Joseph Santini: Divided I Stand

Abstract

This short story chronicles a professional jazz musician, Joseph Santini, in conflict about whether he should accept a full-time teaching position as a high school music educator. This story focuses, interprets, clarifies, and communicates Joseph’s conflict. It also demonstrates the use of stories for culturally relevant research. Joseph’s experience transcends impressions of musicians and teachers prevalent in the dominant cultural milieu. The story offers a deeper insight into Joseph’s life as he explores teacher education and is guided by his artistic and performative experience. The coda at the end briefly discusses the use of creative nonfiction in research and how it can be a powerful tool to help musicians resolve their conflicts.

Keywords

musician identity story writing music education teaching

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