The purpose of this study was to examine the perceptions of music teachers in urban elementary schools. Title-I public elementary schools (N = 135) in Miami-Dade County were surveyed for demographic information, and fifty-six of the music teachers from those schools participated in the survey designed for this study. The survey was intended to accumulate data regarding the independent variables of student demographics, teacher demographics, student/teacher demographic differences, teacher training, and teacher support; the dependent variables examined were teacher attitudes about urban elementary music teaching and teacher expectations of their urban elementary music students. Results demonstrated that demographic factors were correlated, and most of the teachers mismatched demographically with their students. Professional support and the percentage of students receiving free or reduced lunch correlated with attitudes. The variables did not correlate with expectations, but because of a strong correlation with attitudes, expectations may have been indirectly affected by support and the percentage of students receiving free/reduced lunch. Support was the single predictor for attitudes, and when computed as an independent variable, attitudes were the sole predictor for expectations. No significant main effects or interactions between the variables were found.

The diploma thesis explores activating methods in music education at elementary music schools. The theoretical part of the thesis deals with the description and the issue of activating methods and also focuses on methods suitable for teaching music subjects at elementary music school in the classes of collective and individual lessons. The practical part deals with the purposefulness of the use of activating methods with emphasis to the support of creativity and coordination in lessons of music education. The diploma thesis uses the questionnaire method in various modifications and the method of observation. The aim of the presented diploma work is to describe the activating teaching methods and to focus on these suitable for teaching music subjects at elementary music schools in the classes of collective and individual lessons. The aim of the practical part of the diploma thesis is to find out whether the activating teaching methods are used in education at elementary music schools and how they are evaluated and accepted by teachers and pupils.

This qualitative study investigated four monolingual, English-only speaking Caucasian elementary music teachers and their reflections regarding instruction of English language learners (ELL). The purpose of this multiple case study was to investigate the teaching practice and curricular decisions of elementary music teachers who instruct Hispanic ELL students. The investigation was conducted during a nine-week period, and data collection included classroom observations, phenomenological interviewing, and teacher audio journals. None of the teachers had prior education or pre-service preparation in teaching music to ELL students. The major theoretical base from which the study was developed was the reflective teaching theory of Donald Schön (1983). The main research question was: "What are the participating teachers' reflections about their curricular and pedagogical decisions when teaching ELL students?" Following a description of the elementary music teachers' reflections on practice with ELL students, the study revealed that the majority of elementary music teachers had a lack of preparation and ELL music curriculum, and negative perceptions of the placement program for ESL students. Despite these factors, the teachers made attempts to include ELL students in all music activities. This study showed that while one teacher accommodated specifically for the ELL students' learning, three out of four teachers did not. This study also suggests that music is a subject by which strong interactions between peers, opportunity for language expansion, and other factors occur which have positive correspondence to recommended ELL instructional strategies. A cross-case analysis revealed that the life history and experience of the elementary music teachers had an influence on the teachers' awareness of ELL students. The analysis suggests a relationship between teacher awareness and accommodation. The study also recognized the need for further inquiry regarding ELL students and issues related to their school placement. This study has implications for music education research including suggestions for music teacher preparation in working with ELL students, ELL music resources and curriculum, and pre-service and in-service ELL music preparation.

The purpose of this study was to investigate factors contributing to the longevity of four early-career (5 to 10 years of experience) K–5 elementary general music teachers in Title I schools situated in four regions of the United States. The central research question was: How did early-career elementary general music teachers in Title I schools describe the opportunities and challenges that contributed to their decisions to continue teaching? Using Deci and Ryan's theory of self-determination as a theoretical framework, I analyzed how the four teachers reflected on the degree to which they each possessed autonomy, competence, and relatedness through recounting their perspectives, stories, and experiences. Although the participants shared many commonalities, they also experienced challenges and opportunities unique to their teaching environments. Results were mixed regarding their levels of autonomy and relatedness, but all four teachers possessed a high level of competence, which was likely a contributing factor to their longevity and potential to continue teaching. Nurture and care for children also emerged as a prominent theme from the results, which required the application of a separate theoretical framework. Noddings's theory of the ethic of care served as a lens for examining the myriad ways each participant demonstrated love, care, and concern for her students. All four teachers strongly expressed the important role their love of working with children and seeing them grow, progress, and learn played in their desire to continue teaching. Of all the contributing factors, the participants' ethic of care seemed to be the most significant influence on their decisions to continue teaching. They also spoke extensively about the role of their love for music as a subject. Conclusions address implications for the field and recommendations for future research.

The purpose of this study was to specify and test a model detailing (a) gender, (b) previous elective music experience, (c) school, (d) music self-concept, and (e) music values as predictors of music enrollment and the initial juncture of school-sponsored elective music participation. In the event that a model with adequate fit was retained, a further purpose of this study was to calculate the direct, indirect, and total effects of each predictor, thereby determining each predictor's relative contribution towards explaining variance in elective music enrollment. Participants included fifth-grade students (N = 148) from two elementary schools. Data were gathered via administration of the Motivators of Elective Music Participation Questionnaire, and by accessing middle school elective enrollment records. The proposed expectancy-value model of elective music participation demonstrated excellent fit and was retained for interpretation. Overall, the model accounted for 34.4% of the variance in elective music participation. The greatest total predictor of elective music participation was previous elective music experience, followed closely by music values. Music self-concept, gender, and school played negligible roles in predicting whether students opted in or out of sixth-grade music electives.

This study examined the possible relationships among the perceived implementation levels of elementary music standards and Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test (FCAT) scores for fourth graders in reading, mathematics, and writing for the years 2004, 2005, and 2006. Survey data for the study were obtained from 32 school district music supervisors from large, medium, and small districts who returned fully or partially completed questionnaires. The study was focused on the relationships, if any, between a school district's mean scale scores in reading, mathematics, and writing from 2004 to 2006 in grade 4 and (a) elementary music standards implementation, (b) the average amount of time spent in elementary school music classes per week, (c) demographic and economic factors, and (d) the reported average amount of time spent in elementary school music classes per week. Findings of the study indicated that, when all variables were considered, a relationship existed among district music supervisors' views on two variables, degree of music standards implementation and the amount of time allotted per month for elementary music in respondents' school districts in 2004, 2005, and 2006; and (a) the percentage of students achieving at proficient or higher on FCAT reading who were also identified as free and reduced lunch in 2004, 2005, and 2006, (b) the percentage of students achieving at proficient or higher on FCAT mathematics who were also identified as free and reduced lunch in 2004, 2005, and 2006, and (c) the percentage of students achieving at proficient or higher on FCAT writing who were also identified as Hispanic in 2004, 2005, and 2006. Finally, implications for educational decision making were offered and recommendations were made for future studies dealing with elementary music standards implementation in Florida's schools. These recommendations included (a) investigating reasons for achievement gaps on FCAT between majority and minority ethnic groups and between minorities themselves, (b) exploring socio-economic factors affecting FCAT scores, (c) continuing research giving special attention to brain research involving music and its impact on the brain, (d) determining why high-stakes testing is necessary, and (e) devising controlled studies both in Florida and nationwide that would compare the elementary students receiving consistent and varied teaching in music with those students not receiving consistent musical instruction. Controlled and experimental group studies of pre-schoolers should be conducted to determine the extent to which the use of musical rhythms impacts the rate of language acquisition.