<p> This study investigated the ways in which early middle to mid-career high school band directors (minimum of five years of experience in the field) operationalize their values for music education through the many musical experiences, artistic opportunities, and educational curricular goals for their students. This study sought to investigate deeper than the operationalization of high school band director values to investigate the values themselves and their inspiration as principally drawn by participating music educators. Participants described that their current set of values for their high school band programs are forged through a variety of influences, most notably music educator identity, and the influences, inspiration, and experience imprint made during their high school and collegiate music career. Other external factors that determine the values of a high school band director are influences of collegiate and high school music educators, and socialization within the undergraduate cohort. </p><p> Data analysis found that music educator values undergo an evolution throughout the career in the classroom, especially as the music educator becomes more certain of his own system of values and music educator personhood; and distances oneself from previous exemplar teachers whose influences cast a long shadow early in one’s career. This study found that the values of high school band directors are established and conflict against the realities and expectations of school administration, community influences, and the norms and expectations of expected common curricular practices for high school bands in a particular region. This study found that high school band director values are under strain from internalized pressures by the band directors themselves, as well as pressures that stem from the need to have one’s work accepted by colleagues. </p><p> This study employed qualitative methodology centered by interviews of 13 research participants. The interview methodology employed was informed by the research methods of Kvale (2007), who espouses that the participant’s everyday world should be the focus of the researcher. Elements of case study methodology were also employed to determine emergent themes, as well as compare participant responses and high school band programs across the cohort of participants. </p>
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:PROQUEST/oai:pqdtoai.proquest.com:10273951 |
| Date | 10 June 2017 |
| Creators | Whitmore, Gregory Xavier |
| Publisher | Teachers College, Columbia University |
| Source Sets | ProQuest.com |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | thesis |
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