Clint Randles

`That's my piece, that's my signature, and it means more ...': creative identity and the ensemble teacher/ arranger

This study follows a phenomenological qualitative research tradition. Two K—12 (5—6 years old through 17—18 years old) music teachers were asked to create an arrangement of a musical selection of their choice to be performed by their students. Guidelines were emergent to allow for the construction of meaningful projects that would encourage personal growth and the development of each participants creative skills. The primary data collection technique was a semi-structured interview. These interviews were conducted at various stages before, during and after music was arranged for performance. Participants responses were transcribed and examined for patterns, trends and themes. From this data, codes emerged. These codes were sorted and categorized into four themes: (1) teacher ownership of arrangements/compositions; (2) compositional process: manipulation of musical materials; (3) continuing education; (4) culture of creativity: impact of the projects on students. Findings support the literature regarding musician identity. The researcher provides a model of the relationship of role-identities to musician identity, as well as a model of music teacher identity progression.

A first comparison of pre-service music teachers’ identities as creative musicians in the United States and England

The purpose of this study was to compare the creative musical identities of pre-service music education students in the United States and England. A 20-item survey was created based on previous work in the area of music teacher identity (Isbell, 2008). Survey items related to music making activities typically associated with creativity in music education, including composition, improvisation, popular music, and ‘new music’ ensemble participation, were completed by students (n = 159) from nine different universities in the United States and nine universities in England. Findings suggest that pre-service music education students in the US feel less confident about their abilities to compose music, less comfortable teaching composition, and are less likely to plan on ‘teaching students to compose/improvise their own original music when [they] get a job as a music teacher’ than their English colleagues. Differences in primary and secondary socialization are proposed to account for the differences in survey responses between the two populations. The authors propose that music educators in the US might benefit from consideration of incorporating some practices from the system in England.

“What Is a Good Musician?” An Analysis of Student Beliefs

The purpose of this study was to discover relationships in student perceptions of what it means to be a “good musician” across grade level, with regard to gender, and according to different school music affiliations among an intact school culture. The specific problems were to determine (1) what percentage of students choose to participate in school music, (2) if there is a trend in self-reported good musicianship across grade levels, (3) if there is a relationship between gender and music self-efficacy, and (4) which factors defining “good musician” are indicated most frequently across different grade levels. Subjects (N = 1,219) were students grades 4 through 12 at a moderate-size, suburban school district in the midwestern United States. Subjects were administered an online researcher-devised survey protocol inquiring about areas of musicianship. Results indicate that a majority (56%) of students chose not to participate in school music, that student self-perceptions of being a good musician decreased in relationship to grade level, that girls indicated being a good musician significantly more than boys (p < .0001), and that the category “Performs/practices an instrument” was the most cited response for each grade level.

The “Hero’s Journey” A Way of Viewing Music Teacher Socialization

In this article, the author explores philosophically the possibility of a connection between music teacher socialization and the work of Joseph Campbell in comparative mythology. Campbell’s “hero’s journey” provides a way of viewing the life of the apprentice music teacher. The process of ritual, following the general theme of separation–initiation–return, where the protagonist leaves the ordinary world to enter the special world where adventure happens, followed by a return to the ordinary world in an altered—changed—state, is proposed to be akin to the struggles of the apprentice teacher. Christopher Vogler’s 12 subcategories of the hero’s journey are used to frame the journey of the apprentice teacher.

Validation and Further Validation of a Measure of Creative Identity among USA and Finland Pre-Service Music Teachers.

The purpose of this study was to validate a measure of creative identity with a population of pre-service teachers in the USA, to further validate the measure with a Finnish population, and to compare both populations regarding their perceptions of themselves as creative musicians. The researcher developed a tool, the Creative Identity Measure (CIM), based on the work of Isbell (2007) to examine this area. The specific research questions were as follows: 1. What factors can explain creative identity in music? 2. What is the internal consistency within the factors that explain creative identity in music? 3. Do differences exist between the two populations with regard to each sub-scale? Results of factor analysis reveal that the CIM can be meaningfully divided into four sub-scales with a US population ( n = 159) and a combined US and Finland population ( n = 277). Significant differences were discovered for sub-scales one (Creative Music Making Self-Efficacy), two (Value of Creative Musicianship Areas), and four (Value of Popular-Music Making/Listening in the Classroom), suggesting that the Finnish pre-service music teachers possess a stronger creative identity than their contemporaries from the USA. Significant differences were not found for sub-scale three (Willingness to Allow for Creativity in the Classroom), suggesting that both populations of pre-service music teachers are equally willing to allow time for creativity.

How Composers Approach Teaching Composition: Strategies for Music Teachers.

Composition pedagogy is explored from the perspective of a composer and a music teacher educator in this article. The primary goal is to help practicing music teachers develop strategies that will encourage students to create original music. The authors provide reflection about the process of helping students compose on the basis of personal experience composing and teaching young composers, via the work of leading scholars in music education and by using narrative excerpts and musical examples. Key strategies are identified that contribute to the successful teaching of composition, particularly at the beginning, middle, and the end of musical compositions. Contributing most notably to this discussion is the use of terminology in teacher feedback.

Being an iPadist

This column offers the personal reflections of the author on being a member of the band Touch, an iPad performing ensemble composed of music education faculty members and doctoral students at the University of South Florida. The ensemble primarily performed its own arrangements of popular music selections from a number of genres including, but not limited to, rock, hip-hop, and classical. The group began when the iPad was created by Apple in 2010 and had been performing all over the Tampa Bay (Florida) region, Texas, and Georgia, at the time of this publication. In this article, the reflections of the author are presented to inform the profession on how tablet technology can be used in the music performance arena and on how these devices can function as musical instruments in the general music classroom.

Examining the reliability of scores from the consensual assessment technique in the measurement of individual and small group creativity

The purpose of this study was to explore the reliability of measures of both individual and group creative work using the consensual assessment technique (CAT). CAT was used to measure individual and group creativity among a population of pre-service music teachers enrolled in a secondary general music class (n = 23) and was evaluated from multiple perspectives for reliability. Consistency was calculated using Cronbachs alpha. Judges were found to be highly consistent for individual creativity (α = .90), individual craftsmanship (α = .87), group creativity (α = .86) and group craftsmanship (α = 81). Judges were much less consistent with their ratings of aesthetic sensitivity for individual compositions (α = .67) or group performances (α = .69). Absolute agreement was calculated by using intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC). Judges were found to be highly in agreement for individual creativity (α = .79), individual craftsmanship (α = .83), group creativity (α = .87) and group craftsmanship (α = 83). Judges were much less in agreement with their ratings of aesthetic sensitivity for individual compositions (α = .57) or group performances (α = .71). Judges ratings for individual creativity were consistent over time, as evidenced by test–retest reliabilities of .89 (creativity), .83 (craftsmanship) and .79 (aesthetic sensibility). Results indicate, in agreement with prior research, that CAT is a reliable measure of creativity. The researchers introduce the idea that absolute agreement might be a worthwhile construct to explore in future work in the measurement of creativity in music education.

A theory of change in music education

The purpose of this conceptual work was to provide a theory of curricular change in music education. The author introduced a Model of Psychological Dimensions, and suggested how it might help the profession conceptualise the nexus between the individual and society. Identity as a manifestation of cultural psychology, and the role and characteristics of both perceptual and cultural worlds were presented. The idea of the selfhood of individuals was used as an analogy to the selfhood of music education. A metaphor of a rainstorm was used to help explain how the components of self, an understanding of ‘place’ and ‘space’, and knowledge of cultural creativity might guide theorisation in the area of curricular change. The author concluded the article by presenting a Conceptual Model of Change in Music Education, based on a model proposed by the author in previous work.

Connecting Ideas to Practice: The Development of an Undergraduate Student's Philosophy of Music Education.

This article considers the personal reflections of an undergraduate music education major on both the significance of his experience as a participant in the Seventh International Symposium on the Sociology of Music Education, held at Michigan State University, in the United States, in June 2011, and on his place as a pre-service music teacher poised to enter the profession. The first author’s reflections regarding what the conference meant to him as a future music educator has implications for individuals who help prepare the next generation of music teachers, and scholars in all fields who desire for their work to reach a particular audience that could benefit from their work. The article takes the form of a personal narrative reflection, not generalizable to all populations of undergraduate music education majors, but certainly transferable to similar situations where undergraduates are considering waves of change in degree requirements and curricular expansion.