Characteristics of Early Childhood and Elementary General Music Methods Coursework for Preservice Music Teachers

Abstract

Although many music teacher candidates begin university studies planning to teach secondary ensembles, most will ultimately be certified to teach younger children and may be called to do so. The purpose of this study was to examine how music teacher education programs prepare preservice music educators to teach music to children from birth through elementary school through coursework. We emailed survey invitations to representatives from 512 institutions accredited by the National Association of Schools of Music to prepare music educators. We received 134 usable responses (response rate = 26%). Nearly all respondents offered elementary general music methods (EGMM), and over three quarters required EGMM for all students in initial licensure programs. Only about one in ten responding institutions offered early childhood music methods (ECMM). We describe findings on EGMM and ECMM course structures, content, and materials as well as the employment status, degree background, and other qualifications of the person who typically taught this coursework

Keywords

early childhood music methods elementary music methods general music music teacher preparation program research

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

Abrahams

(2011). Nurturing preservice music teacher dispositions: Collaborating to connect practice, theory, and policy. Arts Education Policy Review, 112(3), 108–114. https://doi.org/10.1080/10632913.2011.566076

Brophy

T. S.

(2002a). Teacher reflections on undergraduate music education. Journal of Music Teacher Education, 12(1), 19–25. https://doi.org/10.1177/10570837020120010501

Brophy

T. S.

(2002b). Toward improving music teacher education. Arts Education Policy Review, 104(2), 3–8. https://doi.org/10.1080/10632910209605997

Conway

(2002). Perceptions of beginning teachers, their mentors, and administrators regarding preservice music teacher preparation. Journal of Research in Music Education, 50(1), 20–36. https://doi.org/10.2307/3345690

Conway

(2012). Ten years later, experienced teacher reflections on “Beginning music teacher perceptions of district-sponsored induction programs.” Bulletin of the Council for Research in Music Education, (193), 63–76. https://doi.org/10.5406/bulcouresmusedu.193.0063

Culp

M. E.

Salvador

(2021). Music teacher education program practices: Preparing teachers to work with diverse learners. Journal of Music Teacher Education, 30(2), 51–64. https://doi.org/10.1177/1057083720984365

Davis

S. G.

Blair

D. V.

(2011). Popular music in American teacher education: A glimpse into a secondary methods course. International Journal of Music Education, 29(2), 124–140. https://doi.org/10.1177/0255761410396962

Frego

R. D.

Abril

C. R.

(2003). The examination of curriculum content in undergraduate elementary methods courses. Contributions to Music Education, 30, 9–22.

Groulx

T. J.

(2016). Perceptions of course value and issues of specialization in undergraduate music teacher education curricula. Journal of Music Teacher Education, 25(2), 13–24. https://doi.org/10.1177/1057083714564874

10.

Hart

J. T.

(2019). The status of music education conducting curricula, practices, and values. Journal of Music Teacher Education, 28(2), 13–27. https://doi.org/10.1177/1057083718783464

11.

Hewitt

Koner

(2013). A comparison of instrumental music methods course content at NASM-accredited institutions. Bulletin of the Council for Research in Music Education, 197, 45–61. https://doi.org/10.5406/bulcouresmusedu.197.0045

12.

Kuebel

C. R.

(2019). Preparedness of instrumental music majors teaching elementary general music. Journal of Research in Music Education, 67(3), 304–322. https://doi.org/10.1177/0022429419850110

13.

May

B. N.

Willie

Worthen

Pehrson

(2017). An analysis of state music education certification and licensure practices in the United States. Journal of Music Teacher Education, 27(1), 65–88. https://doi.org/10.1177/1057083717699650

14.

Mishra

Day

Littles

Vandewalker

(2011). A content analysis of introductory courses in music education at NASM-accredited colleges and universities. Bulletin of the Council for Research in Music Education, 190, 7–19. https://doi.org/10.5406/bulcouresmusedu.190.0007

15.

National Association for the Education of Young Children. (2009). Developmentally appropriate practice in early childhood programs serving children from birth through age 8. www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/positions/PSDAP.pdf

16.

National Association of Schools of Music. (2019). Handbook 2019-20. https://nasm.arts-accredit.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2020/01/M-2019-20-Handbook-02-13-2020.pdf

17.

Nederhof

A. J.

(1985). Methods of coping with social desirability bias: A review. European Journal of Social Psychology, 15(3), 263–280. https://doi.org/10.1002/ejsp.2420150303

18.

Reese

J. A.

(2015). Online status: Virtual field experiences and mentoring during an elementary general music methods course. Journal of Music Teacher Education, 24(2), 23–39. https://doi.org/10.1177/1057083713506119

19.

Reese

J. A.

(2019). Elementary general music: Music education majors’ beliefs and perceptions. Visions of Research in Music Education, 34, 1–27. www.rider.edu/~vrme/

20.

Rickels

D. A.

Brewer

W. D.

Councill

K. H.

Fredrickson

W. E.

Hairston

Perry

D. L.

Schmidt

(2013). Career influences of music education audition candidates. Journal of Research in Music Education, 61(1), 115–134. https://doi.org/10.1177/0022429412474896

21.

Saldaña

(2015). The coding manual for qualitative researchers (3rd ed.). Sage.

22.

Salvador

(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. https://doi.org/10.1177/1057083710362462

23.

Salvador

(2015). Music instruction for elementary students with moderate to severe intellectual disability: A case study. Research Studies in Music Education, 37(2), 161–174. https://doi.org/10.1177/1321103X15613645

24.

Shaw

R. D.

Hill

S. C.

(2018). Intro to what? An examination of introduction to music education courses [Paper presentation]. National Association for Music Education Music Research and Teacher Education Conference, Atlanta, Georgia.

25.

Shouldice

H. N.

(2017). “I love knowing that what I’m doing has purpose”: Male instrumentalists who choose to teach elementary general music. Journal of Music Teacher Education, 27(1), 48–64. https://doi.org/10.1177/1057083717699622

26.

Valerio

W. H.

Johnson

D. C.

Brophy

T. S.

Bond

J. W.

Gault

Marshall

Abril

(2012). Exploring views from university faculty and cooperating teachers on general music teacher preparation. Visions of Research in Music Education, 22, 1–22. https://libres.uncg.edu/ir/uncw/listing.aspx?id=9628

27.

Valerio

W. H.

Sly

Gruber

Stockman

C. G.

(2011). Examining music experiences with Anthony, a child who has autism. In Burton

Taggart

C. C.

(Eds.), Learning from young children: Research in early childhood music (pp. 259–282). Rowman & Littlefield.

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.

0.00 MB

0.80 MB

0.93 MB