The Intersection of Belief and Practice: A Mixed-Methods Study of Elementary General Music Educator Praxis

• In Event: Exploring General Music Classrooms

Abstract

Research describing the practices of teachers and students within elementary music classrooms is rare, and few researchers have examined how music educators think about music teaching and learning. In this mixed-methods study, we bridged these areas of research by examining elementary music educators’ expressed beliefs about music teaching and learning along with descriptive analysis and hierarchical linear modeling (HLM) of time-sampled video data from three days of instruction. Participants (N = 7) shared beliefs that everyone is musical and that music educators must therefore prioritize active music making, Time sampling frequencies were somewhat incongruent with this belief. HLM analyses provided predictive implications for teachers’ use of singing and movement. We conclude with implications for teaching practice.

Authors

• Karen Salvador, Michigan State University

• Christina L Svec, Iowa State University

• Jessica Glaser, Ann Arbor Public Schools

• Amy Sierzega, Ann Arbor Public Schools

• Alice Broadway, Mechanicsburg Area School District