John Eros

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.

Second-Stage Music Teachers’ Perceptions of Their Professional Development

In recent years, professional development has become a topic of an increasing amount of research. However, studies are often general in nature or focused on beginning teachers specifically. Recently, researchers have begun to explore professional development over the course of a teacher’s entire career. The purpose of this study was to investigate the professional development needs of a particular population of experienced teachers: those known as second-stage teachers, commonly defined as teachers who have experience of 4 to 10 years and have passed the “survival years.” Research questions were as follows: (a) How do second-stage music teachers describe their professional development experiences? and (b) How do second-stage music teachers perceive their professional development needs? Findings are organized into the following themes: forms of professional development, professional development needs at different times, obstacles to professional development, and concerns about a lack of professional development.

Perceived effects of the Master of Music in music education on P—12 teaching practice:

The purpose of this study was to examine teacher perceptions (N = 9) of the effect of the Master of Music (MM) in Music Education degree on teaching practice and student (P—12) achievement. Research questions included: (1) How do graduates discuss the connections between their teaching practices and their coursework? (2) What changes in P—12 musical achievement do they perceive may be effects of graduate education? Data sources included: an online survey, participant journals, and individual interviews. All data sets were reviewed and coded for common themes. Findings suggest that participants discussed music performance, connecting research with practice, and a ‘re-interaction’ with undergraduate content as they drew connections between their MM studies and teaching practice. Participants did believe there was a relationship between the graduate degree and student achievement; however, they were unable to pinpoint a direct link. We also discuss: (1) the thesis or exam as a powerful connection between coursework and teaching practice; (2) the value of the community of learners in a MM program; and (3) questions regarding the development of an identity as a teacher/scholar.

“Give Me a Break—English Is Not My First Language!” Experiences of Linguistically Diverse Student Teachers

Today’s K–12 music educators interact regularly with students from culturally diverse communities and backgrounds. Although research exists on culturally diverse students, there is comparatively little research on music teachers who do, themselves, represent diverse cultures. The purpose of this study was to investigate the experiences of three linguistically diverse music student teachers. The primary research question was the following: In what ways have the participants’ linguistically diverse backgrounds affected their student teaching experiences? Data were collected through a questionnaire, a journal response, observation/postobservation notes, individual semistructured interviews, and a focus group interview. The participants discussed experiencing tensions between using their native languages and using English, although they felt that their own experiences as English Learners (ELs) provided them with a useful perspective in working with EL students and helped them to develop EL-based instructional modifications. The participants had also considered how their linguistic backgrounds would fit into their career plans.

Descriptions of the Second Stage of Music Teachers' Careers.

The purpose of this study was to describe experiences of 12 second-stage music teachers as several themes emerged from a secondary analysis of previously collected written survey and interview data. Participants were previously involved in studies in which they were asked to reflect on their beginning teaching experiences and discuss their music teaching careers in the last 10 years (Conway, 2012a, 2012b). Data from the previous studies were then used in a secondary analysis in which we examined the data through the lens of “career cycle” and “second stage” theory. Experiences in the second stage included: (a) feeling settled; (b) assuming leadership; (c) uncertainty; and (d) seeking new challenges. These are discussed in relation to past research and suggestions for future research are provided.

Becoming part of the city: Influences on the career choice of an urban music educator

The purpose of this case study was to examine and describe the life experiences that influenced one music teacher’s career choice to teach music in an urban school. The primary research question is: What experiences influenced the participant to pursue urban music education as a career? Calling upon research into urban music education and career choice, the article used a “secondary analysis” of survey, journal, and interview data collected in a larger investigation of the teacher career cycle, as viewed through the lens of narrative research. Findings are presented in four categories, and indicate that the teacher’s career choice was influenced by three primary elements: (a) feeling a need to be of service to others; (b) experiencing cultural differences; and (c) curiosity about the city; all of which led to (d) being a part of the city. These elements combined to form not just a career choice, but a strong sense of commitment to teaching music in a specific city. Implications for both urban music education and music teacher education are discussed, as are suggestions for further research.