"One leg in one, and one leg in the other" : reflections of vernacular musicians as music educators

With a purpose of improving the experiences of vernacular musicians who want to become music educators so that more vernacular music-making can occur in K-12 music settings, this study explored the lived musical experiences of two vernacular musicians who successfully became music educators. The two grand tour problems of this study were:1. To describe how two vernacular musicians navigated their undergraduate music education programs.2. To describe if/how their vernacular musicianship contributed to their practice as music teachers. Ethnographic techniques were used within the framework of a multiple narrative case study to present the viewpoints of two participants, Carrie and Harrison (pseudonyms). Both were vernacular musicians prior to pursuing degrees in music education. The two participants’ stories revealed that they felt like they were living in two musical worlds. In their undergraduate experiences, participants felt their Western classical abilities were more highly valued than their vernacular musicianship skills, and they did not feel fully supported by faculty musically. In their teaching lives, their vernacular music-making backgrounds manifested through aural learning and rote teaching, creating, and their classroom environment. Participants experienced feelings of being an impostor during their undergraduate experiences, which, particularly for one participant, created fear and anxiety. These feelings of being an impostor continued into their teaching lives, typically brought about by preconceived program expectations (e.g., performance schedules, high-level student musical performance abilities) from community members and colleagues. These outside influences, at times, determined what vernacular music-making experiences they implemented into their classrooms and when it was “safe” to do so.Based on these data, I suggest institutions of higher education more equally value musics found outside Western classical cultures. This includes an evaluation of their audition processes, the support provided to “non-traditional” students, as well as a re-envisioning of required coursework, field experiences, and performance ensembles. Additionally, I suggest ways that teachers of K–12 musics can create a more diverse music education experience for students by including more vernacular music making. These suggestions include opportunities for informal learning, creative music making, and considerations for the classroom environment.