  
Public School ◽  
Music Education ◽  
Rhode Island ◽  
Instrumental Music ◽  
Music Educators ◽  
National Standards ◽  
Comparative Case Study ◽  
Community Music ◽  
School Site ◽  
Music School

<p>The purpose of this comparative case study was to investigate, explore, and describe the methods and practices of secondary instrumental music education in a public school setting. Two sites, a Rhode Island public school and a Rhode Island community music school, were chosen for observation. Two major ensembles, a jazz band and a concert band, were observed at each site on four different occasions. Observations were organized by the National Standards of Music Education, although the study did not focus on whether or not the programs “met” the standards. Data was also placed into the category of non-musical factors. Observations and analysis found that the non-musical factors, and themes that emerged from those factors, were the largest noticeable difference between the two sites. These factors also contributed to the disparity in the two sites abilities to address the standards. Non-musical factors such as scheduling and interruptions were the major issues facing the public school site, including split rehearsal times between ensembles and missed rehearsals due to assemblies. Both sites had significant gaps in their addressing of the standards, although the community music school met more of the standards. This may just be a result of the increase in time spent in rehearsal. This research opens the questions of whether or not the constraints facing public school music educators are hindering their ability to fully educate their students. Research can also be performed to gauge the perceptions that secondary instrumental music educators have on the standards.</p>

Accountability Concerns

2013 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jay Dorfman
Keyword(s):  
Music Education ◽  
Music Educators ◽  
Music Instruction ◽  
National Standards ◽  
Music Listening ◽  
Educational Culture ◽  
The Arts ◽  
Music Educators National Conference ◽  
Music Standards ◽  
Teachers And Students

With the advent of technology-based music instruction, we are at an important juncture in terms of standards and accountability. To date, there are no sets of standards that directly address the ways in which TBMI teachers and students work, and therefore there is a lack of clarity as to how we are accountable to the larger educational culture. Several sets of standards exist that come close; they address either the musical or the technological portions of TBMI, but not both. Others address teachers’ roles or students’ roles, but not both. In this chapter, we will examine relevant sets of standards and explore how they imply accountability for TBMI teachers and students. In 1994, the Music Educators National Conference (now the National Association for Music Education) released a document outlining the National Standards for Music Education, in coordination with similar standards in theater, art, and dance. The nine music standards from 1994 were the following: Singing, alone and with others, a varied repertoire of music. Performing on instruments, alone and with others, a varied repertoire of music. Improvising melodies, variations, and accompaniments. Composing and arranging music within specified guidelines. Reading and notating music. Listening to, analyzing, and describing music. Evaluating music and music performances. Understanding relationships between music, the other arts, and disciplines outside the arts. Understanding music in relation to history and culture. The NAfME standards suggest curricula that are distributed among performance, musical creativity, and connections between music and context. These are noble goals for which teachers should strive. The NAfME standards are widely accepted, and many teachers refer to them as benchmarks to assess the completeness of curriculum. In no way do the NAfME standards suggest that musical learning should be achieved through technology, nor do they contain suggestions about how students should meet any of them. In this way, the shapers of the NAfME standards are to be commended because the standards are flexible enough that they can be addressed in ways teachers see fit. Therefore, the standards passively suggest that technology-based music instruction is as valid a means of music learning as are other forms.

A Grounded Theory of Preservice Music Educators’ Lesson Planning Processes Within Field Experience Methods Courses

2017 ◽  
Vol 65 (3) ◽  
pp. 287-308 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elizabeth Cassidy Parker ◽  
Vanessa L. Bond ◽  
Sean R. Powell
Keyword(s):  
Preservice Teachers ◽  
Grounded Theory ◽  
Music Education ◽  
Instrumental Music ◽  
Field Experience ◽  
Lesson Planning ◽  
Music Educators ◽  
Written Responses ◽  
Instrumental Music Education ◽  
Context Learning

The purpose of this grounded theory study was to understand the process of field experience lesson planning for preservice music educators enrolled in choral, general, and instrumental music education courses within three university contexts. Data sources included multiple interviews, written responses, and field texts from 42 participants. Four waves of data collection and analysis revealed a five-step process beginning with “learning the tasks of teaching” and “experiencing an authentic teaching context.” Participants articulated the central phenomenon as “embracing teaching as an interaction,” which led to “teaching more effectively” and “learning about teaching with my style.” The findings reflect that participants developed a situated understanding of how thoughtful preparation is connected to effective teaching. An implication for this study is that preservice teachers should be consistently immersed in authentic context learning environments during undergraduate education.

Curriculum and Assessment for Students with Special Needs

2011 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alice M. Hammel ◽  
Ryan M. Hourigan
Keyword(s):  
Music Education ◽  
Special Needs ◽  
Music Educators ◽  
National Standards ◽  
Learning Differences ◽  
Students With Special Needs ◽  
Philosophy Of Music ◽  
Daily Lives ◽  
Music Classroom ◽  
The Individual

Every successful music educator has a curriculum that contains a scope (overarching goals) and sequence (how we will achieve our goals and in what order) that are critical to reaching meaningful educational goals within the music classroom. Walker and Soltis (2004) state: “Working with the curriculum is an integral part of all teachers’ daily lives”. When specific curricula are not mandated (by the state, or federal government), most music educators use a set of standards or guidelines to devise a scope and sequence for classroom teaching (i.e., the National Standards). It is important as music educators to consider their curriculum when preparing to teach all students, not just students with learning challenges. This is what separates an educator from a therapist or a service provider. The questions that we will address in this chapter include: How do music educators maintain a focus on their own curricular goals while adapting that same curriculum to the individual needs of students? And how do we assess and reflect on these goals to make adjustments in our curriculum? These are difficult questions to answer. In fact, this has been a challenge for teachers since the inclusion of students with special needs began following the passage of P.L. 94–142 more than 35 years ago. Walker and Soltis explain, “While many teachers supported the goal, many were offended that rigid regulations were imposed on them without their consent”. All these issues require a thoughtful and sequential approach when preparing, presenting, and assessing instruction in the music classroom. However, the stronger the underlying curricular focus is, the easier it will be to adapt and modify your existing curriculum to individualize instruction for students who have learning differences. Your specific curriculum, if not mandated by your state or school system, will be a result of your philosophy of music education. Even when utilizing prescribed curricula, your choices in scope and sequence will reflect your values in the classroom. These same values will be reflected in the choices you make in modifying your curricula for students with special needs.

20 Years of the MENC Biennial Conference

2016 ◽  
Vol 64 (1) ◽  
pp. 14-28
Author(s):  
Joshua Palkki ◽  
Daniel J. Albert ◽  
Stuart Chapman Hill ◽  
Ryan D. Shaw
Keyword(s):  
Professional Development ◽  
Content Analysis ◽  
Music Education ◽  
Music Educators ◽  
National Standards ◽  
Coding Scheme ◽  
Biennial Conference ◽  
Large Ensembles ◽  
National Music ◽  
Choral Teachers

The purpose of this study was to investigate the content and intended audiences for educational sessions offered at MENC biennial conferences in order to illuminate trends and topics in professional development. The researchers performed a content analysis of each session ( N = 2,593) using program booklets from conferences between 1988 and 2008, creating a coding scheme with separate codes for audience focus and session content. After establishing sufficient interjudge agreement, the researchers coded all educational sessions offered at the conferences from 1988 to 2008. Results indicated that the number of sessions targeted at specific audiences (e.g., choral teachers only) remained small relative to those targeting broader audiences. Content coding revealed large increases in the number of sessions focused on technology and a slight decrease in the number of sessions focused on traditional large ensembles. Session content sometimes followed professional trends (e.g., the inception of the National Standards in 1994) but did not reflect increased attention in the profession to topics such as creativity and students with exceptionalities. These findings have important implications for those planning state and national music education conferences and for music educators who attend these professional development events.

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.

Jazz Ensembles

2019 ◽  
pp. 843-862
Author(s):  
C. Michael Palmer
Keyword(s):  
Music Education ◽  
Instrumental Music ◽  
Music Educators ◽  
Jazz Pedagogy ◽  
Instrumental Music Education ◽  
Art Form ◽  
Musical Cultures ◽  
Jazz Ensembles ◽  
Jazz Theory

This chapter acknowledges the growth of jazz ensembles in instrumental music education and the value of preparing future music educators to teach jazz. It situates jazz pedagogy in an authentic, experiential framework, emphasizing the important role of the rhythm section and what it means to be culturally literate through improvisation. Topics such as jazz theory, swing feel, and jazz styles are examined. The chapter also discusses a paradigm shift in the conceptualization of music education, whereby an interpreter-performer perspective is replaced by a creator-performer perspective. Musicians’ roles as composers and improvisers in the jazz idiom suggest learning this art form is relevant for developing creative performers who may then be able to participate in a variety of other musical cultures.

scholarly journals Music Booster Groups: Alleviating or Exacerbating Funding Inequality in American Public School Music Education?

2019 ◽  
Vol 67 (1) ◽  
pp. 6-22 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kenneth Elpus ◽  
Adam Grisé
Keyword(s):  
Public School ◽  
Music Education ◽  
Household Income ◽  
Short Form ◽  
The United States ◽  
Music Educators ◽  
Median Household Income ◽  
School Communities ◽  
Irs Form 990 ◽  
School Music

As fundraising has become a key component of American public school music educators’ professional responsibilities, in many places, parent organizations have taken an increasingly outsized role in raising private funds to supplement public school music budgets. The purpose of this study was to understand the finances of public school music parents’ associations and music booster groups and to understand the relation between the socioeconomic status of school communities and the amount of money raised by their local music booster groups. Using Internal Revenue Service (IRS) fiscal 2015 data for 5,575 music booster groups throughout the United States, we found evidence that, collectively, music booster groups raised at least $215 million in support of public school music education. At least four groups raised over $1,000,000; at least 31 raised over $500,000; and at least 723 raised over $100,000 each. We found that total booster revenues were significantly associated with local median household income. Each additional $1,000 of local median household income was associated with an additional $305 in revenue for booster groups filing IRS Form 990-EZ (“short form”) and with an additional $1,637 in revenue for booster groups filing the full IRS Form 990.

Band Project: A Model for Service Learning

2019 ◽  
Vol 38 (2) ◽  
pp. 37-45
Author(s):  
Laura K. Sindberg
Keyword(s):  
Teacher Preparation ◽  
Service Learning ◽  
Music Education ◽  
Student Teaching ◽  
Instrumental Music ◽  
Cultural Awareness ◽  
Research Question ◽  
Music Educators ◽  
Music Teacher ◽  
Music Teacher Preparation

Real-world experiences, such as situated learning, fieldwork, and student teaching have been among the most prevalent examples employed in teacher preparation programs. Despite the increasing evidence in support of service learning in music teacher preparation, there are a limited number of models specific to instrumental music education. The purpose of this study was to explore the experiences of participants in one such model, called Band Project. Participants included preservice music educators, young band students, and one lead teacher who also served as the instrumental music teacher at the school. The research question that guided this investigation was as follows: In what ways do participants in an afterschool band project describe their experience? Four themes emerged from analysis of data: (a) Relationships and Community, (b) Challenges and Tensions, (c) Aspirations, and (d) Transformations. Findings reinforced the importance of service learning for preservice music educators, particularly amid growing concerns for cross-cultural awareness, inclusion, and social justice in music teacher preparation.

Music Education Philosophy

2012 ◽  
pp. 62-86
Author(s):  
David J. Elliott
Keyword(s):  
North America ◽  
Music Education ◽  
Music Educators ◽  
Community Music ◽  
International Literature ◽  
Education Students ◽  
Philosophy Of Music ◽  
Education Philosophy ◽  
School And Community

This article introduces the field called “the philosophy of music education,” or music education philosophy (MEP). The philosophy of music education is a relatively young field, with many music educators unaware of its existence, not to mention its nature and values. Indeed, specialized courses in MEP are still infrequent in undergraduate and graduate music education curricula in North America and most other nations. Nevertheless, there is a fairly sizeable and rapidly expanding international literature intended to (1) analyze, synthesize, debate, or “problematize” and “worry” all theoretical and practical aspects of music education and, thereby, to (2) inform teachers, university music education students, and scholars about fundamental concepts, conceptions, controversies, principles, and practices in school and community music education.

The Community Music Facilitator and School Music Education

2012 ◽  
pp. 494-511 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lee Higgins ◽  
Brydie-Leigh Bartleet
Keyword(s):  
Learning Styles ◽  
Music Education ◽  
School Environment ◽  
Formal Education ◽  
Music Educators ◽  
Community Music ◽  
Music Making ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
School Music ◽  
Pedagogical Models

Community music facilitators move in and between many diverse settings. They can be found facilitating local music activities in arts centers, schools, sporting grounds, recording studios, places of worship, living rooms, and a wide range of other community contexts. This article focuses on community music facilitators who have been invited into the school environment to stimulate or establish active music-making opportunities. It shows that community music facilitators can provide music educators working in schools with models of a range of teaching practices, which can connect to a wide diversity of learning styles, especially in socially and culturally diverse environments. Likewise, music educators working in schools (who tend to have formal education qualifications) can provide pedagogical models for community music practices. Both positions have much to offer each other in this respect.

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