For those of us who chose to pursue a career in teaching, we often came to the realization our undergraduate coursework focused more on teaching methods and less on the bureaucratic demands we are required to face in the workplace. Upon graduation, we entered the workforce and faced a complex system regulated by numerous policies and regulations. To be successful, it is not enough to be an effective teacher. One also needs to become savvy in the area of workplace politics. It is imperative to develop positive relationships with parents, teachers, and administrators, while concurrently developing effective classroom management strategies.
Froehlich equates the dichotomy between teaching and bureaucracy as instructional objectives vs. institutional objectives. Metaphorically speaking, teachers are often required to work their way through a political minefield on a daily basis. How many of you had to navigate through difficult conversations with parents, administrators, and teachers? For example, I once remember conducting a successful concert when I worked for the Ann Arbor Public Schools. It was Multicultural Night, and the evening was a complete success. The community arrived en masse, and the students were dressed in various outfits that represented their cultural heritage. There was plenty of food, and the music was great! I even hired a local storyteller to perform. The storyteller was wonderful, and while I do not remember the story entirely, the topic involved certain aspects of Middle Eastern culture (keep in mind this evening occurred several months after 9/11). Well, I arrived at work the next morning, and I was feeling pretty good. It was several minutes before the final morning bell and the hallway was crowded. I had a huge smile on my face; that was until one of the parents confronted me. The parent was extremely unhappy because her daughter was not in the front row, center stage, for the musical performance. I was not prepared for such a confrontation, and she immediately stormed off once she finished humiliating me in public. I sought refuge in the main office only to witness a member of our office staff take a phone call from another angry parent. This particular parent was offended the storyteller from the previous evening made several references to Middle Eastern culture (once again, it is important to note this occurred several months after 9/11). Thankfully, I had a supportive principal, and all we could do was look at each other and shrug. I proceeded to go about my day and did my best to provide a positive learning experience for the students. The point I’m trying to make is that our success in these instances depends on how well we are able to develop our occupational socialization (see Chapter 1). Those who are able to quickly adjust to their workplace are truly fortunate.
To shed further light on this discussion, Froehlich (2007) stated, “social norms are rules and principals of behavior that define a particular social group” (p. 23). These social norms help us to govern our values. These values can be voluntarily shared, or they can be enforced by the administration. As musicians and teachers, we have a great deal of autonomy over what we teach and how we teach. It is one of the many advantages we possess in a career that is rich in personal rewards and self-fulfillment. This is quite a realization in a world where meaningful work is considered a luxury. Still, the expectations required of us can often lead to us to doubt our role in the workplace. This uncertainty is referred to as role distance, which can often result in role conflict. Our degree of conflict depends on how well we are able to work and communicate with others.
For your weekly assignment, please do the following:
- Read the second chapter of the Froehlich text, which is titled, Teaching as Work: What Educational Sociologists Tell Us.
- Post a thread (500 words minimum) by 11:59 p.m. on Friday, February 3rd. Do not attempt to summarize the entire chapter. Instead, try to expand on a particular topic within the chapter that is of interest to you.
- By 11:59 p.m. on Sunday, February 5th, please post a response (200 word minimum) to TWO threads created by your classmates.
As you work on this chapter, please feel free to draw from following questions:
- Discuss the significance of knowing your role in the workplace (i.e. the classroom or the studio). Give examples that describe your experiences in various workplaces, not just necessarily teaching.
- Describe experiences you had that might serve as examples for facing hierarchical relationships in your workplace. What impact did those experiences have for the way you work?
- Talk to a musician or teacher whose work you admire and who you consider to be a role model. How do they see themselves as professionals, and how do they handle possible disagreements among themselves, other non-music faculty members, and school administrators?
- What is your position on alternative certification for music teachers? Do you believe alternative certification is necessary? Why? Why not?
- What are your plans for career mobility and status? Where do you see yourself in five years? Ten years?
- According to Froehlich, the research presented in this chapter is dated. Much of it was conducted 40 or more years ago. Do you find the results to be reflective of a bygone era, or are some of the findings still relevant? Please discuss.
Froehlich, H. C. (2007). Sociology for music teachers: Perspectives for practice. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education, Inc.
Dr. Charles R. Ciorba 
Upon reading chapter 2, I found that the research collected in the in the 60s and 70s still apply to the education system today. What stood out was how the school system functions and the teacher’s purpose in the education system have not changed as drastically as I had originally thought. Though the research of a teacher’s personal factors influencing education have slightly skewed, the overall findings are still relevant today.
In Beckes’ research, “Longevity in a position led to authority with pupils, parents, and colleagues” I found especially true due the occupational socialization that I experience in daily teaching. The first couple of years teaching, I had little to no authority over my performance schedule, class size, nor did colleagues see me as an equal educator. A district music education colleague of mine has said it best “In their eyes we are only their lesson planning period time”. Collaboration at any level was almost nonexistent.
Part of my job description has changed because of their view of music. My classes are now combined so that all grade level teachers have the same lesson planning time making elective teachers have gaps in our teaching schedule. In these gaps we go into their classroom to help with small group instruction. Although I have bigger class sizes, it has opened the door for conversation and collaboration with teachers and administration on an almost equal level. I am beginning to find myself in more authoritative roles because we found a common ground. I understood both my occupational role with a glimpse of theirs and vice versa. I also began to see a change of behavior of my pupils from having them from start to finish and they have stopped comparing me to the previous music teacher. Parents are also becoming more agreeable in our conversations.
What I believe has changed to an extent is in Pavalko’s view of education. The education force is not just a “force in which a person does not stay permanently.” (pg. 28) This view can be proved wrong by the vast number of veteran teachers still teaching in my district. Though most of the younger teachers that have started with me my first year have left. In the text, it contributes marriage as the most contributing factor, which I found somewhat incorrect. Most of teachers that have left were due to lack of a livable income for their needs, lack of classroom management, or the feeling of not being a valued educator. These educators have either moved to a different state or have entirely left the profession.
Which leads me to the need of alternate certification for music teachers. Because the need is so great, a few schools have resorted to hiring individuals who would not necessarily met our expectations as a music teacher. I would see it relevant to hire someone who is alternatively certified depending on the availability of certified teachers for the sole purpose of keeping music in the school. Personally, I would rather see someone who majored in performance who became certified through alternative certification over an elementary education major who is by all rights certified to teach elementary music with little to no professional training in music.
Since our profession as music teacher is so specialized, was it easy for your colleagues to see you as an educator?
What are your thoughts of elementary certified teachers teaching elementary music?
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Hi Ashley,
Great questions! I’m not sure how my colleagues see me. I know that they are all lovely people that would never say anything rude to my face but I’m also pretty sure the majority has absolutely no idea what I do. Some times on our teacher work days teachers can sign up to teach a class for other teachers in order to share how they are implementing new technology or teaching strategies. I have already vowed to request to teach just a normal music class or possibly discuss my scope and sequence because I honestly believe they have no idea what goes on.
As for certified elementary teachers teaching music, this scares me. While I do agree, with the alternatively/emergency certified teachers, we do need to keep music in schools, for purely selfish reasons knowing that the important foundations built in elementary music could be in jeopardy, it scares me! I’ve struggled through teaching the fundamentals to students who are itching to learn a new instrument in middle school and it is rough, also a ton of information to be learning at once. If there were an elementary teacher in charge who just thought the kids needed to sing, dance, and play games, that could be detrimental to music programs for years to come.
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Hi Ashley,
My entire elementary music experience was taught by a teacher who only had her elementary certification. She was also my piano teacher growing up so she had a love of music and sharing that with other. Since becoming an elementary music teacher I often reflect on my own early music education. In elementary school we put on delightful grade level programs and sang seasonal songs together with our classmates. I never remember learning skills or reading rhythm patterns or solfege, but I do remember a lot of disney sing along videos and the rare occasion when we would get out the red rhythm sticks. This was music appreciation and singing time not music education from what I have learned to appreciate and share with my students. I am thankful for having music class, but am also much more thankful for how rich the possibilities are in the world of early music education.
Earlier this year I had to sub in a second grade classroom for an hour until their teacher return. This made me thankful for my training in music education and not grade level education. I went RUNNING back to the music room. Sure I could learn and read up on the best practices of teaching concepts, but it is not what I have studied and spent my time on. Same goes for people looking to teach music without training. What we have as trained music educators is unique. We artfully teaching concepts and weave musical concepts into a curriculum that follows our students from Kindergarten to 5th grade. So this question on whether elementary certified teachers should be able to teaching music is a tough one to crack. I know that I would feel inadaquate to teach general ed. I hope that my colleagues would also see the importance in training and knowledge of music before they think that what I do as the music teacher can be easily replicated.
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Lots of good thoughts which made me think, for sure! I found it most insteresting of your colleagues comment about your class period being the others lesson plan time. Glad to see things are changing in your district.
I really have a hard time looking in from the outside. How do the others see me as an educator? I know I don’t receive any praise or get asked any questions about class management (times 148), however, I still believe the majority value music education.
My first thoughts about alternative certified music teachers is not very positive. That is my opinion with any alternative certified educator. You brought up the statement of rather seeing someone who majored in music performance become certified over an elementary education major or to have someone to be in the music class opposed to dropping the program all together. This is a very valid point, thought I would still hope for a certified secondary music teacher.
Enjoyed the ideas you shared!
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Hi Ashley!
I am fairly confident that my colleagues see me as an educator; however, like you, it definitely took some time. My situation may be somewhat unusual, but not necessarily unique. I currently teach in my hometown. After only spending one year away, I returned to Perkins, which is the town in which I grew up. When I returned, things were, perhaps, a little awkward. People who were once my teachers were now my colleagues. On top of this, my former band director, was now my co-worker. It was quite difficult at first. Without intention, some of my colleagues would still treat me like a student, and I would always feel the need to prove myself. After a year, maybe two, our relationships began to equalize (for lack of a better word). Now that I have been in the same position for nearly five years, I rarely experience any of the awkwardness. However, it does crop up from time to time.
I believe whole-heartedly that music teachers need to have some sort of background/training in music to do the job justice. It is unfair to the teacher and especially unfair to the students when a teacher with little-to-no music background is expected to facilitate meaningful music making and music learning.
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Gaining understanding of my role in the workplace has come with much frustration. The chapter mostly refers to specific situations that are outside of my own experience; however, being an adjunct professor at several different institutions has given me plenty of experience that is relatable. Upon completion of my MM, I was invited to assume the responsibilities of guitar instructor at a local private university.
I pursued studies in classical guitar because I am in love with classical music and the guitar is my instrument. It is important for me make this distinction, as many guitarists take a similar route in academia because they love playing electric guitar (or some other more modern form than classical) and classical guitar is close enough to keep their interest for the few years it takes to attain a degree. My main purpose in music and academia was settled, as far as I was concerned; I was a classical guitarist and a classical guitar instructor. I was excited to start the journey with students that would see them attain a level of mastery over the technique that they had previously thought unlikely, I was a combination of nervous/excited to become colleagues with the many other classical musicians in the building, and I was ecstatic to be working in higher education where I knew I would be challenged to achieve new heights in my own artistry.
I quickly realized that my own ideas about what working at this institution would be like were not even close to reality. I have had one classical guitar major (he was a sophomore when I started) who I was able to help, and it was quite satisfying to see him have a successful recital and graduation. Other than this one student who is now gone, I have been teaching private lessons to students who wish to further their skills for playing contemporary praise and worship music or other genres of contemporary music that require almost no need for traditional classical studies. This private institution is religious, and members of a prominent Christian denomination rely heavily on its graduates to staff their churches. So my role, to serve the university and the churches that support its graduates, is to teach students how to strum chords to their favorite church songs.
In reference to the aforementioned professional comradery with fellow professors: I have experience very little of this. In four years, I have been invited to play in 3 events, and 2 of them were with the electric guitar. This semester I will play my first duet with another professor. Overall, my lack of involvement in on-campus performance could probably be a direct result of the low frequency of on-campus performance that has the probability of including classical guitar and not a direct reflection of my relationships with fellow faculty. Regardless, the lack of professional (performance) involvement on campus has still been a sore spot that has come with understanding my role in the workplace.
I also had (or barely avoided having) an experience with a hierarchical system in another university. When discussing career plans with some music ed majors, I asked them (all singers) why all of them were only applying for primary school positions and not applying for any junior high or high school choir jobs. They said they were scared at the thought of leading a choir and had no idea what they would do if they got the job. I said they would have to trust the training they received in their music ed classes and they insisted they received no such training. I decided to ask another faculty member if they were aware of the situation. They were, and this person was currently working through a mandatory work place bullying seminar because of a conversation that took place with other faculty members in an attempt to address these student’s concerns. The faculty member advised me that the teacher who had failed these students had a special relationship with the president of the university and had seemed to reach an “untouchable” status.
I have seen fellow guitar performance majors have great success leading junior high and high school guitar ensembles, made possible through alternative certification. This is becoming less frequent, as the new career path of secondary education guitar teacher is on the map of many students now, and they are shifting from performance to education majors. But sometimes certain auxiliary ensembles or more obscure working situations can justify alternative certification. I expect to be in the minority in this group with my thoughts on this issue. I have great respect for the knowledge and skills that come with the traditional certification/education process; however, I only wish to suggest that it may be unwise to close all paths for alternative certification in all circumstances.
My own plans for career mobility and status are simple. I want to finish this PhD, get a stable position at a university, and spend the rest of my life active in performance, education, and scholarship. I will accept any offer that looks close to this, and five years from now I would like to be at any university that can offer a position like this (even if it is a small university with some of the frustrations I discussed earlier). In ten years, I would like to have a position at a university that is large enough to have a lively atmosphere filled with performance, education, and scholarship.
The research cited in chapter 2 is old, but I think it is a combination of relevant and outdated statistics. I don’t have the luxury of any data to back up my assumption (other than my own experience/anecdotal); however, I would expect to see no or little correlation between lower IQ scores and longevity in education careers now. But it is safe to assume that those with higher socioeconomic backgrounds can still become disenfranchised with the career path. Being an educator, one usually either makes a commitment to be content with not making very much money, or one quits and finds a job that pays better. If one grows up living in a higher socioeconomic household than a teacher can afford, it is easy to picture them feeling less satisfied with compensation and being more likely to leave the vocation.
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This chapter of the Froehlich text elicited a few defensive knee jerk reactions. Like the previous chapter, there was a lot of research cited that seems impossibly relatable. But there was research with data in diametric opposition to how I view the profession (or semi-profession—as my knee jerks) with my optimistic teacher/peer ethos. Froehlich admitted to the research being outdated at the time of writing. Even had it been recent during the writing of the chapter, it would still be outdated. I wonder how I would view the reading had it incorporated the recent research of professionalism, merit, and incentives for/of teaching. Never in this chapter was the research cited explicit for music educators. The premises are not the current functioning models for teaching as work. But there is something to be gleaned.
Of relevance, I very much affirm that music education school is focused primarily on methods while having ineffectual and half-hearted programs that acclimate teachers-in-training to the realities of the workplace. It’s a systematic issue. I was not an outlier in that I, too, viewed “meeting such institutional objectives [as taking] time away from ‘real teaching’” (p21). The higher the value of the institutional objectives to the instructional objectives, the “act of teaching” is devalued. It would downplay the autonomy that many educators (especially of music) go into the profession for. So there is no “right” answer to solve this. Is it true that “the professionalism of teachers does not appear to lie in their pedagogical expertise but in the substance of their subject matter knowledge” (p23)? I’m sure we all have colleagues that may not have a subject-matter mastery that others have that happen to be more effective in the classroom.
Becker, researching career mobility and hierarchical relationships of teachers (and their students) in the 60s and 70s, found some insightful things that I do recognize in my situation: the parents and situation of higher socio-economic status is more likely to elicit a questioning of teacher professionalism. Too-well-intentioned parents often impose themselves as advocates to their child’s best educational interest, yet are ignorant to the ”authority of the institution.” We, the teachers, are the experts. The best parents to work with realize this. Bidwell echoes this in his findings.
I was struck by Pavalko’s finding that teacher attrition is higher among teachers of ‘measured intelligence’” (p28). That is likely the case even still, though the research is old. How striking. And how…unpolitical…for today: ~of measured intelligence~.
Three of Lortie’s top five attractors to teaching still held true in my experience. The last two, though, were financial security and work/time compatibility. I cannot imagine a time when those would have even been existent in the profession, let alone a draw to it! Referring back to the systematic incongruities between the teacher education complex and the school-system education complex, Lortie noted “relatively few hours for learning how to teach.” Student-teacher interns don’t take on the socialization impetus that truly educates them on pedagogy. Teachers learn, and view that they will only learn, “while doing.”
We music educators are the “most peripheral” to a lot of this research and in the practice of the school-system education complex. I deeply value my autonomy and freedom from many of the bureaucratic and political issues that teachers of other subjects face. Do you, my colleagues, find this creative control and autonomy to be a big draw to the profession? To bring in a bit of the identity issues of the previous chapter, do you feel like it contributes to your view of yourself as both an artist and a professional?
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Hi Griffin,
I really enjoyed reading your response. I too found it almost humorous that financial security and work/time compatibility were among the top five attractors. (I can’t be the only one who, on those days when you’re pretty sure all the kids had Pixie sticks and Red Bulls for breakfast and you’re stuck at school until 7:00pm removing a highlighter from a trumpet because it turns out it couldn’t be shot out like a cannon, dreams of working a 9-5 and getting paid twice as much… right?) Creative control and autonomy are a big draw for me with teaching. On the flip side (per my post) of my administration knowing little to nothing about the workings of a concert band, I am able to do whatever I want to. I design my curriculum, select the music, plan the concerts, select contests, pick trips, which football games to play at, and rarely have requests for expectations outside of this. Even when I do, my knowledge of the subject matter often makes me the one with the final say anyways. I do think however, that this is one of the reasons music teachers may feel alienated from general course teachers. While I do collaborate most often with the other music teachers, it seems that the further I get into the performance aspect of the curriculum, the less involved my program is with those outside of my field.
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Hi Griffin!
I found the intelligence aspect of Pavalko’s research disturbing as well and personally found offense in it. My thoughts while reading the passage in the book was “Someone can’t just be pulled off the street and have the natural ability to teach and stay in the profession just because they have a low IQ”.
As far as finding that having creative control and autonomy was a draw to the music education field, I did and it still continues to be. Knowing that I will be able to teach my students without having to follow a specific curriculum besides the Oklahoma objectives and National Music Standards pleases me. Simply because getting to choose what I believe would be the most effective curriculum for my classes is important to me. I am constantly reminded of this during grade level meetings where the teachers are talking about having to switch from using STAR Assessment to Odyssey for literacy even though they may not agree with the switch.
I however do not feel that this creative control has any contribution to my view of myself as an artist or as a music educator. Knowing I am trusted to a certain extent to make curriculum decisions within my own classroom enables me to feel as sense of confidence.
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update
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I am VERY interested in the social and occupational dynamics of the private school setting. I have spent much of my time and energy as an advocate for education in the public sector. The American (and first functional) concept of a socialized education structure is outside of the occupational socialization that I have experienced. I have spent considerable energy contacting legislators and administrators about education issues INCLUDING the problem of alternative and emergency certification, chartering schools with public funds, and the devaluing of the teaching profession. This gives you answers to how I view your questions in the context that ~I’m~ used to. I have always thought, though, that the private education system is free to function how it chooses. I’m positive that it has its efficiencies and its deficiencies when compared to public education (it’s just not functional on a large scale or for the purposes of democracy).
I wonder, Jamee, how the Froehlich et al. research remains consistent for the sector you work in. I imagine a lot of it remains “true.” Namely I wonder how similar the reasons for remaining in the profession are in private schools (with maybe some continued relevance for the last two reason: financial security and work time ratio). It’d also be interesting to hear about the teacher-parent dynamics that Becker refers to in regards to SES and influence.
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I think it is probably inevitable that the social norms of private and charter schools will become more and more relevant to more people as we move forward; however, it is most likely for this issue to become localized in specific regions with the appropriate political climate for such things. The conspiracy theorist in me believes our state’s own budget woes could be a useful justification for radical change. It could also provide the luxury of an imploding system, which would justify a change without the big public conversation or finding answers to the big question: can these things better serve the general public than socialized education can/does? With this in mind, I think it would be wise for education specialists to focus some energy on these ideas, and not just from a pro public education standpoint (although this message should be clear as well). In the near future, there are state education systems that could be drastically changed and more and more student’s futures shaped by the roles of private and charter schools. I would prefer as many education professionals be involved in this process as possible. If my comments seem out of place in these discussions, I apologize. My concerns and ideas come from the viewpoint of one who has never worked in a public k-12 system (aside from summer programs), and I am not too proud to admit my own ignorance of the system and accept that my ideas may be irrelevant.
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This is really interesting to me, but not surprising. I would enjoy hearing more about your trials. About your questions, I am not sure that the social norms of private schools are what people would be focusing on if public education doesn’t get better. Maybe I am not sure what the social norms fully include. My hope is that if we turned to private education for some kind of public education reformation we would look into the curriculum requirements, class scheduling, etc. I have been really fortunate to teach at a school where the administration has similar views as the other band director and me on the expectations of the band. I have heard horror stories from other programs about the lack of support and lack of a clear and consistent expectation for the way the band program is supposed to be run.
As far as the teaching degree/certificate is concerned, I believe this can only cause more problems than it can avoid. While I believe that it is possible to have a teacher that is qualified and able to do the job at a high level without the education degree or certification, the possibilities of the person not doing the job well is high. I think also that this could lead to very political hiring instead of hiring the right person for the job. I do not think it would lead to more qualified teachers, I think it would lead to teacher being hired because of bias instead of qualification.
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I am currently at a private school and I some of what you mentioned is similar to my experience! I find the parent/teacher dynamic to be quite interesting as parents seem to be more involved in curriculum and decisions that the school makes in general. My school is in it’s fourth year after merging from two different schools. Fortunately for me, traditions are still being set for the entire school and a lot is left for us to develop. Currently, the fine arts are developing our mission statement and what will be the ultimate goal for our students after they have attended from Pre-K through 12th. We are very much in charge of what the outcome is and creating a curriculum based on this. Teachers in all subjects are not required to have a teaching degree, but are encouraged to be specialized. When I was hired, I was required to lead a general music class and went through two separate interviews from the principal and headmaster. It was a thorough process and I know they would not have just hired the first person who came along.
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Understanding my role in the workplace is constantly developing. This is my third year of teaching and my second year at my current school which is also the second year our school has offered a music class. Our principal does a great job in recognizing the role of each teacher and making sure that core teachers communicate with art and music if their class will be gone for field trips or various activities, and the teachers, for the most part, respect this and keep us informed.
When seeking advice, Froehlich mentioned that “[teachers] relied on themselves and on colleagues closest to their own rank to know what was effective teaching” (page, 31). I would say this is often true, but in my case it is a little different. The principle was a previous music teacher and currently plays an important role in my growth as a music teacher and developing the curriculum. Like Froehlich mentioned, the music teacher has the responsibility and autonomy of teaching the correct material so it is rare that a principal helps in this area. I believe it would be an entirely different situation if my principal had no music experience and if I had a music education degree. I would most likely need less guidance if I had teacher training in undergrad.
In regards to alternative certification, Froehlich mentions on page twenty-two that teachers are concerned it lowers their credibility and teaching standards and this was true for my parents who were both teachers. When the idea of alternative certification was proposed in Oklahoma over ten years ago, I remember this being a legitimate concern for them because they thought it would de-legitimized their own training in secondary education and experience as teachers. But today, with our state’s lack of teachers, their thoughts have changed on this matter.
I believe there are pros and cons to being alternatively certified. First, I have heard from various educators that alternative certification helps fill open positions, but it also results in a higher turnover because these teachers are not prepared for the other roles beyond the classroom that Froehlich mentions in the teaching workplace. My school does not require an alternative certification, but I believe it is important if I were to move to another school. Very plainly, I would be less likely to have a teaching job without one! The biggest challenge I face is finding the best strategies for classroom management. It is a constant learning process and I learn something new everyday. At the same time, I feel confident in the material I teach my students on a daily basis and without that and the support I receive from my principal, I would probably not be teaching.
I’m curious if you have current teachers in your school who are alternatively certified and if your interaction with them is different from you fellow co-workers?
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Hi Emily!
I’m in my third year of teaching as well and though I went through the music education route in college, I still at times struggle with classroom management. In my education courses most of them required so many hours of observation and through student teaching I saw various ways to tackle classroom management. I have even attended two seminars based on general classroom management and read a plethora of books on music classroom management after graduation. They all have different terminology and some of them say the exact opposite of each other such as, “rules” vs. “expectations”or “smile” vs. “not smiling”. The only method I have found that has been working for me so far is making my expectations simple, having a reward system such as “house points”, and having students who are not following expectations write “behavior think sheets” in a corner by themselves. You are not alone in the struggle by any means!
My district is a little strange when it comes to elementary music. There are three elementary schools and one Early Education Center (PreK-1st). My first year I was the sole music certified teacher at the elementary level besides the Early Education Center teacher. One was alternative certified however she had no college training in music and taught three years then left at the end of my first year. The other is an elementary certified teacher with church singing experience. I could not relate to either one of them. The district did hire a music certified teacher to fill in the opening though I still cannot relate or connect with her because we have a vast difference in our view of what constitutes as music education (I am against using current pop music as the foundation of my curriculum). The only teacher that I connect and really collaborate with is the Early Education Center music teacher. We both use Kodaly and regularly perform outside of school together. She has become a tremendous mentor of mine.
To fully answer your question, I believe positive interactions with colleagues comes from having a mutual respect and a common ground of what education is and not just the type of certification that they poses.
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I know several alternative cert teachers working in music education now. My viewpoint is a little skewed here, as there has been great success in the development of guitar programs and curriculum in high schools in the OKCPS system in the last several years. Alt cert teachers have had the opportunity to participate in these programs because the pool of music education majors with any experience in classical guitar was (still is) quite small. The great success has come from the leadership of a few who are highly successful and well connected in the classical guitar world. The Guitar Foundation of America (America’s leading guitar organization that is a big proponent of guitar education in schools) education director, Matt Denman, is an Oklahoman and works closely with all the schools to help them choose teachers and he then continues working with teachers to assure success within the new program. So these alt cert teachers are being mentored by one of the world’s authorities on guitar education, not just taking tests and being thrown into a classroom. All of the success aside, Matt and the GFA advocate for students interested in teaching to get music ed degrees. The circumstances of the past 10 years just created a need that required alternative certification for the success of these programs.
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Hi Emily,
It’s great getting to have a look into your job through your postings. Having a principal who is a previous music teacher is a great asset to any program. When I first moved to my current school, the middle school principal was a former music teacher and still sings in church choir as well as an OBU men’s alumni chorus. He has moved up to being our Assistant Superintendent. It’s an obvious benefit for music in our schools!
In regards to alternative certification, I believe everyone first looks for teachers with an educationally trained background for the reasons you mentioned; class management, high turnover, etc. My wife is actually alternatively certified as a school counselor and does an outstanding job! I know a few band directors in our state who are in charge of some incredible band programs, but have had not formal educational training.
There are teachers in my school who are alt cert and the interaction with them are the same as all co-workers. They have obviously proven they can teach as well or better than all the other teachers!
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Emily,
I find it interesting that many of my friends who teach guitar in public or private school settings also have alternative certification. I am inclined to think that many schools of music do not offer programs that are designed for the training of music educators whose primary instrument is guitar. So, if you are a guitarist with the desire to teach, what are the options? The changing landscape and the inclusion of the core arts standards to include harmonic instruments, there is a concerted effort to identify the need for change in our curriculum. There was a program instituted my previous school that provided guitar classes for middle school and high school students. There was no prerequisite for enrollment and the teacher was an alternative certified educator. Her primary instrument was violin and taught orchestra for the first few years of her career. She then took the opportunity to teach this course and learn guitar. I think it is important to bring music to every child, regardless of the medium. There are students who don’t want to participate in either choir, band, or orchestra and miss the opportunity to be involved in music in school. Guitar classes and ensembles can provide another avenue for these students to experience music.
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Adjusting to Social Roles in the Workplace
Knowing and understanding your social role in the work place is extremely important in order to succeed in that work place. In the text, Froehlich (2007) describes music students who have adjusted and become accustomed to the normative culture of the music schools in which they attend. However, upon graduation and the start of their new careers, many of these students, now novice teachers, have trouble adjusting to the new normative culture of the school in which they are employed (p. 24). When it comes to social roles, I can certainly identify with this example. I had an extremely difficult time adjusting to a new normative culture after graduation. In fact, I think my situation may have been exceptionally difficult because the university I attended for my undergraduate work was in the same town in which I grew up. That being the case, until acquiring my first teaching job, I had basically lived in the same community for my entire life.
My first job was in a small rural community about 75 miles north of my hometown. So, not only did I have to adjust to the new normative culture in the workplace, but I also had to adjust to a totally new community. Truthfully, I rebelled against having to adjust to the new community. When I wasn’t teaching, I would drive back to my hometown every chance I could, which made the adjustment practically impossible. This is something that I now regret.
In regard to adjusting to the culture of the workplace, I think my situation was made more difficult by the location of my classroom. I often find in many smaller school districts, the music building is separated from the main building—it is considered a “satellite building.” Being isolated in this way makes collaborating and bonding with your colleagues extremely difficult. On top of this, many music teachers, particularly those in secondary education, have to commute from site to site (i.e. high school to middle school). Because of my relative isolation from the school and having to teach at two different campuses, adjusting to the new normative culture was not easy. In fact, I failed quite miserably. I was very successful in the classroom and had an excellent rapport with my students, but that was not the case with the rest of the school/community. In retrospect, I wish I had made more of an effort to immerse myself in the community and the school.
Career Mobility and Status
In the text, Froehlich (2007) addresses the fact that the only opportunity for most teachers to move upward on the ladder is to go into administration (p. 25). I believe this is mostly true with a few possible exceptions. Most career moves for teachers are lateral moves. Although some career moves may be considered lateral, I would have to say that they might not be considered as such to the individual. Froehlich points out that oftentimes when career moves are made, they are made because of personal reasons or a more desirable teaching situation.
For me, this is a scary topic. I don’t know what I want to do! I don’t know where I want to be in ten years—I don’t even know where I want to be in 5 years! I know that I love what I do, that I am enjoying the MME program, and I am considering pursuing a PhD or even a DMA. Honestly, much of my future will most likely be determined by my family circumstances. I am just excited to see what unfolds (perhaps a little nervous, as well)!
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Hi KG,
I found your remarks on teaching in a small rural community interesting. I come from a small rural town and am currently teaching in Norman which is completely different in terms of culture and support for the arts. From my experience it takes many years to cultivate an arts culture in town where it has not been present. Back home it took the current choir director at least 5 years to build support (common to most places), even when she was a “hometown girl” and alumni of the rural school. In most cases either the music educator has been there for many years or was dynamic enough to win support early on from the tight knit community. Sadly unless you are moving back to your small town or if it is near a university town, there is not much of a draw to pack up and move to those communities. This is a subject near and dear to my heart, because I was a student who greatly benefited from music in a school where it very easily could not have survived.
Understanding the “rural school culture” and the music teachers place in the workplace has its own set of rules. To some administration their standards are simply to have a few kids play the fight song and have someone available to sing the National Anthem at sporting events. Nothing more. Nothing less.
You mentioned feeling isolated due to your room location. I totally get this! The music room is in a portable at my school and if I do not make an effort to go inside, I would easily lose touch with what is going on in the building and not see my colleagues face to face. These interactions are important in “knowing your your in the workplace”. Collaborating and making connections with other teachers is valuable in building support for your program and in working to better serve your students.
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KG,
I think all teachers experience some degree of anxiety assimilating into the culture of a new school. I completely agree that this can be exaggerated by the physical location and teaching schedule. My first position had band in the annex, a building with music classrooms at one end, separated by double doors where the other side had six additional classrooms and was not attached to the main building. I then traveled after first hour to multiple sites where I would teach from 30 minutes to 1 hour. I would then return to the high school to complete my final hour. While the schedule allowed for some freedom and flexibility throughout the day, building those relationships with faculty was difficult. Even when we crave those connections and relationships, they are often hard to foster with the different schedule many music teachers have. There is research dealing with music teacher isolation and while every situation might be different, many others experience the same emotions. I wonder if younger teachers see this disconnect and decide to focus their attention on other aspects of the job? For those of us who have made those connections, are the benefits worth the extra effort?
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KG, just keep doing what you are doing! You are a complete success in the classroom, and time will help you to determine you future. In the mean time, enjoy each day. You have it made!!
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Moving:
Moving up in the ranks sure was a goal of mine since band directing was my goal. I wanted to start as an assistant and with Middle school and work my way up. I was able to do this in a shorter amount of time than originally planned. My first job was as assistant high school and assistant middle school. The high school director was an outstanding educator and overall band director (Marching, Concert & Jazz). The middle school director was a retired hall of fame director from Arkansas and kid magnet! I learned so much from these two individuals my first year and considered myself lucky to find such a great first year position! My second year I technically was able to move up because the middle school director retired from Oklahoma. I was still the assistant high school director but now technically the head middle school director. I made a lateral/horizontal move to Shawnee, but did so for some of the same reasons Froelich lists as the personal reasons. 1) My wife and I wanted to move closer to home. 2) The administration at the original job was starting to combat the growth of the band program and so I thought a different administration would make my life less stressed (it worked). Shortly after the move, the director who hired me retired and I won the Head Director status there.
I also feel it necessary to discuss that lateral or horizontal moves don’t seem to be a negative move in my opinion. “Sociologically, lateral moves are considered static and therefor detrimental to opportunities of professional growth.” I may be getting into a different category here, but I think it’s completely acceptable for a teacher, whether it be music or general ed., to move schools and work as the same position. I would also say that it could improve their professional growth greatly! For example, at my original school, the band program exploded! Great numbers and great musical growth. We had students making (large school) all-state band. We started an indoor percussion group who competed in the same class as the large 6A Tulsa schools and beat them at State! It was became a great program and had the opportunity to keep building. The administration was obviously bothered and annoyed of the band staff asking for more and more (not necessarily money – but support). No was consistent answer and everything became a struggle. Moving to similar program but with better support was a move up albeit lateral.
Alternative Certification: I feel it important for any educator to go through pedagogue classes. How to teach should be crafted. Some people would be very natural at teaching, but I believe the process is important to go through. When hiring my assistant band director position, I looked at each application very closely and noticed that the alternate certified individuals did not have near the amount of experience with students as did the traditionally trained. Of course, this is obvious, but also incredibly important (in my opinion)!
Mobility: I am currently in year 8 of teaching. 10 years ago, I did not see myself as Director of Bands of a 5A program at this age! This is year three as being “head director” and am very content on where I am. In five years, I will still be in my current place. The text brought up moving to be back where you grew up. That could be a possibility for I grew up in a 6A program or maybe continue my education even further.
Dated Research: My wife and I discussed this portion. I do agree that this data would be outdated from the 40 years ago. That seemed to be a time of all female teachers. Our high school seems to be 50/50, middle school being a little more female dominant. However, in the elementary’s, it is still a shock to see a male teacher unless they are the Gym coach. I would say the information on why teachers teach would still be relevant.
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This was a good read for me. A lot of what was discussed in the reading are things that I have thought about a lot since entering the workplace. There is a lot of importance in a young teacher knowing his or her role in the workplace. As I started my first job (current job) in a small town, of which the environment I was very unfamiliar with, I was forced to quickly learn my boundaries in regards to the head band director as well as with the other teachers and administration. I was lucky, however, in my first semester of teaching to only teach 4 classes a day. This allowed me a lot of time during the day to get to know the administration and make myself available to show that I am a team player. One way I did this was by giving the middle school office secretary a lunch break everyday. This showed the administration that I could handle various situations dealing with teachers, students, and parents, while also allowing me to talk with the principal and get to know him on a more personal level. I was able to explore the boundaries and develop occupational socialization in that downtime in my day. These experiences in that first semester made me a more motivated worker because of my personal connection with the administration. After getting to know them more, I wanted to work harder to show my abilities in the classroom.
A teacher that comes to my mind as a teacher whom I admire is my student teaching mentor Jenn Kauffman at Blanchard. She is one of the most professional people I know. She is always dressed professionally and holds her conduct to the same standard. I was able to see her interact with colleagues and administrators on things she disagreed with. She was always very professional yet straight forward. Those interactions gave me a great perspective on occupational socialization and what it means to be a strong educator that is passionate about the success of the students.
Alternative certifications are not something I advise for music educators. A strong foundation of pedagogical information is vital to the success of an educator. However, I know a handful of truly great public school music teachers that got an alternative teaching certification. No matter what the situation, the teacher must have a passion for making the students better musicians and working to better themselves and their craft.
Moving up in the music education career is definitely something I wish to do. My philosophy on this matter is that I want to move jobs when it feels right to move. I will apply for jobs that fit into my career goals. I believe that I would make a good head director of a band program one day, but it is not something I wish to rush. The head director position that I eventually take will (most likely) not be the first one available. I imagine I will have a specific set of qualifications the job must fit within before I will accept the job. It will have to feel right.
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Hi, Eric!
Okay, let’s talk career mobility. Like you, moving up is something I wish to do. I started out as a head director in my first teaching position—in fact, I was the one and only band director. On one hand, I was slightly overwhelmed, and I know that I didn’t possess all of the tools and knowledge necessary to do the job justice. On the other hand, I LOVED IT! It was baptism by fire! I loved jumping in headfirst and getting my hands dirty. During my year in that position, I relied greatly upon my mentors and past teachers—I called them on a daily basis to ask their opinions on this or that.
After teaching only one year, I decided to leave. When my hometown of Perkins called with a job offer, I decided to move closer to home and take an assistant job. After spending a couple years as an assistant, I grew pretty restless. I wanted more responsibility and more time with every ensemble. Therefore, my co-worker and I decided to become co-directors of bands. Meaning we try to share everything 50/50. I will admit that this is not always easy, but it seems to be working so far. Although this situation is good for now, I do think I will want something different in the future. I am planning to keep an open mind, apply for positions that interest me, and then be VERY picky about where I might go. I’m not going to take a job just because it’s offered—like you, it must be the RIGHT choice for my family and me.
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Being brought into the world of education you are quickly introduced to a million acronyms and in my case Marzano domains and essential questions to perfectly weave into each lesson. It is a large learning curve of learning how to navigate a new social norm. As a teacher these ideas are an integral part of being a collaborative and supportive member of a child’s educational team. As the music teacher, it is easy to feel disconnected from what everyone else is doing in the classroom and trying to see how the lingo and teaching practices can fit into your music curriculum. In time I have discovered how to be mindful of the entire educational experience and to not completely shut down whenever testing scores, science curriculum, or reading DRA levels are brought up. I have found that my role as a general educator is to contribute in these discussions and initiatives. In return, I feel like the more open I am to taking part in the overall educational climate, the more open the administrators and teachers will be to collaborating with me on projects that enhance the student’s’ musical experience at school. Educating students is a community effort. I want music to be a part of their well balanced education.
The chapter discusses role distance as experiencing different expectations and feeling uncertain of how to act. I remember having these sentiments early on in my career. I landed a position where the previous music teacher was there for 30 years. To say there was tradition was an understatement. I had to quickly learn how to balance how to carry on traditions and stay true to my teaching style and strengths.
I reached out to a friend and colleague who is currently teaching group piano at a dual language/Fine Arts academy in Arlignton, TX. The first few years of teaching she was a band director at a smaller rural district outside of the Metroplex. As a professional she has found it important to keep her personal self and professional self separate and that handling situations at school with reason, logic, and as little emotion as possible is key. At the same time, advocating for students is worthy of passion and love but conveying those feelings in a calm and logical way is the best way for those thoughts to be heard and respected.
Obtaining an education degree lays a foundation of pedagogical skills and management behaviors that are essential in a classroom environment. I also know that patience, clarity of instruction, and an engaging personality can not be taught or bought, but are rather innate character traits in natural teachers. With that being said, I do feel like having a degree with an education background paired with knowledge and skills in a chosen field of music is important in classroom teaching, but I also know that there are plenty of people who have the knowledge and heart, but not the ED degree, who care deeply about students and about music education. For me, I learned the most about classroom management and pacing the moment I stepped into my classroom. Having experience and tools certainly helped, but getting my feet wet in education and having passion and determination is what got me through my first year. In thinking about alternative certification, the most important factors in considering a candidate is determining how they interact with students and making sure that they have proficient skills in the field that they are teaching. Students deserve the best. Whether that is is someone who has ED at the end of their degree or not.
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Hi Ashlynn,
I think the way you choose to be “mindful of the entire educational experience” is so important when working with other teachers and principals. I like the idea from your friend of separating personal and professional self when facing different situations. It is so easy to take things personally or know how to give constructive criticism without feeling like you are stepping on someone’s toes when you have the best of intentions. In my first year of teaching, I realized that some of my co-workers did not respect music as a class and would ask if certain students could skip music that day for extra tutoring in math, or make-up a quiz. It was frustrating, but I also wanted to maintain a professional relationship with them so I just told them I would need to know which students would be gone ahead of time.
I think having an education degree would have made my first year of teaching much easier, but yes I think learning from my experiences, having a passion for students, and music education is what keeps me going.
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One of the largest obstacles for new teachers is understanding the difference between the subject matter related to music teaching and the subject matter related to teaching in general. It is unrealistic to imagine that you can cover everything you would need to be a successful music teacher in just four short years. Communicating this to young students and even those about to embark on their teaching careers is common place. So why is this a recurring theme among many young teachers when they evaluate the difficulties of their first years? I think it’s similar to the notion that we are “invincible” and incapable of harm when we are young. We have heard the horror stories of administrations trying to cut programs, parents who call your administrators at the first sign of trouble, failure to complete a P.O. properly, missing an entry deadline, the list can go on. Do we think teaching is just music and nothing else? Do we truly think that those other “distractors” are beneath us and should be relegated to some lowly secretary or student worker? This is what it means to be a professional. It encompasses every aspect of the “job.” We wear many hats. This is something that is hopefully being communicated to students from the beginning of their study, but also a responsibility of the music education department to place students with master teachers that can guide and help new teachers through this crucial aspect of our profession. They need to see that it is essential and a vehicle that drives the creation of music. It’s how we justify what we do with students during the time they are sitting in front of us, how we demonstrate our abilities of cooperation during conflicts, how we spend money on equipment or music, and give our students experiences they will carry with them throughout their life.
With regards to autonomy, music’s position is unique. I vividly remember a conversation with an administrator that I admired for their intelligence and understanding of what I do. This administrator had great admiration and support for the impact my program had on our students. When the district had decided to focus portions of our evaluations on teaching to standards and documenting this in our lesson plans (this happened after the repeal of Common Core in Oklahoma and is listed under multiple competencies in TLE), I asked if I was to focus on the old Oklahoma PASS, OAS, or the about to be released National Core Arts Standards. The reply was “you have standards?” Yes. I often feel that many times our autonomy is both a blessing and a curse. Many music programs would benefit from administrators and districts understanding what the national standards are and should be ensuring that they are being effectively taught in their classrooms. It helps to legitimize our subject in a field where many administrators know little about what and how we do things. In this era of accountability and oversight, there is a guide that helps to facilitate the design of creative and meaningful lessons, regardless of the grade, ensemble type, or season.
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I’ve had several experiences similar to yours regarding standards and evaluation. Your statement that it is a blessing and a curse is accurate to my understanding of the system, but in my personal experience, it’s been more of a blessing. I have always gotten to assert that I am the consummate expert and am given a lot of reign that others do not get. It would, though, make us feel less isolated and find teaching models if there were a structural understanding of what we do by administration and colleagues. But my experience is that each music educator is so wildly different, what is the structure to understand?!
I loved your first statement. “One of the largest obstacles for new teachers is understanding the difference between the subject matter related to music teaching and the subject matter related to teaching in general.” But you are also assuming a level of pragmatism of music ed majors that is not inherent in the system. We (music ed majors who went immediately to the classroom) DID all think we could do it perfectly our first year and that the things label as inherent parts of the profession ARE below us. We learn “on-the-job.” (These last two are discussed in the reading. Some still-pertinent research!) Is this a professional model? A true residential mentorship? (no)
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Eric, your posts are so relatable to me having just come out of the undergrad music ed program at OU. It is definitely very common for young teachers to find the administrator work to be the most difficult in the first years of teaching. It is a subject/skill that is nearly impossible to teach in the college curriculum and even if it was covered it wouldn’t be the same as doing it for real and keeping track of everything for the entire semester. I was lucky to be placed with a student teaching mentor that really helped me realize the amount of hats the band director must wear. Not only that, but she let me try them all on, not just observe from the corner.
About autonomy: I think if you talk to most music educators they will have similar stories about their administration not understanding what they do. They either pencil whip our evaluations because the product sounds good and they know we are evaluating and assessing and doing all of those things OR they mark the evaluation low in areas where they are looking for something specific but they can’t find it because our teaching is so different from math and science. When I asked last semester about my evaluations my principal (also head football coach) told me he did them from watching me at the football games. What?!?!? I guess it is nice to not have to worry about creating detailed lesson plans with standards attached and everything… *sigh*
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