Thesis (M.A.)--Central Connecticut State University, 2004. / Thesis advisor: Catherine Kurkjian. " ... in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Masters of Arts in Reading." Includes bibliographical references (leaves 118-119). Also available via the World Wide Web.

Degree Not Listed / Department of Music, Theatre, and Dance / Frederick Burrack / Ruth Gurgel / My lesson plan shown in my video teaching demonstration will show 5th graders performing a traditional song from the Apache tribe by singing, playing xylophones and other non-pitched percussion instruments, and playing a passing game. These students will accompany their voices by playing an ostinato pattern on the xylophone. I have developed as a teacher through the Masters’ Program because I have learned new ways of teaching, especially when it comes to exposure to Orff and Kodaly methodologies, and improvisation within the classroom. I am now more comfortable incorporating improvisation, as well as music from many other cultures into my lessons, and my students are growing as musicians and as people due to it.

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As a result of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, most children with disabilities in the US are now educated in schools with their typically developing peers. Although many of these children are in elementary schools (VanWeelden & Whipple, 2014) there is little empirical research that informs educational practice in elementary music classrooms (Jellison & Draper, in press). This dissertation comprises an observational study of the behavior of children with disabilities in inclusive music classrooms and their opportunities to practice their Individual Education Program (IEP) goals, and guidelines for conducting research with children with disabilities in inclusive elementary music classes. In the observational study I describe the opportunities for nine students with disabilities (Specific Learning Disabilities and/or Speech or Language Impairments) to engage in behaviors related to objectives defined in their IEPs in four inclusive music classrooms in relation to the music activities in which the children participated (e.g., singing, playing instruments) and instructional formats of the class (e.g., whole class, small groups, pairs). A further goal was to identify students’ participation and peer interactions. Results indicated that music theory and other music knowledge activities provided opportunities for students to engage in behaviors related to their IEP objectives. Opportunities for individual responses (verbal/nonverbal and music) and music performances were rare, but when students responded they were most often accurate. Students were most often on-task, particularly when engaged in music making activities, and they interacted with peers when assigned to work in groups and also when interactions were extemporaneous. I developed guidelines for future research based on my experiences conducting the study, and I discuss the challenges of identifying schools, classrooms, and participants; obtaining formal consent; developing the methodology (research questions, variables, operational definitions, equipment and materials); analyzing and reporting results; and consulting with school personnel before, during, and following the completion of research. / text

Ongoing development of professional identity is critical for pre-service and in-service elementary music teachers to grow and evolve as music educators over the course of their careers. This study was designed to gain insight into the factors surrounding the formation and ongoing development of professional identity of 4 elementary music teachers in southwestern Ontario, Canada. Narrative in both design and approach, the stories of 4 individual elementary music educators, each at different points along their careers paths, were told using their own words. My personal narrative was also added to the discussion. The participants were known to me in advance of the study and invited to be part of the study because they are all reflective practitioners who were comfortable sharing their stories of teaching music with me. All participants were women, which parallels the reality of the profile of elementary music teachers in Ontario. Over a period of 4 months, I met with each participant for semi-structured interviews and in-school observations. Interviews were recorded using an audio recorder and later transcribed and verified by participants. Field notes were kept during classroom observations and supplemented by journal writings. Informal conversations, via telephone, email, or face-to-face further supplemented the data collected. The data was analyzed by reading and rereading, looking for themes, commonalities and differences of the participants. The results of the study are not meant to be generalized to a larger population, but to provide rich illustrations which may lead to common understanding. The identities of these participants, and my identity, were first influenced through early experiences with music and teaching in the home, at school and in the community. As the participants began university undergraduate programs, both positive and negative experiences informed their developing identity as did experiences in pre-service and in-service teaching. The research findings and recommendations of this study have implications in several areas, including: issues of teacher identity, ongoing professional development and, pre-service and in-service education.

Ongoing development of professional identity is critical for pre-service and in-service elementary music teachers to grow and evolve as music educators over the course of their careers. This study was designed to gain insight into the factors surrounding the formation and ongoing development of professional identity of 4 elementary music teachers in southwestern Ontario, Canada. Narrative in both design and approach, the stories of 4 individual elementary music educators, each at different points along their careers paths, were told using their own words. My personal narrative was also added to the discussion. The participants were known to me in advance of the study and invited to be part of the study because they are all reflective practitioners who were comfortable sharing their stories of teaching music with me. All participants were women, which parallels the reality of the profile of elementary music teachers in Ontario. Over a period of 4 months, I met with each participant for semi-structured interviews and in-school observations. Interviews were recorded using an audio recorder and later transcribed and verified by participants. Field notes were kept during classroom observations and supplemented by journal writings. Informal conversations, via telephone, email, or face-to-face further supplemented the data collected. The data was analyzed by reading and rereading, looking for themes, commonalities and differences of the participants. The results of the study are not meant to be generalized to a larger population, but to provide rich illustrations which may lead to common understanding. The identities of these participants, and my identity, were first influenced through early experiences with music and teaching in the home, at school and in the community. As the participants began university undergraduate programs, both positive and negative experiences informed their developing identity as did experiences in pre-service and in-service teaching. The research findings and recommendations of this study have implications in several areas, including: issues of teacher identity, ongoing professional development and, pre-service and in-service education.

No description available.

No description available.

Elementary general music teachers often enter the teaching field with minimal training and field experiences related to teaching students with disabilities (Colwell & Thompson, 2000; Frisque et al., 1994; Gfeller et al., 1990; Hahn, 2010; Hammel, 2001a; Heller, 1994; Salvador, 2010). Many research studies have focused on the preservice preparation for teaching music to students with disabilities, but neglect to examine the ways in which in-service elementary music teachers acquire competency for teaching music to students with disabilities following a deficient teacher preparation program. Thus, examining the how music teachers acquired competency for teaching music to students with disabilities warranted examination. Using inclusion as a conceptual framework (Adamek & Darrow, 2018), I conducted a phenomenological case study so I might better understand: (a) the lived experience of elementary music teachers for acquiring competency to teach music to students with disabilities, (b) how elementary music teachers reflected Hammel’s (2001b) essential competencies for including students with disabilities in the elementary music classroom, and (c) and how elementary music teachers utilized reflective practice to acquire competency for the instruction of students with disabilities in the elementary music classroom (Schön, 1987). Three participants were chosen according to their school district of employment, recognition as a music teacher leader, and level of preparedness to include students with disabilities in the elementary general music classroom following completion of their initial teacher preparation program. I interviewed and observed each participant in an inclusive setting. Field notes and interview data were coded, and emergent themes were presented concerning their sources and experiences for acquiring competency for teaching music to students with disabilities and how they reflected identified essential competencies for teaching music to students with disabilities in their classrooms. The findings from the research indicate that experience, compassion, and seeking and participating in professional development opportunities were the participants’ sources of growth for acquiring competency for teaching music to students with disabilities. Additionally, each participant reflected identified competencies for teaching music to students with disabilities; however, findings indicate the need to extend the competencies to include the ability to utilize reflective practice to inform instruction. Implications from this study are related to considerations for teacher training and suggestions for resources from policymakers. Findings from this study may inform music teacher educators, schools and school districts, and music educators associations for the planning and development of opportunities for teacher development related to meeting the musical needs of all students in the inclusive setting. / 2024-09-13T00:00:00Z

The study ascertained elementary school teachers' and supervisors' views about their role in the implementation of Sankofa (Go back and retrieve) in school music. Sankofa mandates the integration of distinctive Ghanian traditional values and practices with Western educational concepts in the school curriculum. In music, it calls for the fusion of multi-ethnic musics of Ghana with Western musical concepts in public school music instruction. Some concerns expressed by Ghanian music educators regarding teachers' negative attitudes toward Sankofa in public school music had prompted the study.