Becoming Music Teachers in a Supportive String Project Community

• In Event: 44.084 - Roundtable Session 18
  In Roundtable Session: 44.084-20 - Becoming Artist Music Teachers: Four Perspectives on Music Teacher Identity Construction

Abstract

The purpose of this descriptive case study is to examine string education students’ experiences as string project teachers. Research questions include: How has teaching in String Project (SP) helped participants grow as teachers? What did they find most beneficial and challenging? What were the lasting effects of teaching in String Project?
Helping preservice music teachers think like and become teachers is a multifaceted process. Darling-Hammond and Bransford (2007) identified characteristics of strong teacher education programs, including “extended clinical experiences [that] are carefully developed to support the ideas and practices presented in simultaneous, closely interwoven coursework” (pp. 82-83). Haston and Russell (2012) suggest that providing authentic context teaching experience “seems to have a profound impact on their identity development” (p. 387). Likewise, Goldie (2013) found that PMT (N =520) with three to four years of authentic teaching experience had a significantly higher music teacher role commitment than those with one semester or no authentic teaching experience. However, more study is needed to understand the connections between clinical experiences, mentorship, coursework, and music teacher identity development.
The single unit of analysis of this descriptive case study (Merriam, 1998, 2009) is string education students’ experiences as string project teachers. Although findings are not generalizable in qualitative research, case studies “can bring about the discovery of new meanings, extend the reader’s experience, or confirm what is known” (Merriam, 2009, p. 44) and each reader may use “logical situational generalizability” to transfer some or all of the findings to other populations, when applicable (Schwartz, 1996, p. 7). Two string project teacher (SPT) participants, Xander and Ashley, were co-teachers while teaching beginners and advanced students twice a week.
Data included an open-ended questionnaire, journal entries, teaching philosophies, observations, videotaped teaching segments, and two semi-structured interviews.
Findings included (a) goal setting for teacher self and for students; (b) learning in a supportive community; and (c) reflection about String Project experience and becoming music teachers. Goals included curricular development and lesson planning, attending to teacher presence and flow of lessons, less teacher talk and more modeling and student playing, and having students play expressively, include more varied-genre repertoire and improvisation and composition experiences. Learning in a supportive community included mentors, peers, and students. The String Project experience helped PMT: make connections between pacing and classroom management; make connections between offering encouraging, specific feedback and the mood in the room; lead students to play expressively and with excellent technique; “sequence lessons so that they have a continuous flow to them;” realize how much parents enjoy witnessing and being part of their children’s growth; use student partner assessments to help with student growth as well as a community feel in the classroom; realize how much modeling and repertoire-based warm-ups aid student learning; and figure out how to be a role model in the classroom.
Implications were that these PMT internalized many ideas explored during coursework and, through authentic teaching experiences, these ideas became part of their own teacher thinking, teaching practice, and teaching philosophies as they became inspiring, effective teachers.

Author

• Kristen Pellegrino, The University of Texas - San Antonio