A Cultural Immersion Field Experience: Examining Preservice Music Teachers’ Beliefs About Cultural Differences in the Music Classroom

Abstract

While the United States is becoming increasingly diverse with regard to race, ethnicity, primary language, religion, and culture, many educators feel unprepared to teach students from socioculturally diverse backgrounds. In this case study, I explored the impact of a cultural immersion field experience on preservice music educators’ beliefs and assumptions about teaching students whose backgrounds differ from their own. Nine undergraduate music education majors were placed with one of two elementary music teachers in a community that has a large proportion of Arab and Muslim Americans and immigrants. Participants did not immediately recognize the ways in which culture affected music teaching and learning. Through firsthand experiences in classrooms and the local community, however, they developed greater empathy for and understanding of Arab and Muslim students, began to recognize their own implicit biases, and developed a deepened understanding of the impact of culturally responsive teaching in the music classroom.

Exploring Access, Intersectionality, and Privilege in Undergraduate Music Education Courses

“…Researchers have discussed the importance of meaningfully embedding social-justice-related content across teacher preparation programs rather than as standalone courses or fragmented units (Athanases & Oliveira, 2008; Kindall-Smith, 2013; Robinson, 2017; Whipp, 2013). By incorporating these “tough talks” throughout multiple music education courses, music teacher educators may lay the foundation of sociological concepts related to social justice early in an undergraduate’s tenure and then move toward more specific issues (e.g., students with disabilities and LGBTQ students) as students progress through their teacher preparation program, complete field experience work in diverse K–12 schools (VanDeusen, 2019), and further develop as music teachers.…”

“…Nichols and Sullivan (2016) noted that field experiences may reinforce and perpetuate, rather than challenge, prevailing negative narratives about youth of color; while their service-learning project at a juvenile detention center had many positive elements, it fell short of dismantling the participating preservice teachers’ own internal racial biases. VanDeusen (2019) found that when preservice teachers are oriented around cultural diversity, privilege, and implicit bias prior to field experiences, immerse themselves in the broader community in addition to the school environment, and use guided reflection before and after their field experiences, they may develop greater empathy for teaching students from cultural backgrounds that differ from their own, recognize their own implicit biases, and deepen their understanding of culturally responsive teaching. Music teacher educators may also face some of the same challenges as the participants in the previous studies.…”

Music Teacher Education Program Practices: Preparing Teachers to Work With Diverse Learners

“…Hammel and Gerrity (2012), for example, found that inservice educators perceived themselves to be more competent in working with students with SEN after completing an online graduate course “created to address specific skills and knowledge deemed necessary to effectively include students with special needs in music classrooms” (p. 7). Researchers also have described field experiences and concluded that such experiences improved the comfort and/or confidence of preservice (Hourigan, 2007, 2009; VanWeelden & Whipple, 2005) and inservice music teachers (Smith & Wilson, 1999) when working with students with SEN. VanDeusen (2019) engaged PMTs for a week of immersion in a predominantly Arab American community and found that the experience led students to change their perceptions and question their previous assumptions about immigrants and Muslim people. However, field experiences may not always be effective for altering preferences or building cross-cultural competence.…”

Preservice Music Educators’ Perceptions of In-Person and Asynchronous Online Fieldwork Experiences

“…Although researchers have found that fieldwork experiences can benefit PME’s development (Bartolome, 2013; Conway, 2012; VanDeusen, 2019), there is a dearth of research that compares in-person and online music education fieldwork experiences. Therefore, the purpose of this instrumental case study was to examine PMEs’ perceptions of a semester-long fieldwork experience first delivered in person and then asynchronously online.…”

“…Researchers have found that preservice music educators (PMEs) may benefit from fieldwork experiences in schools (Bartolome, 2013; Burton & Reynolds, 2009; Conway, 2012; Kelly, 2008; Teachout, 1997). For example, through fieldwork, PMEs may create peer networks and develop attributes, such as empathy and maturity (Bartolome, 2013, 2017; VanDeusen, 2019). Although PMEs have reported perceived challenges associated with fieldwork, such as communication, travel logistics, and scheduling conflicts, they have also reported perceived benefits, such as practical application of the skills learned in their university coursework (Hourigan & Scheib, 2009; Powell, 2011; Soto et al, 2009).…”