Students choosing to enter the music teaching profession after having already obtained undergraduate degrees in other music fields may experience unique forms of socialization and teacher identity development. Participants were four students enrolled in a 3-year master’s program with a music teacher licensure component. Through individual and focus group interviews, participants shared their perspectives on program experiences, course elements, and interactions with peers and professors as important influences on their developing music teacher identity. I examined the data for emerging patterns and applied open and axial coding to the most prominent responses, resulting in themes centered on participants’ socialization experiences, desire for independence, need for self-justification, and “outsider” status among peers. To combat lack of peer recognition or support, participants developed strong, collaborative relations with each other. Implications for music teacher educators are considered.
The purpose of this research was to investigate music performer/music teacher identity by examining double majors in various stages of their programs of study aspiring to become a performer and music educator. Unlike their single-major peers, double majors cope with additional challenges as they simultaneously develop both identities, determining who they are and who they hope to become. Using individual and focus group interviews and e-mail prompts, I investigated the experiences of five undergraduate students majoring in music education and music performance. Participants expressed various degrees of blended musician identity. Although they described similar socialization processes, training as performers and teachers—in conjunction with challenging schedules—enhanced and exacerbated those processes. Participants identified performer and teacher qualities influencing self-perceptions and described conflict between performance and music education majors within studios and university. Music teacher educators can use their role as socialization agents as they guide performer-teachers through dual- and single-degree programs.
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