Given the shifting demographics in American education, the rising likelihood of students with special needs being taught in inclusive classrooms, and the increasing openness with which students are challenging gender and sex norms, social justice has become a prevalent research topic in music education. This survey sought to investigate the perspectives of music teacher educators with regard to social justice, music education, and music teacher education. Many of the 361 respondents indicated engagement with social justice and shared methods for addressing social justice topics in music teacher education as well as describing limitations that prevented them from doing more. However, about 50% of respondents defined social justice in “difference-blind” terms. A further 10% to 15% of respondents rejected the need to address social justice topics in music teacher education, stated it was not their job, and/or described social justice as a waste of instructional time that should be spent on content. In contrast, 10% to 15% of respondents expressed a desire for assistance understanding more about social justice in school music settings and/or suggestions how to teach about social justice topics in undergraduate music teacher education. This article concludes with a discussion of these findings and suggestions for future research.
AbrilC. R. (2009). Responding to culture in the instrumental programme: A teacher’s journey. Music Education Research, 11, 77–91. doi:10.1080/14613800802699176
2.
BarberB. R. (1997). Public schooling: Education for democracy. In GoodlandJ.McMannonT. (Eds.), The public purpose of education and schooling (pp. 21–32). San Francisco CA: Jossey-Bass Inc.
3.
BarryB. (2005). Why social justice matters. Malden, MA: Polity.
4.
BartolomeS. (2013). Growing through service: Exploring the impact of a service-learning experience on preservice educators. Journal of Music Teacher Education, 23, 79–91. doi:105708371247195
5.
BellL. A. (2007). Theoretical foundations for social justice education. In AdamsM.BellL. A.GriffinP. (Eds.), Teaching for diversity and social justice (pp. 1–14). New York, NY: Routledge.
6.
BerlanE. D.CorlissH. L.FieldA. E.GoodmanE.AustinS. B. (2010). Sexual orientation and bullying among adolescents in the growing up today study. Journal of Adolescent Health, 46, 366-371. doi:10.1016/j.jadohealth.2009.10.015
7.
BowmanW. (2007). Special issue: Theorizing social justice in music education. Action, Criticism, and Theory for Music Education6(4).
ButlerA.LindV. R.McKoyC. L. (2007). Equity and access in music education: Conceptualizing culture as barriers to and supports for music learning. Music Education Research, 9, 241–253. doi:10.1080/14613800701384375
10.
CarlowR. (2006). Diva Irina: An English language learner in high school choir. Bulletin of the Council for Research in Music Education, 170, 63–77.
11.
CarringtonB.McPheeA. (2008). Boys’ “underachievement” and the feminization of teaching. Journal of Education for Teaching: International Research and Pedagogy, 34(2), 109–120. doi:10.1080/02607470801979558
12.
CarterB. A. (2013). “Nothing better or worse than being Black, gay, and in the band”: A qualitative examination of gay undergraduates participating in Historically Black College or University marching bands. Journal of Research in Music Education, 61, 26–43.
13.
ChubbuckS. M. (2010). Individual and structural orientations in socially just teaching: Conceptualization, implementation, and collaborative effort. Journal of Teacher Education, 61, 197–212. doi:10.1177/0022487109359777
14.
Cochran-SmithM.ShakmanK.JongC.TerrellD. G.BarnattJ.McQuillanP. (2009). Good and just teaching: The case for social justice in teacher education. American Journal of Education, 115, 347–377. doi:10.1086/597493
15.
DeVellisR. F. (2003). Scale development: Theory and application (2nd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
16.
ElliottD. J. (2007). “Socializing” music education. Action, Criticism, and Theory for Music Education, 6(4), 60–95.
17.
ElpusK.AbrilC. R. (2011). High school music ensemble students in the United States: A demographic profile. Journal of Research in Music Education, 59, 128–145. doi:10.1177/0022429411405207
18.
ElpusK.CarterB. A. (2016). Bullying victimization among music ensemble and theatre students in the United States. Journal of Research in Music Education, 64, 322–343. doi:10.1177/0022429416658642
19.
FinneyS.OrrJ. (1995). “I’ve really learned a lot but . . .”: Cross-cultural understanding and teacher education in a racist society. Journal of Teacher Education, 4, 129–138. doi:10.1177/0022487195046005002
FosterM. (1995). African American teachers and culturally relevant pedagogy. In BanksJ. A.BanksC. A. M. (Eds.), Handbook of research on multicultural education (pp. 570–581). New York, NY: Macmillan.
22.
GustafsonR. I. (2009). Race and curriculum: Music in childhood education. New York, NY: Palgrave Macmillan.
23.
HanleyM. S.SheppardG. L.NoblitG. W.BaroneT. (Eds.). (2013). Culturally relevant arts education for social justice: A way out of no way. New York, NY: Routledge.
24.
Higher Education Arts Data Services. (2014). Music data summaries 2013–2014. Reston, VA: Author.
25.
HoffmanA. R. (2011). Rethinking religion in music education. Music Educators Journal, 97(4), 55–59. doi:10.1177/0027432111404606
26.
HoffmanE. C.III. (2011). The status of students with special needs in the instrumental musical ensemble and the effect of selected educator and institutional variables on rates of inclusion. Unpublished doctoral dissertation, University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
27.
HollinsE.GuzmanM. T. (2005). Research on preparing teachers for diverse populations. In Cochran-SmithM.ZeichnerK. M. (Eds.), Studying teacher education: The report of the AERA Panel on Research and Teacher Education (pp. 477–548). Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum.
28.
HouriganR. M. (2009). Preservice music teachers’ perceptions of fieldwork experiences in a special needs classroom. Journal of Research in Music Education57, 152–168. doi:10.1177/0022429409335880
KellyS. N. (2003). The influence of selected cultural factors on the environmental teaching preference of undergraduate music education majors. Journal of Music Teacher Education, 12(2), 40–55. doi:10.1177/10570837030120020106
31.
Kelly-McHaleJ. (2013). The influence of music teacher beliefs and practices on the expression of musical identity in an elementary general music classroom. Journal of Research in Music Education, 61, 195–216. doi:10.1177/0022429413485439
32.
Kindall-SmithM.McKoyC. L.MillsS. W. (2011). Challenging exclusionary paradigms in the traditional musical canon: Implications for music education practice. International Journal of Music Education, 29(4), 374–386. doi:10.1177/0255761411421075
33.
KozaJ. (2008). Listening for Whiteness: Hearing racial politics in undergraduate school music. Philosophy of Music Education Review, 16(2), 10. doi:10.2979/PME.2008.16.2.145
34.
KrumpalI. (2013). Determinants of social desirability bias in sensitive surveys: A literature review. Quality & Quantity, 47(4), 2025–2047. doi:10.1007/s11135-011-9640-9
35.
LinsenmeierC. V. (2004). The impact of music teacher training on the rate and level of involvement of special education students in high school band and choir. Unpublished doctoral dissertation, Kent State University, Kent, OH.
36.
LippyC. H. (2009). Christian nation or pluralistic culture: Religion in American life. In BanksJ. A.McGeeC. A. (Eds.), Multicultural education: Issues and perspectives (pp. 109–114). New York, NY: Wiley.
37.
McGuireJ. K.AndersonC. R.ToomeyR. B.RussellS. T. (2010). School climate for transgender youth: A mixed method investigation of student experiences and school responses. Journal of Youth and Adolescence39, 1175–1188. doi:10.1007/s10964-010-9540-7
38.
McKoyC. L. (2013). Effects of selected demographic variables on music student teachers’ self-reported cross-cultural competence. Journal of Research in Music Education, 60, 375–394. doi:10.1177/0022429412463398
OrfieldG.KusceraJ.Siegel-HawleyG. (2012). E Pluribus . . . separation: Deepening double segregation for more students. Los Angeles, CA: Civil Rights Project UCLA.
41.
PollackM.DeckmanS.MiraM.ShalabyC. (2010). “But what can I do?” Three necessary tensions in teaching teachers about race. Journal of Teacher Education, 61, 211–216. doi:10.1177/0022487109354089
42.
ReayD. (2010). “Spice girls,” “nice girls,” “girlies,” and “tomboys”: Gender discourses, girls’ cultures, and femininities in the primary classroom. Gender and Education, 13, 153–166. doi:10.1080/09540250120051178
43.
SalvadorK. (2010). Who isn’t a special learner? A survey of how music teacher education programs prepare future educators to work with exceptional populations. Journal of Music Teacher Education, 20(1), 27–38. doi:10.1177/1057083710362462
44.
SalvadorK.AllegoodK. (2014). Access to music education with regard to race in two urban areas. Arts Education Policy Review, 115(3), 82–92. doi:10.1080/10632913.2014.914389
45.
ShawJ. (2012). The skin that we sing: Culturally responsive choral music education. Music Educators Journal, 98(4), 75–81. doi:10.1177/0027432112443561
46.
SkeltonC.CarringtonB.FrancisB.HutchingsM.ReadB.HallI. (2009). Gender “matters” in the primary classroom: Pupils’ and teachers’ perspectives. British Educational Research Journal, 35, 187–204. doi:10.1080/01411920802041905
47.
SleeterC. E. (1994). A multicultural educator views white racism. The Education Digest, 59(9), 33–36.
48.
SnyderT. D.DillowS. A. (2012). Digest of education statistics 2011 (NCES 2012-001). Washington, DC: National Center for Education Statistics, Institute of Education Sciences, U.S. Department of Education.
49.
StandleyJ. M. (2000). Increasing prospective music educators’ tolerance for student diversity. Update: Applications of Research in Music Education, 19, 27–32. doi:10.1177/875512330001900106
VillegasA. M. (2007). Dispositions in teacher education: A look at social justice. Journal of Teacher Education, 58, 370–382. doi:10.1177/0022487107308419
52.
WhippleJ.VanWeeldenK. (2012). Educational supports for students with special needs: Preservice music educators’ perceptions. Update: Applications of Research in Music Education30(2), 32–45. doi:10.1177/8755123312436987
53.
WilliamsD. G.LandR. R. (2006). Special focus: The legitimation of Black subordination: The impact of color-blind ideology on African American education. The Journal of Negro Education, 75(4), 579–88.
Supplementary Material
Please find the following supplemental material available below.
For Open Access articles published under a Creative Commons License, all supplemental material carries the same license as the article it is associated with.
For non-Open Access articles published, all supplemental material carries a non-exclusive license, and permission requests for re-use of supplemental material or any part of supplemental material shall be sent directly to the copyright owner as specified in the copyright notice associated with the article.
