Thesis advisor: Andrew Hargreaves / Music teachers occupy a conflicted and contested position in many secondary schools, and music teacher education programs have been given the task of preparing students to enter this challenging environment. This qualitative dissertation study examined the explicit, implicit, and null curricula of music teacher preparation programs in Massachusetts, the processes involved in determining those curricula and the consequences of selecting certain music education content over others. Degree requirements and course descriptions were analyzed across all undergraduate music teacher preparation programs. In addition, a survey was administered to music and education faculty in all programs and members of five institutions participated in interviews. The explicit curriculum in most music teacher preparation programs emphasized the knowledge and skills of performance, specifically the performance of Western art music, as well as the isolation of music content knowledge from pedagogical knowledge. The implicit message delivered by the explicit curriculum was that advanced musical study was intended for the few, and that popular music, world music, and other genres that deviated from the western art music tradition (i.e. - the null curriculum) were of less value. Using Bernstein's and Young's theories from the sociology of knowledge, Goodson's theory of the status and evolution of school subjects, and Siskin's and Ball and Lacey's work in the culture of secondary school subjects as the theoretical framework, the position of music education was explained as a conflicted content area that demonstrated traits of both high- and low-status subjects. Music education's geographic isolation from general education faculty was magnified by the conflicting views that music educators held when compared with their music performance counterparts. The knowledge boundaries of music content had been defended for centuries, and music education's attempt to redefine what counts as valid music and music education knowledge was met with resistance from those who benefited from the familiarity offered by the conservatory-style model of postsecondary musical study. One outlier was identified, a program whose performance emphasis was not based on western art music. Tradition and reform proved to be challenging dual goals for music educators. / Thesis (PhD) — Boston College, 2012. / Submitted to: Boston College. Lynch School of Education. / Discipline: Teacher Education, Special Education, Curriculum and Instruction.

Most research in music education using the Communities of Practice (CoP) framework (Wenger, 1998) has focused on analyzing the creation or existence of a CoP. In contrast, this study used the CoP framework as a means to analyze and explore the potential of music education field experiences as boundary encounters—experiences where an individual engages with an unfamiliar CoP. The purpose of this descriptive collective case study was to investigate the tensions that occur at the boundary between music student and music teacher practices. Research questions explored (a) how undergraduate field experiences served as productive encounters for negotiating and exploring the boundary between music student and music teacher practices, (b) the tensions that occur at the boundary between music student and music teacher practices, (c) which boundary objects helped coordinate music student practices with music teacher practices, and (d) who acts as brokers at the periphery of music teacher practice, and how. Three undergraduate music education majors enrolled in a secondary music education methods course participated in this semester-long study. Analysis of interview transcripts, participant journals, course assignments, and observations revealed how undergraduate field experiences in this course served as productive encounters for negotiating the boundary between music student and music teacher practices. Practicum encounters and attendance at a professional arts conference provided the strongest opportunities to engage with the music teaching practice, whereas observations were less productive. Pursuant to Wenger-Trayner and Wenger-Trayner (2015), tensions were explored as learning assets. Findings highlight how the school check-in process, relationship with cooperating teachers, opportunities to participate, and lack of brokering generated tension for the participants. Further analysis revealed a general lack of boundary objects between practices and an absence of brokers beyond the university supervisor. Findings support the need for authentic field experiences, with sustained access to the CoP. Moreover, the identification of brokers to facilitate and coordinate these experiences emerged as paramount. Given the unique positionality of university supervisors, they appear ideally positioned to serve as brokers. Finally, results also offer insights into how the timing, type, and student placement in field experiences may impact their productiveness.