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

Abstract

Music educators must meet the needs of students with diverse characteristics, including but not limited to cultural backgrounds, musical abilities and interests, and physical, behavioral, social, and cognitive functioning. Music education programs may not systematically prepare preservice teachers or potential music teacher educators for this reality. The purpose of this study was to examine how music teacher education programs prepare undergraduate and graduate students to structure inclusive and responsive experiences for diverse learners. We replicated and expanded Salvador’s study by including graduate student preparation, incorporating additional facets of human diversity, and contacting all institutions accredited by National Association of Schools of Music to prepare music educators. According to our respondents, integrated instruction focused on diverse learners was more commonly part of undergraduate coursework than graduate coursework. We used quantitative and qualitative analysis to describe course offerings and content integration.

Characteristics of Early Childhood and Elementary General Music Methods Coursework for Preservice Music Teachers

“…Combined with our finding that one fifth of programs did not require an EGMM course for all PMTs, this result may be particularly troubling. Our results are consistent with Salvador’s (2010) finding that music-specific content on learners with special education needs was typically associated with elementary coursework, as well as Culp and Salvador (2021), who reported that music-specific content on teaching diverse learners was associated with coursework focused on Grades K–5 or K–8. The consistency of this finding across research studies might mean that, in some programs, PMTs could infer that inclusive and responsive practices are only relevant or important in elementary settings.…”

“…Similar to Culp and Salvador (2021) and Salvador (2010), our findings indicated the possibility that PMTs in some programs only learn aspects of inclusive instruction in EGMM courses. Therefore, in addition to our recommendation that music teacher education program professionals carefully consider how they ensure all PMTs are well-prepared to teach children across age-groups, we echo Culp and Salvador’s (2021) suggestion that music teacher educators intentionally thread meaningful discussion and practical information on inclusive teaching practices, such as universal design for learning and culturally responsive pedagogy, throughout every music education course.…”

“…We used a survey design similar to other national program-level research examining specific coursework (Culp & Salvador, 2021; Shaw & Hill, 2018). Drawing on this work, as well as questions posed by Mishra et al (2011), we constructed a 39-item questionnaire.…”

“…Our examination of research on licensure policies (May et al, 2017) and music teacher education program practices (e.g., Conway, 2002; Groulx, 2016) revealed a need for general music preparation, and specifically EGMM coursework, in music teacher education programs. Researchers previously have described the availability, structures, and/or aims of particular courses across programs of study (Culp & Salvador, 2021; Hart, 2019; Hewitt & Koner, 2013; Mishra et al, 2011, Shaw & Hill, 2018), theorized enabling and inhibiting conditions for general music preparation (Valerio et al, 2012), detailed practices in individual EGMM courses (Petrik, 2016; Reese, 2015), and proposed optimal elementary general music preparation (Brophy, 2002b). However, we were unable to locate peer-reviewed research that examined music teacher education programs across the United States on the availability, structures, content, and aims of elementary general and early childhood methods coursework.…”

“…Conway’s participants also asserted that EGMM coursework was particularly important, as secondary student teachers and early career teachers struggled to connect with and effectively teach beginning students. Salvador (2010) and Culp and Salvador (2021) reported that music-specific coursework intended to prepare teachers to work with diverse learners typically focused on K–5 or K–8 student populations, so it is possible that EGMM is one of the courses in which PMTs learn inclusive and responsive pedagogies. Therefore, EGMM courses may also be important for all PMTs as an opportunity to learn music-specific content and practices on inclusive and responsive pedagogies.…”