Beginning music teachers’ perceptions of the transition from university to teaching in schools

Abstract

Much research addresses pre-service music teacher education, yet relatively few studies have investigated the work of graduates as they make the transition into careers as music educators. This study using qualitative interview data was conducted in 2003 and examined nine music teachers’ perceptions and experiences of their transition from being a student teacher to teaching full-time. Data analysis showed that teachers: (i) valued pre-service preparation that was ‘hands-on’, although some reported missing learning about crucial aspects relevant to their work; (ii) had been assisted by formal and informal mentors; (iii) described their first-year experiences as difficult yet rewarding; and (iv) described professional needs as largely contextually driven. Findings from this study inform pre-service and in-service teacher educators, and administrators who supervise beginning teachers’ development, as they plan for professional development and mentoring opportunities for beginning music teachers. Given the complexity of the settings in which music teachers work, effective pre-service teacher education programs must be accompanied by appropriate mentoring and professional development experiences if high teacher attrition rates in music education are to be addressed.

Acknowledgments

We greatly appreciate funding provided for this study through a grant from the Georgia Systemic Teacher Education Program at the University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA.

Notes

All names used in this report are pseudonyms.

In the USA, music teachers working in public school settings teach students from Kindergarten through to Year 12 (K-12), in elementary, middle and high school settings. Instruction varies according to the level of funding provided by the school district, and orients toward performance in upper grades (that is, band and choral). Across the 50 states, there is great variation in how undergraduate music education programs are organized. In the state of Georgia, pre-service teachers in an undergraduate music education degree program may specialize in choral conducting, instrumental teaching (strings or band), and general music. Music instruction is offered in elementary schools (K-5), and strings, band and chorus are offered in middle (years 6–9) and high school (years 10–12). Further details about the US context are available in the National Center for Education Statistics report, ‘Arts Education in Public Elementary and Secondary Schools: 1999–2000’.

For a review of studies specifically examining the student teaching experience, we refer the reader to Rideout and Feldman (2002).

Appendices 3–7 provide comparative survey data from beginning teachers surveyed.

We approached several male teachers to participate in the study, but none were willing to participate.

While the amount of field experience for undergraduate music education majors varies by institution, students at the University of Georgia, the flagship institution of higher learning in the state, are required to spend approximately 2 hours per week observing and/or teaching in the public schools over a period of 3 semesters. Student teaching is divided into two components comprised of 10 weeks and 5 weeks respectively. Students are normally assigned the longer component based on career goals and area of interest.

For the purposes of comparison, relevant findings drawn from analysis of data from the 46-item survey instrument that was developed subsequent to analysis of interview data are presented in Appendices 3–7. The survey instrument was tested and mailed to 410 school music teachers in two mailings. Respondents were randomly selected from a membership list of the Georgia Music Educators Association. With the exception of one open-ended question, survey items were structured in a close-ended format, where the respondents’ task was to select the answer choice that best reflected perceptions of their work in school. Follow-up post cards were sent 10 days following the initial mailing. Surveys were received from 133 teachers, constituting an overall response rate of 36%. For the purposes of this article, only the data from music teachers in their first 3 years of teaching are included (n=10). Elementary (n=8) and middle school (n=2) teaching levels were represented in the data for beginning music teachers. Respondents described the setting in which they taught as suburban (n=6) or urban (n=3). Only nine of the teachers provided a response for this item. Eight of the respondents had a bachelor's degree and two had a master's. The sample was comprised of vocal (n=3), instrumental (n=2) and general music (n=8) teaching areas (three teachers checked more than one response).