Identity development is a continuous process framed within changing social contexts, and is particularly problematic for musicians and other artists whose work contradicts the mythologized image of the artist. The purpose of this article is to examine the professional growth of music students in relation to developing teacher identities. The article reports on the use of learner-generated drawings and journal reflections produced by music performance and education majors; in particular, the article probes students’ perceptions of teaching within a traditional career hierarchy that favours performance and artistic creation above all else. Whilst initial student drawings illustrated traditional images of the teacher as knowledge giver, these gave way to student-centred images in which students appeared to identify with teaching in new ways. The combination of textual and non-textual data provided insights that would not otherwise have been evident, and the consideration of ‘possible selves’ became a useful tool in the explorations of identity and career.
BainA. (2005). Constructing an artistic identity. Work Employment Society, 19(25), 25–46.
2.
BeattieM. (2000). Narratives of professional learning: Becoming a teacher and learning to teach. Journal of Educational Enquiry, 1(2), 1–23.
3.
BennettD. (2008). Understanding the classical music profession: The past, the present and strategies for the future. Aldershot, UK: Ashgate Publishing Limited.
4.
BennettD.StanbergA. (2006). Musicians as teachers: Developing a positive view through collaborative learning partnerships. International Journal of Music Education, 24(3), 219–230.
5.
BowmanW. (2004). Cognition and the body: Perspectives from music education. In BreslerL. (Ed.), Knowing bodies, moving minds: Towards embodied teaching and learning (pp. 29–50). Norwell, MA: Kluwer Academic Publishers.
6.
BrandM.DolloffL. (2002). Fantasies and other romanticized concepts of music teaching: A cross-cultural study of Chinese and North American music education students’ images of music teaching. International Journal of Music Education, 39(1), 17–30.
7.
BridgstockR. (2005, October). What influences the decision to teach? A quantitative application of the systems theory framework of career development. Paper presented at the New Researchers for New Times Conference, Brisbane, Australia.
8.
BrittonJ. N. (1977). The third area where we are most ourselves: The role of fantasy. In MeekM. (Ed.), The cool web (pp. 40–47). London, UK: Bodley Head.
9.
BrunerJ. (1987). Actual minds, possible worlds. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
10.
Burt-PerkinsR. (2008). Students at a UK conservatoire of music: Working towards a diverse employment portfolio? In BennettD.HannanM. (Eds.), Inside outside downside up: Conservatoire training and musicians’ work (pp. 49–60). Perth, Australia: Black Swan Press.
11.
CalderheadJ.RobsonM. (1991). Images of teaching: Student teachers’ early conceptions of classroom practice. Teaching and Teacher Education, 7(1), 1–8.
12.
CarruthersG. (2008). Educating professional musicians: Lessons learned from school music. International Journal of Music Education, 26(2), 127–135.
13.
CremeP. (2008). A space for academic play: Student learning journals as transitional writing. Arts and Humanities in Higher Education, 7(49), 49–64.
14.
EllisJ. (1998). Introduction: The teacher as interpretive inquirer. In EllisJ. (Ed.), Teaching from understanding: Teacher as interpretive inquiry (pp. 5–14). London, UK: Taylor and Francis.
15.
ErautM. (1985). Knowledge creation and knowledge use in professional contexts. Studies in Higher Education, 10(2), 117–133.
16.
GibbsP.AngelidesP.MichaelidesP. (2004). Preliminary thoughts on a praxis of higher education teaching. Teaching in Higher Education, 9(2), 183–194.
17.
GreeneF. J.SaridakisG. (2008). The role of higher education skills and support in graduate self-employment. Studies in Higher Education, 33(6), 653–672.
18.
HargreavesD. J.MarshallN. A. (2003). Developing identities in music education. Music Education Research, 5(3), 263–273.
19.
HarréR. (1984). Personal being: A theory for individual psychology. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
20.
HuhtanenK. (2004). Once I had a promising future (facing reality as an ex-promising pianist). Australian Music Forum, 10(3), 21–27.
21.
HuhtanenK. (2008, August). Identity work as a tool in constructing professional identity. Paper presented at the 4th EARLI SIG 14 Learning and Professional Development Conference, University of Jyväskylä, Finland.
22.
KaganD. (1992). Professional growth among preservice and beginner teachers. Review of Educational Research, 62, 129–169.
23.
LaBoskeyV. K. (1994). Development of reflective practice: A study of preservice teachers. New York, NY: Teachers College Press.
24.
LoughranJ. J. (2006). Developing a pedagogy of teacher education: Understanding teaching and learning about teaching. London, UK: Routledge.
25.
MacPhailA.KinchinG. (2004). The use of drawings as an evaluative tool: Students’ experiences of sport education. Physical Education and Sport Pedagogy, 9(1), 87–108.
26.
MarcusH.NiriusP. (1986). Possible selves. American Psychologist, 41(9), 954–969.
27.
McNiffS. (1997). Art therapy: A spectrum of partnerships. The Arts in Psychotherapy, 24(1), 37–44.
28.
MillerJ.BakerD. (2007). Career orientation and pedagogical training: Conservatoire undergraduates’ insights. British Journal of Music Education, 24(1), 5–19.
29.
MillsJ.BurtR.MooreH. (2005). ‘Professional performer’ – or ‘professional musician?’. In Proceedings of ‘performance matters! International conference on practical, psychological, philosophical and educational issues in musical performance (CD). Porto, Portugal: Escola Superior de Educação.
30.
MillsJ.SmithJ. (2003). Teachers’ beliefs about effective instrumental teaching in schools and higher education. British Journal of Music Education, 20(1), 5–27.
31.
PreslandC. (2005). Conservatoire students and instrumental professor: The student perspective on a complex relationship. British Journal of Music Education, 22(3), 237–248.
32.
PurcellS. (2002). Musical patchwork: The threads of teaching and learning in the conservatoire. Unpublished manuscript.
33.
RogersR. (2002). Creating a land with music. London, UK: Youth Music.
34.
RyanK. (1986). The induction of new teachers. Bloomington, IN: Phi Delta Kappa Educational Foundation.
35.
Van MeterP.GarnerJ. (2005). The promise and synthesis of learner-generated drawings: Literature review and synthesis. Educational Psychology Review, 17(4), 285–325.
36.
Van TilburgE. (1987). Evaluation with a new twist: Using children’s drawings to gather information. Journal of Extension, 25, 5–7.
37.
WeberC.MitchellC. (1995). That’s funny, you don’t look like a teacher. London, UK: The Falmer Press.
