The purpose of this qualitative case study was to examine the effect of learner-centered pedagogy on student engagement in a virtual elementary instrumental music program. Eleven fourth- and fifth-grade students from an elementary school in the Southeastern United States worked remotely toward creating a virtual performance over 28 weeks. All songs were chosen by students, and they were given the liberty to choose which parts to practice. Data were collected through regular Flipgrid practice videos, bi-weekly journals, and a final journal before being coded. At the end of the study, there was a noticeable correlation between student engagement and learner-centered pedagogy through students’ self-efficacy, motivation for improvement, and desire for autonomy. Students also wished the program would have been in an in-person format instead of virtual. The results suggest that learner-centered pedagogy and popular music should be incorporated into the curriculums of instrumental music programs.
The purpose of this co-autoethnographic qualitative case study was to chronicle the experiences of the first author as he taught general music in a blended, face-to-face, and online synchronous, environment during the COVID-19 pandemic. The co-autoethnography conveys a voice of a practicing teacher with advice and wisdom gained from living and working through the technological aspects of teaching and learning in a blended environment for practicing music teachers. His experiences chronicle how technology was used as a vehicle for amplifying the experiences of students and empowering them to creativities not possible before the pandemic. Implications for music education include exploring the stories of the lived experiences of teachers who taught through the pandemic with a focus on the possibilities and potentialities for profound change mediated by technology, learner-centered pedagogy, and creativities in practice.
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