“Everybody has something”: One teacher’s beliefs about musical ability and their connection to teaching practice and classroom culture

Abstract

The purpose of this case study was to explore one elementary music teacher’s beliefs about the nature of musical ability and the ways in which these beliefs relate to actions and lived experiences in the classroom. Data included extensive classroom observations documented through fieldnotes and video footage, semi-structured interviews, teacher journal entries, teaching artifacts, and researcher memos. Three themes emerged from the data: (a) enabling success for all; (b) power of the learning environment; and (c) encouraging lifelong engagement with music. The findings of this study suggest that music educators’ beliefs about students’ musical abilities relate to their actions in the music classroom, their interactions with students, and their beliefs about the purpose of music education. Music educators should reflect on their beliefs, the ways in which they relate to teaching practice, and the impact they may have on students’ musical achievement and musical identity development. Additionally, music teacher educators should consider the role they might play in helping pre-service as well as in-service music teachers examine and possibly reshape their beliefs about music teaching and learning.

The classroom culture of a middle school music technology class

“…Teacher and students’ mutual use of constructive feedback in their discourse helped to create a sense of support and collaboration between teacher and students, similar to what Shouldice’s (2019) participant sought to create in her classroom and to what Burnard et al (2013), Lapidaki et al (2012), and Ruthmann (2012) have recommended. This, combined with students’ perception of the classroom culture as collaborative and supportive, allowed them to feel comfortable being creative and exploring their ideas.…”

“…Within the field of music education, researchers in elementary general and collegiate settings have studied how teachers seek to co-create positive and nurturing classroom cultures. Shouldice (2019), in an ethnographic case study, explored the beliefs of one elementary music teacher, “Deena,” about the nature of musical ability and the ways in which these beliefs relate to actions and lived experiences in her classroom, including the teacher’s interactions with students and the classroom culture she created. Deena believed that students’ musical success depended on building a positive classroom environment and her practice of establishing a space in which students feel safe, supported, and empowered.…”

“…Examination of the influences of classroom culture within music education spaces can provide implications that enhance music teaching and learning. While researchers have studied classroom culture in music education (Shouldice, 2019; Woodward, 2013) and provided suggestions for how to create a classroom environment conducive for creative practices, such as composition, improvisation, and arranging (Burnard, Boyack, & Howell, 2013; King, 2012; Lapidaki, de Groot, & Stagkos, 2012; Odena, 2012; Ruthmann, 2012; Ruthmann & Dillon, 2012), a study that explores the classroom culture of a pre-collegiate music class based in creativity practices could assist educators with supporting and encouraging students’ participation in activities that enhance their musical understanding, engage them in musical creative thinking, and help them express their personal identities (Hickey, 2012; Randles & Smith, 2012).…”

An investigation of musical ability beliefs and self-concept among fourth-grade students in the United States

“…Given the contrast between the negative effects of innate talent beliefs in many Western cultures and the positive effects of universal human musicality in other cultures, I wondered how the belief in universal human musicality might manifest in a teacher’s classroom. To explore this, I previously conducted an ethnographic case study (Shouldice, 2019) of Ms. Ridge (pseudonym), one elementary music teacher in the Midwestern United States who believes in universal human musicality, in order to investigate the ways in which this belief related to her actions in the classroom and interactions with students. In this prior study, I discovered that Ms. Ridge’s belief in universal human musicality connected to her emphasis on the importance of practice and effort, normalization of the varying speeds at which students learn, establishment of a safe and supportive learning environment, communication of a persistent belief that each student can and will succeed, and a goal of helping students “feel like musicians” so they would be empowered and motivated to make music.…”

“…Although Ms. Ridge stressed the importance of helping students develop positive musical self-concepts, it is not clear the extent to which this was actually achieved since I did not examine students’ experiences or beliefs in that study (Shouldice, 2019). If previous research suggests the belief in innate talent can be damaging to students’ musical self-concepts, might a teacher’s belief in universal human musicality transfer to her students and result in more positive ability self-perceptions?…”