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The purpose of this intrinsic case study was to explore the classroom management development of six mid- and late-career public school music educators from the southeastern United States. Areas of inquiry included how educators articulated their classroom management development, their management challenges and successes, and how classroom management development influenced participants' teaching careers. Participants were identified from varied teaching contexts, including general, choral, and instrumental music in different school settings. Interviews, field notes, and artifacts were collected and analyzed to understand participant experiences. Themes revealed a growth trajectory from participants learning about themselves as teachers to a heightened focus on strategies, pacing, and building relationships with students. Over time, participants integrated their teaching styles and routines with classroom management strategies that positively influenced their teaching career. Suggestions for music educators and teacher educators include: (1) mentorship development for inservice and preservice teachers; (2) addressing classroom management development as a discrete topic of preservice music teacher education and through consistent field experiences with the same students; (3) incorporating social and emotional competence into preservice teacher coursework; and (4) creating intentional supports for mid- and late-career music educators.

The purpose of our phenomenology was to investigate the lived experiences of emerging female vocal identity development (ages 19-35 years) and how participants' lived experiences shaped their future as musicians and music educators. Thirty-nine participants, freshmen through graduate students, enrolled in vocal music education or vocal performance programs within two large universities in the United States completed written responses to an open set of questions that were then discussed during a corresponding in-depth interview. Our analysis revealed four themes: (a) others as powerful influences, (b) voice classification, (c) omnipresent emotion, and (d) perceptions of future involvement. Time underwrote each theme as participants shared lived experiences that took place from age 11 into their 20s and some into the mid-30s. Therefore, consideration of chronological age within each of the themes provided deeper insight on the evolution of female vocal identity development. We found that intrapersonal and interpersonal interactions, both past and present, fostered emotional responses that influenced female vocalists' perceptions of their voice. These, in combination with encounters with voice classifications and tensions between vocal and choral teachers, influenced their ever-evolving relationship with their instrument. In addition, participants actively used lived experiences to build futures for themselves and their vocal students.

The purpose of this grounded theory study was to discover the process of social identity development for adolescent high school women's choir participants. Purposive maximum variation sampling was used to identify three public high school women's choirs where 54 interviews were conducted with 40 different public school singers. Three waves of data collection and analysis revealed a seven-step process beginning with "coming in singing" and ending with "envisioning myself." The central phenomenon was identified as "opening up my voice and me" and emphasized singers' increased self-confidence. Intervening conditions included competition, the absence of choral opportunities, and lack of understanding from those outside of the choral program. Amount of time in the choral program, number of groups, and community recognition were identified as contextual conditions. Dimensionalized properties, a temporal matrix, and propositional statements are presented.

We have written this article seeking to connect societal perceptions of disability with P-12 schools and higher education institutions toward the goal of greater understanding and equitable employment opportunities for music teachers with disabilities, specifically teacher candidates with visual impairment. In our investigation, we examine the following questions: (a) How have special education programs within P-12 schools, universities, and schools of music reflected societal perceptions of persons with disabilities and how do those in turn influence perceptions of teacher candidates? (b) How have the "essential functions" of teaching been articulated by accreditation programs and what tensions arise when music teachers with visual impairments are considered for employment? and (c) What are potential ways forward for P-12 education, teacher education programs, and schools of music? To disrupt binaries between able and disabled in schools, we recommend embracing a broader, interdependent view of music education, one that is defined by and includes all teaching professionals and school communities. Additionally, we support recruitment of teacher candidates with disabilities to music education programs and consistent advocacy through matriculation and job placement to encourage entry into P-12 schools.

The purpose of this grounded theory study was to understand the process of field experience lesson planning for preservice music educators enrolled in choral, general, and instrumental music education courses within three university contexts. Data sources included multiple interviews, written responses, and field texts from 42 participants. Four waves of data collection and analysis revealed a five-step process beginning with "learning the tasks of teaching" and "experiencing an authentic teaching context." Participants articulated the central phenomenon as "embracing teaching as an interaction," which led to "teaching more effectively" and "learning about teaching with my style." The findings reflect that participants developed a situated understanding of how thoughtful preparation is connected to effective teaching. An implication for this study is that preservice teachers should be consistently immersed in authentic context learning environments during undergraduate education.

The purpose of this study was to examine how undergraduate music education students identify, through a reflective writing exercise, the major characteristics of successful and unsuccessful teachers. We asked two research questions: (1) How did preservice music teachers describe successful and unsuccessful teachers (2) How did perceptions differ based on academic class and/or age? Using a written protocol, we collected data from 134 participants within three institutions and coded the data using figured worlds as a lens. The participants depicted successful teachers with rich description and highlighted interpersonal and intrapersonal aspects. The participants described unsuccessful teachers succinctly; characteristics that emerged included a lack of care and knowledge of students, inflexible teaching methods, and inconsistent standards. Implications for teacher education are proposed.

The purpose of this narrative inquiry was to re-story the student teaching experience of two preservice music education majors who are visually impaired or blind. While music education scholars have devoted attention to P-12 students with disabilities, research with preservice music teachers with impairments is seemingly nonexistent. Using a transformative paradigm and social model of disability as lenses, we retell participants' experiences across three commonplaces of narrative inquiry: sociality, temporality, and place. Participants told their student teaching stories through various field texts, including interviews, journals, emails, and informal conversations. Three particular issues were highlighted strongly within their narratives: accessible music, reliance on others, and individuals' attitudes. Issues of what constitutes effective teaching, teacher identity construction, and preparedness for working with individuals with disabilities also emerged. Multiple avenues are suggested for practice, research, and policy in music, teacher education, and teachers with disabilities.

The purpose of this intrinsic case study was to explore four midwestern choral teachers' experiences of creating and sustaining community within their public school choirs. Research questions included (1) how choral teachers describe their experiences of creating choral communities, (2) how the teacher-student relationship is experienced, and (3) what challenges get in the way of sustaining choral communities. Writings by Edith and Victor Turner, Martin Buber, and Nel Noddings were used as a theoretical lens. Participants were selected purposively and represented heterogeneous choral programs, different school sizes, and diverse population densities. Participants included one 8th-year middle school male choral teacher, two female high school choral teachers who had taught for more than 18 years each, and one male middle and high school choral teacher who had taught for 12 years. Cases were bounded by interviews, written and observational data, and artifacts. The data collection included 20 observations, 12 interviews with choral teachers, and 16 student interviews. Data analysis was inductive; 31 codes emerged and were gathered into four themes including support and care, fostering a sense of belonging and acceptance, quality creates and inhibits community, and program legacy and vision. Teacher profiles are included in the findings.

The purpose of this grounded theory study was to describe the process of adolescent choral singers' social identity development within three midsized, midwestern high school mixed choirs. Forty-nine interviews were conducted with 36 different participants. Secondary data sources included memoing, observations, and interviews with the choir teachers. The data analysis revealed an eight-stage process beginning with the student's choice to audition and remain involved to the final stage, a desire to give back to the community. The central phenomenon of social identity was identified as team. Contextual conditions, including time, intensity, and size of group, strengthened participant experiences substantively. Social cliques and egos emerged as intervening conditions that impeded social identity development. Several individuals influenced participant social identity including peers, parents, school and community members, as well as the choir teacher. A temporal matrix is presented as well as propositions illustrating the development of social identity.

The purpose of this qualitative inquiry was to investigate adolescent choral singers' philosophical beliefs regarding music-making within three different, mid-sized, Midwestern mixed choirs in the United States. Eighteen participants were interviewed for approximately 40 minutes each. Audio files were transcribed and coded with four themes resulting: (1) music-making as a simultaneously feelingful experience for participants; (2) musical knowing as interpersonal knowing; (3) expressed music as expressed feeling; and (4) music-making as enlightening. Participants verified the data through member checks. The presence of a peer de-briefer helped the investigator work through potential ethical issues. The findings reflect many ideas within the field of music philosophy including aesthetic perception, expressiveness by convention, music-making as distinctly human and art as self-unification. Findings also aligned with past studies regarding participants' expressed meaning of musical experiences including areas such as social growth, expression of emotion, increased self-confidence, and development of personal character. Future suggestions for study include investigating perspectives of individual performers and participants who engage in different music ensembles to strengthen understanding of contextual factors. (Contains 1 table and 1 figure.)

The purpose of this action research study was to describe adolescent singers' experiences of belonging within one urban high school choral ensemble. Understanding student perspectives on belonging within music ensembles can assist choral educators, parents and administrators in order to more fully support adolescent emotional and social development in school. Tenth through twelfth grade students were selected from one northeastern high school choral programme in a large city within the USA. Twenty-six participants, in small groups of three to four students each, were asked to describe their experiences of belonging within the ensemble. Interview data were open, descriptively and analytically coded. Codes were gathered into categories. Five themes were developed, including choral experience as uncompetitive, sectional bonding as social bonding, singing as shared experience, chorus as safe space and trips as pivotal bonding experiences. Suggestions for future research include examining student belonging as part of choral teacher practices, studying school choral participation as stress reduction and investigating social belonging as embedded within group singing environments. (Contains 2 figures.)

This case study sought to investigate one educator's attempt to disrupt "the choral class system" within their public high school choral program. The following questions guided this research: (a) How does one teacher restructure a choral program to increase student access? (b) What meanings do student participants ascribe to participation? (c) What do the choral teacher, singers, and administrators cite as benefits and limitations of the choral program? Over four months, we conducted observations and gathered interviews from the choral teacher, administrators, and 43 student participants. Two waves of data collection and analysis illuminated findings reported as five significant program structures. Findings highlighted the teacher's approach, such as non-auditioned curricular ensembles, deep relationships built among participants, and individual growth and leadership opportunities. Findings also exposed continuing operations of power and a struggle to break free from choral class systems. Suggestions for further investigation include gaining additional insights and understanding into students' needs, and continuing critical examination of the choral curricula and hierarchy within choral music education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a case study which examines the decisions of two homeschooled undergraduates to take music education majors. It states that the data of two senior music education participants were used to monitor their experiences for one year. It mentions that the homeschooled individuals still need to participate continuously in field experiences at the undergraduate level.