Music Pedagogy Commons^™

Heuristic Inquiry As A Research Method In Music Education, Austina F. Lee

Visions of Research in Music Education

This article presents heuristic inquiry as a form of autoethnography and its potential as a methodological resource for music educators. Rather than reporting findings from a single study, the article illustrates how heuristic inquiry can serve as a structured yet flexible process of critical reflection that helps teachers navigate the cultural and political contexts of their work. Drawing on the author’s experiences as a high school choral director, the discussion highlights the six phases and seven processes of heuristic inquiry, showing how personal reflection, cultural awareness, and relational care can be interwoven into professional practice. By framing autoethnography as both …

Disrupting The Silence: A Case For Critical Race Theory In Music Education, Preston Wilson Jr.

Visions of Research in Music Education

In response to the inequities within music education, Critical Race Theory (CRT) offers an approach to analyzing how race and racism operate within music education and prompts educators to critically examine existing structures and practices. CRT is a comprehensive framework that offers fundamental insights, perspectives, methods, and pedagogical approaches. Its primary objective is to identify, analyze, and transform the structural and cultural factors that perpetuate the marginalization and subordination of People of Color. CRT’s origins can be traced back to the legal system, where it emerged as a means to challenge and dismantle the pervasive influence of race and racism …

Professionalizing Folklore In Latin America: Four Paradigms Of The Musician And The Coloniality Of Music Education, Matias Recharte

Visions of Research in Music Education

In this article, I discuss the professionalization of folklore and its entanglements with coloniality through an analysis of four paradigms of the musicians I encountered in conversations with students, administrators and instructors at the Escuela Nacional de Folklore Jose Maria Arguedas in Lima, Peru. I contrast two pairs of paradigms, the empírico with the académico and the chivero with the professional in order to show how the “professional folklore musician” is constructed through similarities and differences with these paradigms. For my analysis, I use a coloniality theory framework (Casto-Gomez, 2021; Quijan, 1980, 2000, 2007; Segato 2011, 2022) which considers social …

La Profesionalización Del Folklore En América Latina: Cuatro Paradigmas Del Músico Y La Colonialidad De La Educación Musical, Matias Recharte

Visions of Research in Music Education

En este artículo discuto la profesionalización del folklore y su imbricación con la colonialidad a través de un análisis de cuatro paradigmas del músico que emergieron en conversaciones con estudiantes, administradores e instructores de la Escuela Nacional Superior de Folklore José María Arguedas en Lima, Perú. Contrasto dos pares de paradigmas, el empírico con el académico y el “chivero” con el profesional para mostrar como el “músico profesional de folklore” es construido a través de similitudes y diferencias con estos paradigmas. Para el análisis utilizo un marco teórico decolonial (Casto-Gómez, 2021; Quijano, 1980, 2000, 2007; Segato 2011, 2015) que toma …

Consequences Of Teacher Violence Among Musicians, Karla María Reynoso Vargas, Basilio Fernández-Morante

Visions of Research in Music Education

This is a standalone work, but it is complementary to the study, “Teacher violence in university music education: An exploration in a Mexican context.” It presents the analysis of emerging information found in 53 stories of victims of teacher violence in university music programs. We incorporated reflections and contributions from students, professionals, and dropouts of music careers in the Mexican Republic, who voluntarily shared their stories. The first category describes the consequences of teacher violence. On one hand, there were effects interpreted as positive, including the activation of achievement orientation, overexertion, and self-demand. It is pointed out that these consequences …

Consecuencias De La Violencia Docente: Recuentos Desde El Campo De La Formación Musical Universitaria En México, Karla M. Reynoso Vargas, Basilio Fernández-Morante

Visions of Research in Music Education

Este es un trabajo independiente, pero complementario al estudio «La violencia docente en la educación musical universitaria: una exploración en el contexto mexicano». Presenta el análisis de la información que se desprende de 53 relatos de víctimas de violencia docente en programas universitarios de música. Incorporamos reflexiones y aportaciones de estudiantes, profesionales y personas que abandonaron sus carreras de música en la República Mexicana, quienes compartieron voluntariamente sus historias. La primera categoría describe las consecuencias de la violencia docente. Por un lado, se observaron efectos interpretados como positivos, entre ellos la activación de la orientación al logro, el sobreesfuerzo y …

Teacher Violence In University Music Education: An Exploration In The Mexican Context, Karla María Reynoso Vargas, Basilio Fernández-Morante

Visions of Research in Music Education

This article presents the results of an exploratory phenomenological study aimed at identifying expressions of teacher violence in university music training environments in the Mexican context. We analyzed 53 accounts from students, professionals, and dropouts of music degree programs who studied at universities or conservatories across nine Mexican states and voluntarily shared their testimonies through the Mexican Association of Music Psychology (AMEPSIM). We address sociological assumptions about the dynamics of violence, the socio-educational weight of the conservatory tradition and its potential link to the limited application of contemporary pedagogical principles, as well as the normalization of teacher violence. Various forms …

Violencia Docente En La Educación Musical Universitaria: Una Exploración En Contexto Mexicano, Karla M. Reynoso Vargas, Basilio Fernández-Morante

Visions of Research in Music Education

Este artículo presenta los resultados de una investigación fenomenológica exploratoria cuyo objetivo fue identificar expresiones de violencia docente en entornos de formación musical universitaria en el contexto mexicano. Se analizan 53 relatos de estudiantes, profesionales y desertores de carreras musicales que cursaron estudios en universidades o conservatorios de nueve estados de la República Mexicana, quienes compartieron voluntariamente sus testimonios a través de la Asociación Mexicana de Psicología de la Música (AMEPSIM). El estudio aborda supuestos sociológicos sobre las dinámicas de la violencia, el peso socioeducativo de la tradición del conservatorio y su posible vínculo con la limitada aplicación de principios …

Editorial: Colaboraciones A Través De Las Culturas/Collaborations Across Cultures, Cara Faith Bernard, Jennifer Lang

Visions of Research in Music Education

No abstract provided.

“If It Can Tell A Story”: The Past, Present, And Future Of Musical Crossroads, Christian M. Folk, Dwandalyn Reece

Visions of Research in Music Education

The National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC), part of the Smithsonian Institution (SI) complex in Washington, D.C., is the only SI museum with a permanent music exhibition, titled Musical Crossroads. I traced the development of Musical Crossroads from the perspectives of three key figures in the exhibit’s history using narrative inquiry: Dr. Dwandalyn Reece, former curator of music and performing arts; Dr. Kevin Strait, a former curatorial assistant for the exhibition; and Ms. Hannah Grantham, a current curatorial and research assistant for NMAAHC. These narratives are bound by temporality, sociality, and place, highlighting the crux of …

When American Music Teaching Leaves America: Cultural Expectations In International Schools, Bethany J. Thompson

Visions of Research in Music Education

This initial qualitative study explored the lived experiences of American music teachers employed by international schools. Fifteen United States-trained music teachers working in international schools across 14 countries completed semi-structured interviews on pedagogical strategies and the role of music in the host country’s culture. Findings included three themes: The Culture We Expect, The Culture We Create, and The Culture We Learn Over Time. The findings contributed to the understanding of how music teachers adapt to diverse students’ needs and how Western school music traditions function around the world. This study contained implications for the cultural responsiveness, community impact, and pedagogical …

Integrative Approaches In Improvisation Education: A Qualitative Study Of Emotional, Social, And Reflective Learning Processes With A Focus On Iranian Music, Davoud Tavousi

Visions of Research in Music Education

Improvisation is widely regarded as a central component of contemporary music education, yet its pedagogical implementation remains challenging, particularly in intercultural contexts within higher music education. This qualitative study examines how structured, integrative approaches to improvisation education shape learning processes, using Iranian classical music as a culturally situated pedagogical framework.
Data were generated through reflective diaries, semi-structured interviews, and participant observation and analyzed using a constructivist grounded theory approach. The analysis resulted in the development of the Integrative Approach to Improvisation Education (IAIE) model, which conceptualizes learning as an interdependent process encompassing musical material, emotional engagement, reflective processes, social interaction, …

A Qualitative Examination Of Burnout Among College Marching Band Members, Justin Mcmanus, Justus Carney

Visions of Research in Music Education

Abstract

The notion of burnout was first introduced by researchers Herbert Freudenberger (1974) and Christina Maslach (1976) to address staff challenges in medical and other “helping” professions (e.g., caregivers). According to Maslach and Leiter (1981), burnout consists of emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and a reduced sense of personal accomplishment. Many post-secondary students participate in campus organizations as a relief from burnout, experiencing community, heightened self-efficacy, and increased confidence (Buckley & Lee, 2018; Knifsend, 2018). However, overcommitment to an activity may increase a student’s likelihood of burning out due to prioritization over their academic work (Denman, 2019). There is a gap in …

Instruments Of Access: A Collective Case Study Of College Marching And Athletic Bands At Highly Selective Institutions, Dylan Parrilla-Koester

Visions of Research in Music Education

This study explored the role of athletic bands at highly selective universities with Division 1 FBS athletics, considering how directors navigate recruitment, admissions, access, and community engagement within academically constraining environments. By integrating Kingdon's Multiple Streams Framework (MSF) and Ribot and Peluso’s Theory of Access, the study examined the agency of athletic band directors (ABDs) as policy practitioners who advocate for their programs, their students, and prospective students in the face of institutional barriers. Five themes emerged: athletic band accessibility, overcoming structural adversity, cross-campus collaboration, community engagement, and institutional displacement. Findings indicate that athletic band directors and their ensembles can …

The Voices In Our Heads: Interrogating And Unsettling Internalized Ableism In/For Music Education, Juliet Hess

Visions of Research in Music Education

In this article, I grapple with the internalized ableism I have been navigating upon becoming disabled in 2023. The task of this article is to consider the external forces that shape our ideas about disability with particular attention to socialization processes and larger oppressive systems such as neoliberalism. I specifically consider the messages that different representations, ideologies, and structures communicate to the population at large about disability in order to address why these messages are so often internalized in detrimental ways. Exclusion, I argue, is the societal default for disability and I historicize the different movements that have contributed to …

A Unified Approach: Culturally Responsive Teaching And Afrocentricity In Music Education, James H. Lyle Jr.

Visions of Research in Music Education

I

In contemporary society, students from ethnically diverse backgrounds are frequently confronted with racial barriers and disenfranchisement even in music education. To provide these students with the best environment for learning, researchers suggest that it is imperative that educators ensure an all-inclusive and impartial education system for these learners. Students of the African diaspora and students of color frequently experience societal injustices and harm in the U.S. education system, thereby resulting in discrepancies in academic accomplishments. This literature review critically evaluates the methods, approaches, and pedagogical practices of music educators and theorists, aiming to specify how teacher training programs can …

Editorial: Harnessing The Ideal And The Pragmatic In Research, Policy, And Practice, Cara Bernard

Visions of Research in Music Education

No abstract provided.

“It’S Like Mental Marginalization”: Stories Of Four Music Students At A Hispanic Serving Institution., Sarah Minette

Visions of Research in Music Education

Researchers have explored the ways in which P-12 teachers and students negotiate Latino/a/x/e cultural and musical identities in the classrooms (Abril, 2009; Lechuga & Schmidt, 2018; Palkki, 2015). While some have connected culturally responsive teaching to the needs of the growing number of Latino/a/x and Hispanic students in P-12 settings (Abril & Kelly-McHale, 2015), currently, no studies within music education address the experiences of music students at Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSIs), as well as the music making practices, curriculum, and faculty experiences at HSI. This case study examined how a music department at an HSI served the needs of its …

Transformational Choral Spaces And Trans-Formational Experiences, Dillon E. Beede

Visions of Research in Music Education

Despite a significant increase in the trans and gender expansive (TGE) population in the US (Ghorayshi, 2022), pedagogies and policies have not changed at the same rate in cis-dominant choral spaces (Aguirre, 2018). Drawing from bio-ecological systems theory and trans-identity development frameworks, this qualitative research highlights the challenges and affirmations faced by TGE singers. This study also examines the pedagogical and policy-oriented frameworks within a trans and gender-expansive choral ensemble, aiming to share the unique perspectives of performers and examine how these frameworks influence identity development. This study further contributes to the growing body of literature advocating for equity and …

Music Making To Transgress: A Phenomenology Of Transgressive American Music Educators, Anders P. Lewis

Visions of Research in Music Education

This phenomenological case study examined four self-described transgressive music teachers in the United States. Transgressive teachers may be described as those who challenge oppressive structures, both in educational settings and in the broader social context, to support marginalized students. Findings suggest that teacher identity creation and analytic frameworks of oppressive structures shape the elements of their transgressive pedagogies. These findings also suggest varied paths of becoming for transgressive teachers. The researcher concludes with suggestions for further research and implications for current teachers.

Autonomous Instrumental Music Learning On An Online Platform: How Is Study Motivation Related To Engagement And Study Outcomes?, Kai Tuuri, Jukka Vahlo, Oskari Koskela

Visions of Research in Music Education

Musical instruments have been recognized as attractive targets of volitionally developed long-term engagement. However, in music education research, the significance of autonomy in fostering learning motivation has mainly been perceived through the prism of student-teacher interaction. Addressing this gap, this study shifts the focus towards an autonomous learner perspective embracing the learner’s volitional approach and interest in engaging with musical instrument learning. Through an analysis of a survey sample (N=215) involving participants’ experiences with an online music learning platform, the study explores participants’ study motives and their association with study engagement, alongside the subsequent learning and wellbeing outcomes. An exploratory …

Conducting Inclusion: A Udl-Inspired Approach To Choral Education, Maria Varvarigou

Visions of Research in Music Education

In this paper I explore the possibilities of a Universal Design for Learning (UDL)-inspired curriculum developed over four years of teaching a module on choral conducting education in three formats: online, as blended, and in-person. The learners were primary school generalist student-teachers. They had diverse backgrounds, experiences, and levels of confidence in choral singing and conducting. Examining UDL through the theoretical lens of inclusive pedagogy offered a theoretical foundation to discuss my approach to creating inclusive choral conducting environments that promote learning and participation. At the same time, implementing inclusive pedagogy through UDL brought to the surface institutional challenges and …

Editorial: A Vision For Research In Music Education? New Answers To A Perpetual Question, Cara Bernard

Visions of Research in Music Education

No abstract provided.

Dalcroze Eurhythmics: Origin, Development, And Considerations For The Choral Program, Leanna B. Iddings

Visions of Research in Music Education

This literature review describes the origin and development of Dalcroze Eurhythmics and the implications of utilizing this approach in the choral rehearsal. This information aims to equip choral directors with knowledge about how Eurhythmics can benefit their pedagogical practices and students’ experiences in choir. Émile Jaques-Dalcroze developed Eurhythmics in the late 19th century to facilitate profound musical learning experiences through mind and body integration. Current literature supports that the three Eurhythmics branches (rhythmics, solfège, and improvisation) can be applied to the choral setting and can impact student engagement, enjoyment, and musical achievement in the choral rehearsal (Butke & Frego, 2021; …

A Reimagining Of Popular Music Interpretation Through Barthes’S Third Meaning: Implications For General Music Teacher Education, Kexin Xu

Visions of Research in Music Education

Popular music is valuable in music teacher education because it can allow the considering of divergent and unique perspectives. However, viewing popular music making as a static process can constrain its values. Drawing on the work of Roland Barthes (1977), the purpose of this philosophical inquiry is to examine the limitations of current ways of interpreting popular music and to reimagine popular music interpretation in general music teacher education. After providing an overview of Barthes’s (1977) three levels of meaning—the information level of meaning, the symbolic level of meaning, and the third meaning—I problematize popular music interpretation at the first …

Modern Band Music Teachers' Adoption Of A Community Music Ethos In Online Teaching During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Bryan Powell, Gareth Dylan Smith, Warren Gramm, David Knapp

Visions of Research in Music Education

At intersections of popular music education, music technology, and community music practices, music teachers in the United States adapted to teaching and learning during the COVID-19 pandemic, specifically from March 2020 to March 2021. The purpose of this research was to better understand the perspectives of modern band teachers regarding the opportunities and challenges of teaching music during the pandemic. The researchers interviewed four teachers who taught modern band (popular music) in public schools in geographically and demographically distinct parts of the US and found that each educator adopted a community music ethos in the online environment. An analysis of …

“I Have To Convince People I Am Worth Accommodating”: A Narrative Inquiry Of A Blind Student In Undergraduate Music Education, Erika J. Knapp, Julianna Lobiondo, Paulina Diaz

Visions of Research in Music Education

This narrative inquiry aimed to re-story the experiences of Paulina, a blind music education major, as she navigated her degree program at a large university. While scholars have begun to document the experiences of students who are blind or visually impaired in both PK-12 settings and during student teaching, no known study has explored the experience of a blind preservice student during their music education coursework. Utilizing critical disability studies as a lens, this narrative inquiry utilized the three commonplaces of temporality, sociality, and place to highlight Paulina’s experience. Data included interviews, memos from all three researchers, emails and texts, …

The "Heart And Soul" Of Music Education: Towards Sonic Egalitarianism In Classroom Practice, Doug S. Friesen, Laura J. Menard

Visions of Research in Music Education

As public high school teachers, we have independently come to the realization that we are both searching for ways that our music rooms can be spaces where everyone has a chance to sound (speak, sing, play an instrument), and students and teachers have the opportunity to hear others in the room. At the center of this realization stands the classroom piano: it could be an instrument of communal sonic enjoyment but, in our experiences, tends to be dominated by a few. What we are here calling sonic egalitarianism is about creating conditions whereby students have equal opportunities to sound out, …

A Content Analysis Of Graduate Degrees In Music Education In Nasm Accredited Institutions, Karen Koner

Visions of Research in Music Education

The purpose of this study was to examine graduate degree programs in music education in NASM accredited institutions with the specific areas of degree and institution information, admissions, and curricula. For this content analysis, I collected data through the websites of NASM accredited institutions that offered graduate degrees in music education, including master’s degrees (N = 203) and doctoral degrees (n = 53). The institution and degree information for these graduate degree programs included types of degrees offered, format of degrees (e.g., summers only, distance learning), location where the programs were located, and Carnegie Classifications (American Council on Education, 2023). …

Fostering Music Teacher Identity Development Through Mentoring Dialogues, Angela M. Munroe

Visions of Research in Music Education

In a prior investigation I focused on the cooperating teacher’s perspective during mentoring dialogues, reflecting on their role as a mentor (Munroe, 2021). Other researchers have focused on what the student teacher learns from the conversation, but not specifically on teacher identity development (Fernandez & Erbilgin, 2009; Tsui et al., 2001). In this study I recorded mentoring dialogues between three pairs of student teachers and cooperating teachers. Using stimulated recall interviews (Ericsson & Simon, 1999), I asked the student teachers to reflect on their perceptions of the cooperating teacher’s mentoring role and their teacher identity. I determined cooperating teachers’ mentoring …