ISME 2016

I realize this post is a bit late, but a few months after the fact certainly does not cause the feelings towards my experiences at ISME 2016 to wane a single bit.  The International Society of Music Education chose an ideal location: Glasgow, Scotland!  I have been told my mother’s father was born in Glasgow.  This certainly must have been the case, as I felt an immediate connection to this wonderful city.  The people, the history, everything about it made me feel at home.  Of course, Lani Garner (OU Ph.D candidate) and I went to present our research (see abstract is below).  Our research study was well received, and we hope to be submitting our manuscript for publication very soon.  It is my plan to return to Scotland some day, but in the mean time Dr. Brian Russell and I will be presenting our latest research at the ISAME conference in Birmingham, UK next April.

Describing K-12 Music Programs Using the Whole School Effectiveness Guidelines for Music Programs: A Nationwide Investigation

Abstract

In the United States, music’s role in the K-12 curriculum has endured its share of economic and political struggles. In response to this dilemma, Ciorba and Rand (2006) developed the Whole School Effectiveness Guidelines Survey for Music Programs as a means to describe the operations of music programs. A well-developed understanding of these operations may provide a means to improve the role of music education in the K-12 educational system, and better prepare music educators to deal with the economic and political struggles set before them. The nine areas for assessment included (a) Music Educator as Leader; (b) Clearly Stated Vision and Mission; (c) Safe, Caring, and Orderly Environment; (d) High Expectations; (e) Assessment and Monitoring; (f) Parent and Community Involvement; (g) Instructional Delivery; (h) Professional Development; and (i) Music Program Culture. The measure consisted of 36 statements, which were aligned with the following Likert-type response scale: (a) not applicable (N/A), (b) never, (c) sometimes, (d) often, and (e) always. Using an online database from the National Center for Educational Statistics (NCES) website, a stratified random sample of 25 districts per state was chosen based on the characteristics of each state population. The researchers then visited each school website and collected the email addresses of 7,031 music educators. Invitations to participate were sent to each potential participant using SurveyMonkey, a web-based service used to administer online surveys. At the end of the data collection period, 1,585 participants completed the survey for a 22.5% response rate. Participants reported positive self-perceptions regarding their (a) teaching abilities; (b) leadership qualities; and (c) ability to provide a non-threatening, non-oppressive learning environment. Furthermore, participants were less certain when communicating goals, expectations, vision, mission, and current research with parents and the rest of the educational community. These results are similar to those reported by Ciorba and McClay (2009), indicating that consistent trends may exist regarding the classroom operations of K-12 music educators.