Successful urban elementary music educators : a phenomenological investigation

The purpose of this study was to explore the characteristics and experiences of teachers who have been successful in urban elementary music classrooms. I aimed to garner an authentic picture and capture the essence of what it means to be a successful urban elementary music educator. This hermeneutic phenomenology was guided by two research questions: (1) What are the lived experiences of urban music educators who have been successful in teaching music at the elementary level? (2) What are the pedagogical approaches used by elementary music educators in urban contexts? The related sub-questions were as follows: (1) What characterizes success in the urban elementary music classroom? (2) What are characteristics of these educators (e.g., personal, educational, interpersonal)? Data collection included approximately 60-minute semi-structured interviews from eight participants. A constant comparative method was utilized to examine the coded transcripts. Trustworthiness was established through data triangulation, participant checking, and peer checking. Through the three-part analysis, six themes emerged: (a) relationships are key; (b) understanding how music functions for students; (c) willingness to perform unofficial job duties; (d) concerns about urban teacher preparation; (e) curricular and pedagogical decisions; and (f) urban music teacher characteristics. The findings of this study, as well as that of other scholars in music education, suggest that being a successful urban elementary music educator is the result of a composite set of skills. The teachers who participated in this study use creativity when making curricular and pedagogical decisions, possess a complex knowledge and understanding of their students, their students' families, and their students' community, and have a deep affection for what they do and whom they serve. Successful urban elementary music educators can serve as valuable resources to provide understanding and offer suggestions for improving urban music education, including ways to nurture and develop the next wave of music educators.

Teaching as Improvising: Preservice Music Teacher Field Experience With 21st-Century Skills Activities

The purpose of this study was to examine how preservice music teachers navigate 21st-century skills in their lesson planning and field experiences. Among the various skills, we focused on the Partnership for 21st Century learning and innovation skills. Over 8 weeks, 10 preservice music teachers designed lesson plans focused on creativity, critical thinking, communication, and collaboration, and peer taught their lessons in an elementary music methods class as well as in their field placements. Our data sources included participants’ post-field teaching self-evaluations and post-project reflective essays, as well as instructor and supervisor field notes and face-to-face participant interviews. Through the data analysis, we identified three central concepts: (a) Curriculum-as-lived: Teaching like improvising, (b) Balanced in-betweenness: Structure and freedom, and (c) Collective efforts: Stepping away from comfort zones.

Elementary General Music Performances and Teachers’ Perceptions of Stress

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.

Some structures in teaching Solfeggio and Elementary Music Theory

The article is devoted to the most common structures of intervals and chords, which are studied in the course of elementary music theory and mastered in practice in solfeggio lessons. The author has repeatedly encountered the fact that certain structures are explained out of system, and, as a result, they do not linger in the memory of students for a long time. On the pages of many textbooks, it is possible to find more or less disparate information. However, according to the author, the issue is not only the textbooks, but also the common way of teaching, when one chord is studied separately without connection with the other chords and/or intervals, then another one, and so on. This presentation of information seems unproductive: sometimes even numerous repetitions do not save the situation, and the material does not always fit in the heads of even the most diligent students. The author of this publication demonstrates how to combine seemingly heterogeneous sound structures into two large blocks and fit simpler structures into more complex ones. The article also shows some patterns in the construction and resolution of intervals and chords. A systematic and logical approach to the study of sound structures is indispensable, especially in the case of low-performing students, who, in a short period of time, do not have time to learn the material from textbooks, even with a strong desire. In the end, the author comes to the conclusion that the main task of theoretical disciplines is to contribute to developing the ear for music, and not only to develop mathematical and logical thinking.