Chad West

Action Research as a Professional Development Activity

Reflective teachers are always searching for ways to improve their teaching. When this reflection becomes intentional and systematic, they are engaging in teacher research. This type of research, sometimes called action research, can help bridge the gap between theory and practice by addressing topics that are relevant to practicing teachers. This article synthesizes literature within music education and general education to address (a) the conceptual underpinnings of action research, (b) characteristics of action research and teacher research, (c) action research critiques, and (d) implications for teacher research as a form of professional development.

Instrumental Music Education Students' Perceptions of Tensions Experienced during Their Undergraduate Degree.

In response to recent concern regarding music education major retention and as an effort to contribute to the “lives of teachers” scholarship in music education, the primary research question for this study was: How do undergraduate students describe their lived experiences within the instrumental music education community? Data included a questionnaire from sophomore, junior, and senior undergraduate students (N = 34); researcher journals; 12 undergraduate student interviews; an undergraduate student focus group; and 6 study team meetings. What the authors learned from this inquiry is organized by the following themes: (a) participants perceive themselves as “different” from other music students; (b) participants perceive music education to be “different” within the music school; and (c) participants’ musician/ teacher identity changed throughout their experience.

Teaching Music in an Era of High-Stakes Testing and Budget Reductions.

Prior research suggests that the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) is having an adverse effect on school music programs, particularly in schools that have not made “adequate yearly progress.” In many instances, music programs are being reduced or eliminated, music teachers are being required to assist with the teaching of other subjects, academically low-achieving students are being precluded from participating in music, and the overall time allotted for music is being reduced. Because the arts are excluded from NCLBs list of tested subjects—that is, subjects for which schools are held accountable—music has been relegated to a noncore status, even though the law identifies the arts as a core academic subject. This article discusses changing paradigms within music education and how some music teachers are adapting to these shifts.

Developing Reflective Practitioners Using Video-Cases in Music Teacher Education

Developing reflective habits in preservice teachers is an important task of teacher education. The use of teaching cases in preservice and inservice teacher education has been strongly supported as a tool to promote this process of reflection in education research and music education research. More recently, education researchers have begun to explore the use of video-cases to promote reflection in preservice teacher education. This article first discusses the process of reflective thinking and its importance to preservice teacher education. Next are implications for using video-cases to help preservice music teachers critically examine their beliefs and shift their focus from themselves to their students. Finally, research is presented for effectively structuring video-case experiences, along with recommendations for implementing video-cases in the music education classroom.

Motivating Music Students A Review of the Literature

John Dewey knew that when students were actively involved in their learning, they were more motivated and achieved higher. Unfortunately, our practices often negatively affect motivation, such as when teachers emphasize competition, social comparison, normative grading criteria, public forms of evaluation, and ability self-assessment. Most recently, researchers have begun exploring motivation through the lenses of (a) how we attribute successes and failures (attribution theory), (b) reasons for achieving (achievement goal theory) and (c) ways in which we seek to satisfy our internal needs (intrinsic motivation theory). This article examines the music education literature within these three seminal social cognitive theories and discusses the implications to music education with respect to (a) locus of control, (b) self-concept and achievement, and (c) motivational ways of engaging students. The article concludes with specific recommendations for increasing student motivation in the music classroom.

Preparing Middle School Music Teachers to Teach Jazz

This mixed-methods study combined qualitative and quantitative data to identify middle school music teachers who perceive themselves as highly effective jazz teachers and to uncover the experiences that have best prepared them to teach middle school jazz. Quantitative data suggested that (a) playing in college jazz ensembles, (b) taking a college jazz pedagogy course, (c) mentorship in jazz, and (d) taking a college improvisation course all significantly correlate with one’s perceived ability to teach middle school jazz. However, both qualitative and quantitative data indicated that listening to jazz and playing as a professional jazz musician are among the most closely associated experiences to perceived ability, suggesting that the college jazz experience, although important, may not be the most important way of preparing future middle school jazz educators.

Bringing the Outside In Blending Formal and Informal Through Acts of Hospitality

Through the lens of hospitality, we explored the meanings that members constructed about their experiences within a blended formal/informal college music ensemble. The focus in this ensemble was not on competition and musical excellence but on independent musicianship and praxis. The bandleader had his roots in tradition but his heart in socially relevant pedagogy and favored a less autocratic teaching and learning style. The makeup of the ensemble also included students from both formal and informal backgrounds. Conducting gesture was casual, bandstand formation was loose and free, outfits were expressive of the individual, and tone and balance were more a reflection and celebration of individuals and less of a whole or single sound. Much of the music was performed from standard notation but was chosen collectively, often related to popular contexts, and the overall emphasis was not on uniformity but on individuality and student creativity. Musical decisions often were made democratically, and opinions from within the ensemble were affirmed in the process. The ensemble consisted of a group of approximately 13 members whose experience ranged from beginner to over 30 years and who played everything from violin to iPad. Themes that emerged were inclusivity, autonomy, and affirmation.

Strengthening Music Programs While Avoiding Advocacy Pitfalls

This article examines ways in which music education advocacy efforts have become disconnected from the unified visions and declarations of music educators espoused in the Tanglewood and Housewright declarations and are thus reifying the disconnect between what we value and what we say we value. We first analyze the policies posited by the recently formed Music Education Policy Roundtable and consider several counterarguments. Second, we suggest new directions in music education advocacy by discussing ways to make our programs more culturally relevant and valuable to our schools and communities. Finally, we conclude with a call for our professional organization to take a leadership role in situating the arts as an important element of American public school education by reigniting national aims discussions that lead to liberal and humanistic education policies.

What Research Reveals About School Jazz Education

Though jazz has been a part of many school music programs for more than 40 years, relatively little research on jazz education exists. Despite this scarcity, a comprehensive examination of the extant literature could serve to inform practice and guide future studies. Therefore, the purpose of this article is to analyze and synthesize the extant research on school jazz education. The first section addresses research as it applies to jazz ensembles in general, while the second section addresses the research as it applies to jazz improvisation in particular. The article concludes with implications for music education.

Becoming a Mixed Methods Researcher: Successes, Failures, and Lessons Learned Along the Way

I have to admit my first thought when asked to write a personal narrative was, ‘the last thing this world needs is another narcissistic self-proclamation.’ But as I thought about my personal journey as a music education mixed methods researcher, I realized there are relatively few of us out there right now and my story might inspire future music education mixed methods researchers on their journeys. In this narrative, I describe how I became a music education mixed methods researcher. Themes include the following: (a) QUAN master’s education, QUAL doctoral education—never the twain shall meet; (b) mixed methods was a taboo subject, which made it sexy; (c) wanting my own identity as a researcher; (d) doing it all backwards by starting with a method in mind and then developing the purpose statement and research questions; and (e) trying to publish mixed methods studies. From my first master’s-level research class to the initial seduction of mixed methods research which led to a new emerging identity, to my completely backward approach to conducting a study, to my subsequent publications and modest successes within the field, it has been a rewarding journey, and one that I hope is only beginning. Stories and narrative are used extensively throughout to create a light-hearted reflexive account of my successes, failures, and lessons learned along the way.