With the intent of helping to reconceptualize music teacher education programs and improve the quality of music education for all students, the purpose of this study was to examine the interactions within the cultural cohort communities of a music teacher education program embedded within the culture of a school of music and the role that these interactions play in “disrupting,” or challenging, pre-service educators’ occupational identities and preconceptions of music education. Research questions for this explanatory sequential (Creswell & Plano Clark, 2011) mixed methods study focused on determining which structural components of a music teacher education program (e.g., course curricula, University/College of Education/School of Music/music education program requirements, music education program sequence), if any, assist with “disrupting” pre-service music educators’ occupational identities; why certain communities, interactions, and persons within the cultural cohort are the most significant “disruptive” influences on pre-service music educators’ occupational identities; and how these “disruptions” manifested themselves in pre-service music educators’ conceptions of and beliefs and attitudes about music education. Participants completed a Pre-Service Music Educator Survey to help indicate which courses, persons, social interactions, or other influences within or outside of the School of Music most influenced them to change their beliefs of music education and identities as music educators between matriculation into the School of Music and the time of taking the survey. Following data collection and analysis of the Pre-Service Music Educator Survey, I created cohort groups of students from classes that were identified by undergraduate music education students as being highly “disruptive” to participate in focus group discussions. Additionally, all music education faculty members participated in a focus group discussion and each participated in an individual interview. Results from the survey suggested changes in students’ occupational identities and preconceptions of music education during their time in the music teacher education program, changes in interests in occupational types of music teaching (e.g., early childhood music educator, high school performance-based ensemble teacher, etc.), and changes in means of teaching music (e.g., performance-based ensembles, teaching elementary general music, music technology, popular music, etc.). Additionally, focus group discussion revealed that several components of the music teacher education program are “disruptive” influences on students’ occupational identities and preconceptions of music education, including a “de-tracked” music teacher education curriculum, two introductory/foundational music education courses during the first and second years of study, and required fieldwork experiences embedded in most music education courses. Interactions within the “community” nature of the program between peers, faculty, and graduate student assistants also were “disruptive” influences. Implications for music teacher education include creating opportunities for philosophical discussions regarding contemporary topics in music education throughout a music teacher education program, devoting time during music education courses for students to examine the present state of their occupational identities, facilitating fieldwork experiences in “disruptive” settings, and striving to create a sense of “community” within the music teacher education program.
Read
