Research indicates that youths’ experiences in school-based music ensembles are shaped by a complex array of social and musical variables; however, the specific mechanisms promoting prosocial behaviors in these settings remain underexplored. Using an explanatory sequential mixed methods design (Strand I: quantitative: N = 113 ; Strand II: qualitative: n = 15), I examined the prevalence of prosocial and antisocial-aggressive behaviors within a high school band program. Results from Strand I indicated that antisocial-aggressive behaviors were relatively low compared to previous research, although relational aggression and attitudes toward bullying differed significantly according to participants’ self-reported assigned sex at birth. Strand II findings corroborated these low levels of aggression while revealing a nuanced distinction between bullying and teasing, which participants largely categorized as lighthearted. Critically, these data revealed high prevalence rates of prosocial behaviors, including peer connectedness, willingness to intervene in bullying episodes, and upstander behaviors, suggesting the band functions as a site for school belonging. Qualitative themes of trust and community further indicate that the band program fosters a sense of psychological safety, which facilitates social resiliency. These findings offer implications for music educators seeking to cultivate inclusive “cultures of care” and provide a baseline for understanding the relational benefits for long-term ensemble participation.
Although not formally recognized by medical diagnostic manuals like the DSM-5 or ICD-10, Impostor Phenomenon (IP) has attracted global research attention as a pattern characterized by high-achieving individuals' persistent doubts about their accomplishments. This two-phase investigation examined IP among PK-12 music educators using the Jansen Impostor Phenomenon Short Scale-3 (IPSS-3). Phase 1 employed a cross-sectional design to test differences across demographic and professional variables among 564 participants. Significant effects were found for grade level (p < .05), gender identity (p < .05), and years of teaching experience (p < .001), with higher IPSS-3 scores among secondary and noncisgender educators and those with fewer than 20 years of experience. Phase 2 used exploratory factor analysis and multiple regression to identify associations among psychological factors and significant variables identified in Phase 1. Three factors emerged from the authors' Eleven Statements Questionnaire, including Self-Doubt and Perfectionism, External Attribution and Environmental Pressure, and Early Comparison and Family Expectations, collectively explaining 57.7% of variance. These factors together with years of experience, gender identity, and grade level accounted for 52% of overall IPSS-3 total scores. Findings suggest that IP among PK-12 music educators is driven primarily by cognitive, environmental, and developmental influences rather than fixed demographic and professional variables.
Independent practice is a cornerstone of musical development but one that many music students struggle to carry out effectively. In this study, we examined how digital supports affect the practice of high school string players. Sixty students completed four short practice sessions, each in a different condition: (a) control (no scaffolding), (b) aural model only, (c) aural model with audio playback, and (d) aural model, playback, and visual evaluative feedback. The results showed that all three scaffolded conditions produced significantly greater performance accuracy gains than the control. The combination of model, playback, and evaluation yielded the largest improvements. Notably, the supported conditions required less active playing time, suggesting more efficient practice. In contrast, when in the control condition, participants often overestimated their progress, sometimes misjudging performance accuracy declines as improvement. Visual evaluative feedback eliminated such errors, showing its potential to help students develop self-monitoring and error-detection skills. These findings support using technology-based tools to improve student practice and highlight the need to address the cognitive skills underlying music performance.
Previous findings on music access in public and charter schools are mixed, with some evidence of reduced access in charter settings. There have been no national analyses examining elementary music access across these school types. In this study, I examined disparities in access to elementary music instruction between U.S. public and charter schools using school-level data from the 2017-2018 National Teacher and Principal Survey, focusing on third-grade music as an indicator of music availability. A zero-inflated Poisson model estimated the likelihood that schools offered any music instruction and among those that did, its frequency. Logistic regression models identified school-level predictors of music inaccessibility, supplemented by dominance analysis to assess the relative importance of predictors. Results indicated that charter schools were substantially less likely to provide elementary music instruction and that charter status was the strongest single predictor of its absence. School characteristics were also associated with differences in access and instructional time, underscoring enduring inequities in elementary students' opportunities for music instruction.
This study examined the extent to which extramusical variables predicted band representation and adjudication outcomes at Bands of America (BOA) marching band festivals. Archival data from all 48 BOA events in 2021 and 2022 (N = 2,153 performances; 718 unique bands) were analyzed across Regional, Super Regional, and Grand National competitions. Across all competitions, bands from larger schools, schools with lower levels of National School Lunch Program eligibility, and those that performed later in the day were consistently associated with higher adjudication scores and were therefore more highly represented in advanced rounds of competition. These findings suggest that demographic and scheduling factors shape outcomes beyond rubric-based criteria, raising concerns about equity in high-stakes marching band adjudication. Policy and psychometric reforms are recommended to promote fairness and educational value.
This study replicates and extends Elliott's research on bias in music performance evaluations, examining whether implicit bias related to race, gender, and instrument type influenced music teachers' evaluations. In-service music educators (N = 45) evaluated eight videos of trumpet and flute performances with performers of varying races and genders. We synchronized all performances to identical prerecorded audio. Using a repeated measures analysis of variance, we found significant main effects for race (p = .02) and instrument (p < .01) but not gender. Evaluators rated Black performers lower than White performers and trumpet performances lower than flute performances. We observed significant interactions between race and gender (p < .01), race and instrument (p < .01), and gender and instrument (p < .01), revealing complex intersectional relationships. Black female performers consistently received the lowest ratings, highlighting how race and gender interact to create compounded disadvantages. Results underscore the need for intersectional approaches in music teacher education to address these biases, contributing to more equitable evaluation practices.
The purpose of this mixed methods study was to examine the use and perceived value of feedback on students' creativity among preservice (n = 164) and in-service (n = 246) teachers. As an explanatory sequential mixed methods design, the first phase of the study included a quantitative questionnaire that sought to examine music educators' (N = 410) attitudes, beliefs, values, and utility of feedback on creative tasks. The second phase of the study was qualitative and included two components: (a) a pre-interview task where teachers (n = 49) provided written feedback on two student compositions and (b) one-on-one interviews with preservice (n = 6) and in-service (n = 9) teachers. The primary purpose of the second phase was to examine the types of feedback teachers provide on creative tasks, such as composition, and to allow teachers to describe their thinking about giving feedback on creative tasks. Finally, we integrated findings from both phases. The participants in this study reported valuing process- and goal-oriented feedback over task-oriented feedback. However, teachers demonstrated a tendency to provide more task-oriented (or product-oriented) feedback than process- or goal-oriented feedback when responding to the student compositions. Implications and recommendations for the field are discussed.
The purpose of this phenomenological inquiry was to examine the lived experiences of public school mariachi teachers. Research questions included: (1) How did mariachi educators describe their lived experiences in public P-12 settings? and (2) What contextual factors influenced their lived experiences in schools? Participants were six educators in five different states who had more than 5 years of teaching experience. Findings included participants searching for mariachi education outside music teacher education programs, establishing and growing school mariachi programs, and navigating tensions related to institutionalization, including assimilation to school music norms such as competition and notation-based instruction. Implications include the need for postsecondary institutions to partner with local professionals and community members to provide mariachi education to music teachers. In addition, we suggest that a decrease in the standardization of music teacher education programs according to the cultural variation of local communities could mitigate some institutional barriers to creating culturally sustaining musical experiences for P-12 students.
We examined differences between expert and nonexpert musicians' assessments of recorded episodes of music practice. High school (n = 28) and professional (n = 26) string players listened to brief recordings of four anonymous violinists' practice sessions (two artist-level experts and two competent high school students). As they listened, they pressed a computer key when they perceived a discrepancy between what they heard on the recording and what they would have intended (their own goals) if they had been the practicing musician. Professional musicians marked discrepancies nearly 3 times as often as did students regardless of whether they were listening to recordings of high school or expert violinists, p = .001. When participants estimated the experience levels of the performers on the recordings, professional participants were more likely than students to correctly identify expert practicers as experts, although both student participants' and professional participants' key-press rates were not significantly related to their estimates of the practicers' experience levels. Our results are in keeping with the notion that professionals formulate more precise goals for practicing than do developing musicians and that student musicians may misperceive the extent of mistake making in the practice of experts.
The purpose of this single instrumental case study was to explore family engagement in a community strings program through the perspectives of caregivers. I drew from the dual capacity building framework for family-school partnerships as the theoretical lens for the study. Participants were eight caregivers coparticipating in a community strings program with their children. Sources of data included semistructured interviews, observational field notes, a collection of documents, as well as audiovisual and digital materials. Through data analysis, I identified three themes: relational trust between caregivers and teachers, collaboration and interaction, and cultivating an affirming musical space. The active participation of caregivers created strong links between children's home cultures and the program. This was facilitated through caregiver-teacher relationships characterized by relational trust, in which caregivers' knowledge and abilities were honored and respected. Caregivers and teachers collaborated to define shared goals, and their interactions throughout instruction improved caregivers' musical capacity and teachers' pedagogical capacity. Caregivers also shaped the larger culture of the program, supporting the cultivation of an affirming and culturally sustaining environment. Implications for practice include prioritizing relational trust as a basis of fostering equitable family engagement and privileging caregiver knowledge in the development of culturally sustaining music pedagogies.
The purpose of this study was to investigate beginning music teachers’ (BMTs) self-reported preparation for their first year of teaching using more than 20 years of nationally representative data from the U.S. Department of Education. BMTs reported the strongest first-year preparation for teaching their subject matter, teaching to state content standards, and using a variety of instructional methods. BMTs in the sample reported being less prepared for classroom management, using computers and technology, teaching students with special needs, and teaching English language learners. Self-reported first-year preparation was largely similar between the music teachers ( N ≈ 1,080) and the nonmusic teachers ( N ≈ 34,850) in the sample. Relative to teachers in other content areas, the music teachers reported much better preparation for teaching their subject matter but lower relative preparation for classroom management, using computers and technology, teaching students with special needs, and teaching English language learners. Although first-year preparation was largely similar across degrees earned, school locale, school grade level, and gender, BMTs who pursued traditional certification reported stronger first-year preparation overall and especially during the pandemic.
Research shows that the process of acculturation (adjustment to a new environment) determines psychological outcomes, such as acculturative stress. This relationship is affected by mediator variables, including social support and self-perceptions. Using structural equation modeling, this study explored how support in and through music and music self-perceptions affected the relationship between acculturation and acculturative stress in music classes. Data were collected among Latino immigrant students ( N = 501) ages 6 to 11 from two Title I elementary schools in a large city in the southeastern United States. Findings showed that higher levels of acculturative stress in music classes were linked to lower levels of American acculturation and higher levels of Latino acculturation. In addition, the indirect effect of American acculturation through U.S. music support and music self-perceptions was linked to higher levels of acculturative stress, whereas the indirect effect of Latino acculturation through Latino music support was linked to lower levels of stress. It could be hypothesized that U.S. music support may increase academic expectations, contributing to higher levels of acculturative stress. Conversely, Latino music support could help immigrant children connect with their ethnic musical heritage with lower academic pressure.
The purpose of this study was to investigate whether undergraduate music students’ conducting anxiety associated with their self-reported levels of depression, self-compassion, self-efficacy for conducting, concern with others’ perceptions, and conducting beliefs and behaviors. Participants who were enrolled in an introductory conducting course ( N = 128) completed a questionnaire that included adopted and modified items from preexisting measures, researcher-designed items, and open-ended questions to provide insights related to their conducting anxiety. Participants’ level of concern with others’ perceptions significantly predicted their conducting anxiety scores, and open-response results supported this finding. The perceived difficulty level of the pieces/excerpts assigned by their conducting instructor also predicted participants’ conducting anxiety. Results of a Pearson correlation analysis indicated that participants’ conducting anxiety scores correlated with their depression scores positively but inversely with their self-compassion and self-efficacy for conducting scores. Conducting instructors should find ways to make their course environment welcoming, transparent, and growth-based so that students can focus on improving their conducting skills.
The purpose of this explanatory sequential mixed methods study was to examine the associations between perfectionism and online social comparison among choir teachers in Texas. Participants (N = 40) completed the Hewitt and Flett Multidimensional Perfectionism Scale, the expanded Iowa Netherlands Comparison Orientation Measure, and a demographic questionnaire. Results from the quantitative strand revealed that only one predictor variable, socially prescribed perfectionism, significantly predicted nondirectional social comparison, upward social comparison, and downward social comparison. We then conducted follow-up interviews with nine participants with high ratings for socially prescribed perfectionism. From our qualitative strand, four themes emerged: (a) pressure from competitive music structures in the state, (b) coping mechanisms, (c) function of relationships, and (d) effects of comparison direction. Participants expressed that the competitive choral events in the state exacerbated the pressure they felt regarding their own professional successes, which led to comparisons with others as a gauge for their own performance. The two primary mechanisms for coping with negative feelings were cognitive reappraisal and avoiding/reducing time on social media. The nature of the relationship with comparison targets and the direction of the comparison critically impacted participants' outcomes and feelings.
In this phenomenological case study, we explored stakeholder experiences in a full-inclusion secondary instrumental ensemble, examining perspectives from students with disabilities, their caregivers, and both music and special educators. Through interviews and observations of nine participants, our research revealed three key themes: (a) intersecting and varying value systems, (b) a platform of mutual empowerment, and (c) increased teacher self-efficacy and student joy. Whereas students primarily valued peer interactions and musical engagement, caregivers emphasized socialization opportunities and life skill development, and educators focused on musical progress and advocacy. We also emphasized the importance of collaboration between special educators and music teachers and the role of peer support in fostering an inclusive environment. These findings suggest that full-inclusion instrumental programs may provide meaningful experiences for all stakeholders while supporting musical and personal growth. This research contributes to the limited literature on secondary instrumental music inclusion programs and may provide insights for music educators seeking to implement similar programs.
The Singing Voice Development Measure (SVDM) was created to provide some consistency with what children are asked to sing, how their singing is prompted, and how their singing is evaluated, particularly in research studies. Although the SVDM patterns encouraged children to use all registers of their singing voices, these patterns had an upper limit of B-flat4, which is just touching on upper register (B-flat4 and above). Some children can push their middle register to sing a B-flat or higher and would therefore be scored as a "singer" when really, they are "initial range singers." Therefore, the purpose of this study was to investigate if children sang better and were more likely to use upper register if prompted to echo a set of patterns with a range of D4 to D5 rather than the original patterns that had a range of C#4 to B-flat4. Kindergarteners (n = 80) and first graders (n = 92) echoed a teacher singing both sets of patterns on text and a neutral syllable. Two raters scored all the recordings, and interrater and intrarater reliability estimates were all strong. Correlation coefficients, exploring the convergent validity of the modified patterns, were all significant and of moderate strength. The revised set of patterns are valid and can be used in subsequent research studies.
The purpose of this study was to investigate collegiate music students' perceptions of recent federal policy changes impacting diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives in higher education music programs. Drawing on survey data from 384 collegiate student participants across 35 U.S. states, I explored student awareness of DEI rollbacks, anticipated educational and professional impacts, perceptions of institutional response, and willingness to engage in DEI-related efforts. Quantitative findings revealed broad opposition to federal restrictions on DEI, with over 70% of participants expressing disagreement and more than 60% anticipating negative consequences for their education and careers. Statistically significant differences emerged by gender identity and academic program, with nonbinary and female participants reporting greater concern than male peers. Qualitative analysis of 243 open-ended responses highlighted themes of fear, moral commitment to DEI, frustration with institutional inaction, and conflicting views on meritocracy. Despite limited institutional communication, many participants expressed a belief in their role as advocates for equity. I underscore the contested and personal nature of DEI in music education, revealing both the fragility of institutional support and the resilience of student advocacy in politically volatile environments.
The purpose of this multiple case study was to describe three expert middle school band teachers' decision-making processes before, during, and after instruction. The following research question guided this study: What were the thought processes underlying expert middle school band teachers' decisions before, during, and after instruction? Cross-case analysis guided by the teacher as reflective decision-maker model suggested that participants' decisions before instruction were concerned with (a) mental templates, (b) learning goals, and (c) reflections, contingencies, and anticipations. During instruction, participants' decisions were related to (a) reacting and responding, (b) choosing to pivot, and (c) emotional skills. Finally, as participants reflected after instruction, their decisions were characterized by (a) self-focus, (b) short-term versus long-term goals, and (c) reflective thinking. Findings suggest that metacognitive skills play a key role in the construction of expert band teachers' specialized, automatized knowledge. Implications for music education are discussed.
A persistent concern in music performance assessments is the quality of ratings assigned by judges. Differences in rater judgment are most concerning in cases when student performances are scored by different raters (i.e., disconnected rating designs)-bringing into question the comparability of scores between raters and students. We used data from a formal solo music performance assessment to demonstrate and explore the impact of different data collection designs and a statistical adjustment procedure on the estimates and rank-ordering of student performances. Our results indicated notable discrepancies in conclusions about individual student performances between conditions where all raters scored all students, designs with no common performances between raters, designs that included overlapping performances between raters, and the results from a post hoc adjustment procedure for disconnected designs. We discuss the implications of our results for the design and interpretation of music performance assessments.
The purpose of this multiple case study was to examine meanings of safe place for facilitators, singers, and parents/caregivers in two community choral programs developed for persons with disabilities. Research foci included (a) how singer participants described safe place, (b) what strategies facilitators used to engage in building safe places, and (c) what barriers facilitators articulated in sustaining safe places. Over a 4-month period, primary data collection included 34 interviews with 51 singer and family participants and multiple interviews with choir staff; secondary data included rehearsal and performance observations and researcher journals. Using a conceptual lens of safe place, we engaged in open coding followed by focused coding, which resulted in individual case themes, and then interrogated those themes in cross-case analysis. Data analysis revealed that safe place thrived in programs uniquely reflecting their communities, where founders placed high value on full participation and invested deeply in community knowledge. Although programs adopted different foci, both embodied safe place in how facilitators supported each singer and the choir community. We conclude the article by extrapolating recommendations from community programs for music educators in pre-K-university settings.
