Janet R Barrett

The researcher as instrument: learning to conduct qualitative research through analyzing and interpreting a choral rehearsal

Qualitative researchers often describe the ambiguities and complexities of extracting meaning from ambiguous and complex data. Although methodological literature provides useful frameworks and heuristics to guide the process of transforming field data into credible findings, learning to analyze and interpret qualitative data also involves a transformation of the researcher as the primary instrument for making sense of the phenomenon under study. This pedagogical action research study involved a ‘case within a case’, in which graduate students, enrolled in a qualitative research class in music education, analyzed and interpreted data from a high school choral rehearsal captured on digital video. This study sought to answer these questions: what pedagogical moves and exercises enable beginning qualitative researchers to practice and refine the skills of data analysis? What pedagogical moves and exercises foster the development and refinement of interpretive perspectives? Implications for teaching qualitative research methods using case materials drawn from music classrooms are described.

Recasting Professional Development for Music Teachers in an Era of Reform

n this era of accountability, policymakers view professional development as the key to increasing teacher quality and correspondingly improving student learning. A recent survey of state requirements for teachers reports that thirty-nine states fund professional development programs, forty states have published specific professional development standards for teachers, and fifteen states require schools to set aside a specific amount of time for professional development (Editorial Projects in Education 2006). In view of the federal pressures for student achievement brought about by the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act, it is surprising that fiscal support and standards for professional development at the state level are not universal. Local implementation of state policies vary as well. Miles et al. (2005) examined how school districts apportion outside funds for professional development and how districts evaluate the effectiveness of programs. They characterize the overall status of district efforts as a black box, in which little is known about how expenditures for professional development lead to teacher learning and increased school capacity. Current expectations for teacher learning can be found embedded in the charts, tables, and grids of teacher standards that categorize what teachers know and should be able to do. Teachers seeking license renewal or advancement to master teacher status must document participation in an array of professional activities, including district inservice sessions and other involvements, to demonstrate their attainment and knowledge of these standards.1 Teacher standards are crafted in general terms to apply to every teacher, making it difficult to determine how the distinctive needs of specialists, such as music teachers, are accommodated. Current standards, systems, and policies give the impression of substantial support for teacher growth. Yet, the prevalent assumptions of this standardsbased era depart from the ways that teachers’ learning and autonomy were construed in recent history. In this article, I first draw attention to this recent past by recalling a major report on music teacher education that portrayed more differentiated and teacher-driven avenues for advancement (Olson 1987). Next, I contrast the current accountability landscape for professional development with a reform-minded conception of teachers’ work, a view that is more congruent with teachers’ intentions, aspirations, and challenges. The term reform usually connotes large-scale school efforts that depend on teachers for their implementation, but here the term refers to teachers’ orientation toward continual improvement on behalf of their classrooms and school communities. The premise is that meaningful change is initiated from the ground up just as it is often mandated from the top down. To support teacher learning along these more self-directed lines, I describe five venues for professional development and recommend how these venues could be made more supportive of teachers’ desires to change. Educational change requires holistic, fluid, and integrated approaches to teacher learning that support their work in school settings and communities. Innovative forms of professional development will help music teachers meet changing roles and responsibilities, but traditional venues must also be recast to support their goals and needs.

Constructing a personal orientation to music teaching

1. Starting the Journey-Developing a Personal View of Teaching and Learning 2. Learning to Teach-From Student to Teacher 3. Learning from Others-Understanding Teacher Career Development 4. Orientations to Teacher Preparation 5. Searching for Horizons-Cultivating a Personal Orientation toward Change 6. Methodologies for Exploring Teaching and Learning

Momentum in Music Teacher Education

20(1) 1 –3

Judging Quality and Fostering Excellence in Music Teaching

Quality in music teaching is a complex and sophisticated notion not easily captured by platitudes and checklists. As I sample recent studies, reports, policy statements, and posts related to teacher evaluation, it strikes me that much current dialogue about teacher quality seems to lack depth and dimension, focusing mainly on two narrow bands: teachers’ observable behaviors in the classroom and teachers’ impact on students’ test scores. Music teacher educators are keenly interested in quality, although our conversations often center on a related yet even more complex, and perhaps more idiosyncratic, concept of teacher excellence. It is our mission to foster and facilitate foundations of excellence in the beliefs and practices of preservice teachers. It is also our mission to recognize and support the growth and refinement of excellence for teachers in the field. Obviously, the impact and coherence of teacher education and professional development programs are also being challenged in these calls for reform. Thus, we are compelled to participate in these debates and must respond with clarity and discernment. Quality in music teaching takes many different forms and shapes. As with any generalization about human behavior, we expect high-quality teaching to be as multidimensional as any other complex undertaking. Consider the panoramic array of music teachers with whom we work over the course of our careers. Teacher educators are fortunate to travel in many circles where we interact with preservice and inservice music teachers in many phases of development, in diverse settings and communities, and across a broad array of activities that constitute the impressive range of their professional responsibilities. We often glimpse music teachers in their most vital moments, connecting the expressive powers of music to students’ experience in immediate, tangible, and affirming ways. It is a privilege to witness varied forms of excellence in our field. Striving for excellence in our own work and responsively supporting the quest for excellence in others’ work is at the heart of teacher education. From the Chair

Supporting and Sustaining a Personal Orientation to Music Teaching Implications for Music Teacher Education

This article provides a conceptual argument for considering a personal orientation as a guiding framework for music teacher education. The potential strength and impact of this philosophical stance is underscored in the research on preservice and in-service teacher beliefs. Tools and dispositions that facilitate integrating a personal orientation into current programs are presented, discussed, and illustrated. Among these tools are methodologies for exploring self, methodologies for exploring school contexts, and methodologies for exploring teaching and learning. Principles for creating program coherence are offered.