Issues of embodiment, musical communitas, and accessibility have been adapted by music educators and music therapists within their practices. Music education in general may benefit from the unique aspects of what these models have to offer. In this qualitative phenomenological research study, I examined the perceptions of a diverse sampling of handbell musicians and their directors with respect to the three phenomena of embodiment, musical communitas, and accessibility. The findings were compared to existing research related to various forms of embodied learning, musical communitas as seen through the field of music therapy, and accessibility as defined by universal design concepts. The central questions that guided this study were: 1. What are handbell musicians’ perceptions of embodied handbell ringing and/or embodied learning? 2. What are handbell musicians’ perceptions of functioning as one unified instrument? 3. How are handbells unique with regard to their accessibility? The data revealed seven themes with regard to embodiment and whole-body expression, seven with regard to musical communitas, and six with regard to accessibility. Three unrelated themes, as well as a small instance of conflicting data with regard to accessibility, were reported and addressed. Consistent throughout the transcripts was the use of three words: together, everyone/everybody, and whole (as in holistic or not divided). This common language represents a sympathetic resonance that existed among the participants without respect to age, position, or experience. Music educators may benefit from more research in music education based in embodied learning to strengthen the acceptance of the body, not as supplemental, but as foundational in music learning, and to dispel the “either/or” notions that place the body in opposition to the brain. The design of the handbell ensemble may provide a model for music making that values embodiment, communitas, and accessibility, which can address a number of music education’s current goals including creating, performing, and responding (NAfME, 2014b).

Community bands in Kentucky, as with many other parts of the United States, represent one of a variety of opportunities adults have for continued musical engagement following involvement in formalized school music programs. However, little is known about who participates in community bands and why. Knowing about these participants could inform school music education practices to better facilitate the transition to adult musical participation. Therefore, the primary aim of this study was to profile and understand Kentucky community band participants, their motivations for continuing their musical engagement, the extent of their current musical activity, and their perceptions about current and past experiences in band. As a secondary objective, I investigated potential links between high school experiences and current participation. The survey instrument was designed to answer the following questions: 1. Who participates in Kentucky community bands? 2. What patterns may exist in the community band members’ music participation? 3. Why do band members participate and what do they gain? 4. In what ways do people feel their high school and community band experiences could have been/could be improved? 5. What insights or advice can community band members share with high school directors seeking to facilitate a transition to lifelong music-making for their students? I incorporated the serious leisure perspective (SLP) and self-determination theory (SDT) into the conceptual framework of this study. I used serious leisure typology found in SLP to investigate community band members’ participation patterns. I explored band member motivation and the fulfillment of the basic needs for autonomy, competence, and relatedness through the lens of SDT. The methodology employed included a self-report survey that incorporated standardized measures as well as open-ended questions. Surveys were received from 218 Kentucky community band members. Results indicated that participants tended to be white, upper middle-income individuals with at least one college degree. Participants were nearly equally male and female up to age 65 after which point male participants outnumbered female participants almost four to one. Participants described themselves as dedicated to and serious about their musical activity, and many were also involved in musical activities outside of community band (e.g., church music, small ensembles). Members were primarily motivated to participate in intrinsic ways with personal enjoyment, having a musical or creative outlet, maintaining musical activity or skills, and social aspects factoring most prominently among participants’ perceptions of the value of community band participation. Participants reported a high degree of both basic needs fulfillment and subjective wellbeing as a function of their participation in community band. Several participants felt content with their high school experiences, but others indicated that their high school band experiences could have been improved by having access to more opportunities (e.g., private lessons, solo and ensemble, opportunities outside of school) or by having experienced different situations with regard to their director (e.g., personal issues, instruction approaches, turnover). Similarly, there were participants completely content with their community band experiences, while others suggested that changes to the repertoire, organization and operation, leadership, or the playing level and dedication of members would improve their experience. Participants shared many suggestions for ways band directors could better connect students with opportunities for musical activity after graduation. Among these, providing encouragement to participate, supplying information about college and community opportunities, modeling adult musical participation, and ensuring a quality high school experience factored prominently. Community band has a variety of stakeholders (e.g., music educators, adult participants, community band organizers and directors, music education organizations, music retailers, government, health care) and the present study has implications for each of them. Findings indicating a lack of racial diversity have potential implications for current music educators concerned with making music instruction appealing and accessible to all students as well as music retailers wishing to market their products to a broader demographic. Findings indicating that most band members received little information or encouragement from their high school directors about continuing in music past graduation suggests potential complicity on the part of music educators in the problem of attrition from musical engagement beyond graduation. Correlations between community band participation, psychological needs fulfillment, and participant wellbeing have implications for almost every community band stakeholder, but certainly for government and health care professionals seeking healthier, happier communities. For all stakeholders, the findings of this study provide an initial exploration of this population and have implications for future investigation. Future studies into the lack of participant sociodemographic diversity, for example, might begin to explain this phenomenon.

The purpose of this study was to examine selected aspects of American independent piano teachers’ demographics and attitudes toward their professional identity using Stryker’s (1980) structural identity theory as the theoretical framework. This theory, which deals with components of role commitment and role identity, was used as the framework for an examination of how certain defining events and experiences relate to perceived professional identities of independent piano teachers. Four research questions and related null hypotheses were investigated by means of a survey questionnaire adapted from previous studies on identity theory (Callero, 1985; Curry, 1993; Curry & Weaner, 1987; Jackson, 1981; Stryker & Serpe, 1982). The survey questionnaire was administered to 4,000 randomly selected piano teachers who were members of the Music Teachers National Association (MTNA) as of October 3, 2016, and located throughout the United States. A total of 421 returned surveys were deemed useable for the purpose of this study, for a response rate of 10.5%. I examined associations between certain defining events and experiences (e.g., certification status; level of education; leadership roles at local, state, and national levels; networking with other piano teachers; participation in state and national conferences), and the four dependent variables under examination. Findings revealed low to low moderate positive correlations between the defining events and experiences scale and all four dependent variables: (a) self in role (identity salience) (r = .242), (b) role commitment (r = .317), (c) time spent in role (r = .172), and (d) expressed satisfaction in role (r = .218). Significant differences were also found between the three independent variables (levels of certification status, levels of education, and years of teaching experience) and three of the four dependent variables under investigation (role commitment, time spent in role, and expressed satisfaction in role). Overall, the results of this study showed the applicability of identity theory to the study of identity among independent piano teachers. Findings from this study may potentially deepen insights relating to the piano teacher role. Additionally, findings may provide a better understanding of how certain defining events and experiences help shape piano teachers’ professional identity.

One of the historic goals expressed by music educators is for all individuals to participate in music making throughout their adult lives. The purpose of this study was to examine the lived experiences of community band members in order to better understand how music making might serve various roles and hold differing meanings for adults across their lifespan. Adult participation in a community band was identified for examination as it is a music making experience that individuals can participate in throughout their adult lives. In order to understand the context of music making in lives of the adult participants, a collective case study was used for this study. Data was gathered through in-depth interviews and analyzed to gain an understanding of the various roles and differing meanings of music in the lives of the seven adult community band member participants. The participants ranged in age from early adults through older adults in retirement. Analysis of the individual cases revealed how each participant expressed their music making experiences in the community band through aspects of their adult lives. For each case, themes were developed that illustrated the various roles and the different meaningful aspects music making held in the lives of the participants. The cross-case analysis identified themes of enjoyment and cognitive functions as common issues articulated in all of the individual cases. While the themes of enjoyment and cognitive functions were apparent in all of the cases, the context for these themes was individualized within the adulthood roles and developmental tasks of each participant. Findings from the study illustrate an individualistic and collective lifespan perspective of the various roles and differing meanings music making had in the lives of these adult community band members.

The purpose of this study was to investigate how curriculum is prioritized in music programs at California community colleges, and to determine how stakeholders influence curricular managers in that prioritization. Data for this study were obtained from case studies of three California community colleges, comprised of interviews of a full slate of curricular managers (i.e., one music faculty member, the dean who supervises music, and academic vice presidents), college catalogs, current and past class schedules, and other documents such as concert programs and advertisements, and advertisements for special community programs at each of three community college sites. The interview protocol was developed from a theoretical framework based on Baily and Morest’s (2004) community college multiple mission theory and Mitchell, Agle, and Wood’s (1997) theory of stakeholder salience. This framework guided the analysis of how curricular mangers perceived stakeholders in their academic programs and their prioritization of mission activities. Data collected from interviews were corroborated by archival records in publicly available documents, website materials at each institution, and through college personnel. All data were analyzed through what Yin (2009) characterized as “explanation building” (p. 141) for each site. “Cross-case synthesis” (p. 156) allowed aggregation of the three case colleges: Mountain View College, Bay View College, and Valley View College. Participants ranked the importance of music program activities and selected those stakeholders they determined to be powerful, legitimate, and urgent according to the descriptions set forth in Mitchell, Agle, and Wood’s (1997) typology. The findings of this study revealed that there are four definitive stakeholders of the community college music curriculum: transfer institutions; government bodies such as the state legislature, state chancellor’s office, and local boards of trustees; K-12 institutions; and community members. Although the educational needs of community college students are central to the work of faculty members, deans, and academic vice presidents, they do not meet the definition of stakeholders as described by Mitchell, Agle, and Wood (1997). Each of the four definitive stakeholders was perceived, in the aggregate, to exhibit some degree of power, legitimacy, and urgency over the curriculum. These results suggest that curricular managers should identify salient curricular stakeholders, and determine how courses, degrees, and certificates should be modified or developed based on that determination as well as what other activities might be incorporated into the program.

According to Cohen and Brawer (2008), there are four curricular functions of community colleges. Students who enroll at community colleges may seek academic transfer, vocational or technical education, developmental education, or continuing education, which includes community service. Community college faculty and administrators face a wide range of students enrolling in their courses and are challenged to stay relevant to each student. Using Wenger’s communities of practice (1998) and Lave and Wenger’s legitimate peripheral participation (1991) as a theoretical lens, I conducted a case study of a community college with similarities to my own place of employment to understand: (a) how do faculty members create and maintain appropriate communities of practice, (b) how and in what ways do the communities of practice available reflect the goals of students, and (c) what challenges do faculty members perceive in their attempt to align communities of practice with student needs. I interviewed all student music majors, all music faculty, the department chair, and the Vice-President of Academic Affairs, reviewed field notes, and analyzed pertinent documents available on the college website. I coded the data for the communities of practice concepts of mutual engagement, shared repertoire, and joint enterprise. My findings suggested that faculty members struggled to stay relevant to student expectations, a task that was exacerbated by many students who did not have expectations or who had unrealistic expectations. The diverse student body included many students that did not have career goals, academic expectations, or an understanding of the role of the community college. The case had such a small number of music majors that adding courses and programs was only possible within the structures of the current offerings and only if the cost to faculty members and the institution was minimal. Although idealistic about the potential of new programs that would attract more students, faculty members had to serve the diverse expectations of the student body inside the existing programs and courses. Implications from this research point to the importance of faculty members and administrations promoting open dialogue with one another, as well as with students, to align their goals and expectations.

Thesis (D.M.A.)--Boston University / PLEASE NOTE: Boston University Libraries did not receive an Authorization To Manage form for this thesis or dissertation. It is therefore not openly accessible, though it may be available by request. If you are the author or principal advisor of this work and would like to request open access for it, please contact us at open-help@bu.edu. Thank you. / 2031-01-01

It has been shown that credibility beliefs impact classroom relationships such that students are more likely to rate traditionally marginalized faculty members as less credible than others and are less likely to interact with faculty they find less credible. The purpose of this mixed-methods study, undergirded by Critical Realism (CR), was to examine students’ credibility beliefs about and perceived learning from a male community college music instructor whose sexual orientation was expressed differently in two quasi-experimental conditions. It is an extension of the work of Russ, Simonds, and Hunt (2002) and others (Boren & McPherson, 2018; De Souza & Olson, 2018). The participants for this study were students enrolled in eight class sections of Music Appreciation at a large Mid-Atlantic community college. The same male guest lecturer expressed either a homosexual or heterosexual identity by mentioning his husband or wife by name during each otherwise identical lecture. Participants were then asked to complete McCroskey and Teven’s (1999) Source Credibility Measure to evaluate the lecturer on the credibility domains of competence, character, and caring. Data showed that participants as a collective did not provide significantly different ratings on any dimension of credibility nor for perceptions of learning for the gay or straight instructor; however, additional analysis revealed deeper complexity with regard to participant beliefs. Specifically, younger participants provided higher ratings in the straight instructor condition and African American participants provided lower ratings in the gay instructor condition. Open-ended prompts and interview data largely supported the statistical findings; however, they also revealed the presence of some discomfort with gay instructors and an eagerness to support a marginalized instructor. Quantitized open-ended and interview response data also showed that participants in the straight lecturer condition may have attended more to competence while participants in the gay lecturer condition may have attended more to positive character and caring traits. Implications of these results are discussed as they pertain to student course evaluations and teaching demonstrations for gay instructors.

This study seeks to fill a knowledge gap on the history of the University of Puerto Rico Department of Music (UPRDM). With no recorded past and an uncertain future, this historical account and analysis of the UPRDM assesses the relevance of its contributions to the UPR and Puerto Rico from its founding in 1965 to the end of the UPR Strike of 2010-2011, considering how colonialism framed its historical development. The UPRDM has played a vital role shaping public music education and research and has fostered innovative musical endeavors that have transformed Puerto Rican concert life. However, throughout the past decade, recurrent budget cuts; changes in cultural politics; continuous local and federal government intervention in administrative and academic matters, and strict austerity measures enacted since 2010, have brought the UPRDM face to face with a threat of permanent closure. This historical narrative traces the development of the UPRDM from 1965–2011, with a focus on facilities, curriculum, music ensembles, musical activities, and departmental leadership. It also addresses the contributions of the UPRDM community to Puerto Rican music and analyzes the extent to which colonialism and cultural politics in Puerto Rico influenced the historical development of the UPRDM between 1965–2011. Historical methods and techniques and interview procedures were employed for the data collection, analysis, and reporting of this history. Findings showed that the UPRDM community has been an active contributor to Puerto Rican music and music education over the decades and that changing cultural politics, and the direct intervention of local and federal government politics in fiscal and administrative matters at the University of Puerto Rico, have challenged the development of the UPRDM. Through this study, contemporary problems of public higher music education in Puerto Rico are addressed from a historical perspective.

This study investigates how identity construction of lesbian, bisexual, and gay wind band conductors in the Midwest was complicated by stigma and compulsory heterosexuality. The study was motivated by three research questions that considered how environment shapes identity, how agency shapes identity, and how, upon reflection, band conductors describe their identities. Extant research on the subject of LGBTQIA+ band conductors identity included discussion of music teacher identity; however, there was no detailed examination of lesbian, bisexual, or gay identity construction of conductors. In this study I identified stigma and how these conductors subsequently managed their identity in response, while in a position power as well as a position of vulnerability. Additionally, I examined the social environment and the interpersonal relationships with their instrumentalists to understand how these conductors defined themselves in relation to their environment and others in that environment. In order to understand these self- definitions, I interviewed each conductor three times, in a semi-structured format, that moved from general background to specific reflection on their work. The interviews were transcribed, and portions that were representative of the conductors, were extracted and edited to include non-verbal details. These extracts were analyzed used positioning theory analysis to precisely identify how conductors deployed language to describe themselves, events, interactions, and others, directly, indirectly, spatially and temporally. These analyses showed how conductors managed identities while focusing on the welfare of their musicians through caregiver, observer, actor, and activist identities. Additionally, I found stigma and compulsory heterosexuality limited interactions of these conductors with their musicians which was stressful to the conductors. Finally, I considered ways that LGBTQIA+ conductors and students may be able to break some of the silence in music education through formal opportunities at NAfME conferences through performances by LGBA bands and research by LGBTQIA+ educators. Additionally, I considered future research questions regarding how much homophobia and compulsory heterosexuality do music educators tolerate until it becomes a point of resentment, how bands fare with success if programs rebalanced co-equally between musical development and personal development, and finally how might experts include personal development to their students during band development on the podium.