Du Bois Review

Music educators are uniquely positioned to promote student playing-related health, yet little is known about their current approach to student wellness. This article aimed to identify barriers and solutions to musician health promotion and to document studio music instructors’ approaches to wellness topics with students. Using a qualitative description approach, in-depth interviews with 10 oboe teachers (7 male, 3 female, 5 with personal history of injury) documented perceptions and practices surrounding playing-related injury (PRI). Participants identified several barriers to help-seeking behaviors among musicians, including shame, stigma, discrimination, heavy course loads, and abuse. Proposed solutions for these barriers included self-care, accessible resources, vulnerability, empathy, positive framing, and institutional support for wellness initiatives. Participants’ teaching practices emphasized adaptable lesson plans, cultivating independence and efficiency, and positive framing. With injured students, they described referring to medical professionals, encouraging physical activity, emphasizing posture and alignment, recommending instrument modifications and supports, making sure that reeds and instrument are functioning well, and incorporating rest into lesson and practice plans. Participants demonstrated a nuanced understanding of how best to approach musicians’ wellness topics with students (e.g. positive framing, vulnerability, empathy, emphasizing efficiency). Educational wellness initiatives could achieve greater efficacy through direct consultation and collaboration with teachers.

Chinese people have performed their music in Sydney (Australia) for well over a century, albeit with fluctuating frequency and mostly to Chinese audiences. Since 2015, interest in Chinese music has been mounting in Sydney. This case study explores the experiences of nine instructors who teach Chinese musical instruments at a private music conservatory which one of them founded. The data collected reveal that: teaching Chinese music in a multicultural diasporic context involves a range of unique challenges; while there has been an increase in the number of people learning Chinese musical instruments, the music is still not widely known or popular in Australia, and; the study’s participants are successfully employing a range of novel strategies to address some of the challenges and to raise the music’s public profile. The study uncovers aspects of Chinese music’s dynamism in a multicultural context, and the vibrancy it brings to Australia’s contemporary culture.

The Spanish Society for Music Education ( Sociedad para la Educación Musical del Estado Español, SEM-EE in its Spanish acronym), has been dedicated to music education for almost half a century. Even so, it is currently difficult to find studies on its activity or impact. The aim of this study is to learn about the achievements, difficulties, and goals for SEM-EE that have emerged along the way and will come in the future. This has been done through a qualitative phenomenological study, analyzing 18 interviews carried out with members of the boards of directors, and codified through Atlas.ti software program. The results show that some of the greatest achievements of this organization have been to carry out activities, facilitate the connection between professionals from different fields of music education, and the promotion of music research. The lack of support, both institutional and from the educational community, along with scarce economic resources were some of the most noted difficulties. Future goals point to promoting more dialog with the administration, and the improvement of technological resources. The implications of this work can be relevant for music teaching professionals interested in the advancement of music education based on bringing together different collectives.

Formative assessment is essential in music education as it supports the music learning process, which relies mostly on feedback from self and others to improve performance. Despite growing interest in formative assessment across various subjects, there is a lack of empirical evidence on how it is applied specifically in music education. Given the crucial role of teachers in the effective implementation of formative assessment, this study aims to examine music teachers’ intentions and implementation of formative assessment, along with the factors influencing them, based on the Theory of Planned Behavior. A total of 671 music teachers from 29 cities/provinces of Mainland China were surveyed. The structural equation modeling results indicate that in the Chinese Mainland school music education context, a positive attitude toward formative assessment, a supportive and collaborative social environment, and strong confidence in using formative assessment enhance teachers’ intentions to adopt it. Additionally, greater confidence directly increases actual implementation. However, increased school support did not significantly impact teachers’ intentions or their implementation of formative assessment. The findings suggest that school administrators should focus on helping music teachers build confidence and fostering a collaborative, supportive culture for using formative assessment practices to improve music learning.

Cultural awareness is crucial in fostering inclusive and authentically representative musical theatre productions in today’s diverse educational landscape. I designed this study to examine U.S. music teachers’ attitudes, perspectives, and the integration of strategies related to culturally responsive teaching (CRT) into their high school musical theatre productions, including the challenges they encounter and their suggestions. Analysis of responses to the electronic survey ( N = 119) indicated a strong emphasis on integrating cultural awareness across various stages of musical production, aligning with Gay’s five essential elements for CRT implementation. Teachers prioritized selecting culturally valid musicals that were responsive to students’ skills and diverse backgrounds while fostering cultural appreciation. Despite challenges such as finding culture bearers and accessing some culturally diverse materials, they did curate culturally accurate and relevant materials to deepen students’ cultural understanding, guiding them in interpreting and performing musical songs using appropriate diverse vocal styles in a healthy manner. Establishing a safe space where students felt acknowledged and could freely discuss, share, lead, and collaborate was integral to these efforts. Ultimately, these practices aimed to cultivate students’ respect for their own and other cultures, promote diversity, inclusivity, and enhance the overall quality of the musical presentation.

This study investigated the integration of loose parts into preschool arts education to enhance children’s learning experiences, particularly within in-between spaces and centered around music, combining visual arts and dramatic play. Conducted as a case study in a Taiwanese private preschool, the research explored the use of loose parts in art activities inspired by the song “Joyfully Setting off Firecrackers” during the Lunar New Year festival. Over 3 months, a teacher guided seven children, collecting data through interviews, teacher journals, and analyses of children’s work. The findings revealed that selecting a distinctive children’s song allowed the teacher to design engaging activities that encouraged exploration of musical elements and diverse artistic expressions, thereby increasing motivation and collaboration. The curriculum involved environmental exploration, associating loose parts with musical elements, and culminated in creating listening maps and ensemble performances. By integrating visual arts and dramatic play around music, this strategy enhanced children’s enthusiasm for creative expression and facilitated esthetic development. The study also highlighted the environment’s crucial role in shaping engagement, with a preference for outdoor activities. This research contributes to literature by underscoring the value of integrating arts education with loose parts, enhancing children’s learning experiences and fostering creative engagement.

TeachersPayTeachers.com is an online marketplace where sellers offer learning activities, lesson plans, decorations, and related materials for use in school classrooms. The marketplace includes thousands of music education materials that are used by teachers throughout the United States. The purpose of this study was to explore the content of what is sold, who is selling materials on the platform, and the quality of the music activities. Our analysis of the 500 most-rated music items indicates that sellers are primarily marketing activities, classroom materials, and decorations on the platform. Despite listings from 91 different sellers, a small number of active “teacherpreneurs” were responsible for most of the materials. Our analysis of the quality of the top 50 activities shows that materials are generally aesthetically pleasing and clear in purpose, yet may may not promote authentic pedagogical practices in music education. The scope of resources available combined with the level of adoption shows that this platform has the potential to elevate worksheets and notational activities to the same level as meaningful musical engagements. We discuss findings in relation to curriculum development, teacher agency, and the potential for TpT and similar platforms to impact how music educators curate curriculum resources for use in their classrooms.

Numerous studies have demonstrated the substantial advantages of integrating music education into the overall development of students, particularly in early childhood education. This integration allows for combining music education with various curriculum areas, utilizing its playful and motivating nature as a practical methodological tool for developing a wide range of skills. This study examines the implementation of music education in the second cycle of early childhood education in the Autonomous Community of the Canary Islands, analyzing practices in 82 educational centers. The findings reveal that specialized music teachers are responsible for teaching this content in almost half of the centers, with variations in the frequency of teaching specific specialized topics, with musical instruments being the most common. The study emphasizes the significance of incorporating musical activities involving voice and body in early childhood education, highlighting the importance of fostering auditory perception and using musical instruments to achieve a comprehensive and well-rounded integration in the curriculum.

This article presents the results of the “Jazz Alumni” survey conducted in 2022 on the career beginnings of the musicians who obtained a jazz master’s degree at HEMU—Haute école de musique in French-speaking Switzerland between 2011 and 2017. Based on a mixed-methods diachronic approach, the study included 45 graduates (38 men and 7 women). Like most performing artists, they experience professional instability and are faced with low incomes compared to their level of training. Our study indicates that jazz graduates predominantly rely on teaching to mitigate the risks associated with the precarious nature of their profession, thereby improving their working conditions and generally avoiding non-musical work. Further findings identify two distinct approaches to balancing teaching and performing. Possible explanations for these different career paths include socialization to different national regulatory regimes and gender inequalities.

The current research examines the possibilities of music education in supporting the well-being of families living in demanding life situations. The context for the study is Family Sound Hammock, a 3-year research and development project that took place in the metropolitan area of Finland from 2020 to 2023. The project aimed at systematically supporting the well-being of families especially by strengthening their capacities for interaction in and through music education activities. This phenomenological-hermeneutic research focusses on the affordances emerging in family music activities, asking the following: What kinds of affordances can be recognised in and through music activities as part of family social work? The findings are presented in three categories: (1) Experiential environment of music education practice, (2) Social interaction and (3) Experiences of consistency that each highlight the potential of music education for redirecting agency, participation and inclusion of parents and children. The findings emphasise the professional facilitation of an inviting and safe musico-pedagogical environment applying pedagogical sensitivity.

This study investigated the effects of a practice checklist on performance achievement, practice time, focal practice areas—the key musical elements students focused on during practice—and practice strategies among non-music major South Korean college students learning the Danso, a traditional Korean wind instrument. Ninety-six students participated, with 46 in the experimental group using a practice checklist and 50 in the control group without the checklist. All participants attended a 50-min weekly class for 7 weeks. At the end of the 7-week period, both groups were surveyed to measure their average weekly practice time and focal practice areas. Performance achievement was assessed through a test focusing on key musical elements, and practice strategies were evaluated using a modified version of the Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire (MSLQ). The results revealed that using a practice checklist significantly improved performance in specific areas such as rhythm, tempo, and breathing but did not increase overall practice time. The checklist also helped students maintain a balanced focus on key musical elements, preventing an overemphasis on sound production. However, the checklist did not significantly promote the use of metacognitive strategies, indicating a need for additional instructional support.

Refugee children are a significant part of contemporary Canadian classrooms. Children who have fled their homes as refugees have experienced trauma and bear the effects of it socially, emotionally and academically. My study identifies trauma-sensitive strategies that music educators in Ontario are using to support refugee students from kindergarten to Grade 8. Through three semi-structured interviews with K–8 music educators, I identified four main themes to trauma-sensitive music instruction. Trauma-sensitive music education (a) provides holistic care for refugee students; (b) supports refugee students in feeling empowered; (c) provides a space in which refugee students can cultivate their sense of personal and collective awareness; and (d) enables refugee students to feel a sense of belonging. The implications of these findings provide music educators with practical tools and strategies to facilitate a learning environment in which refugee students can experience hope and healing.

The study aimed to examine Taiwanese fourth- and fifth-year pre-service music teachers’ preferences, familiarity, and willingness to teach six ethnic music styles (Chinese, Hokkien, Hakka, Taiwanese Aboriginal, Vietnamese, and Indonesian) to the largest ethnic student groups in Taiwan. Participants ( N = 126) listened to 18 ethnic music excerpts and rated their preferences, familiarity, and willingness to teach using 7-point Likert-type scales. As a validity check, the pre-service music teachers were required to identify the ethnic language in which each music example was performed. However, their ability to identify the languages did not strongly correlate with their preferences, familiarity, and willingness to teach the music examples.The findings indicated that the pre-service music teachers’ preferences and familiarity were positively correlated with their willingness to teach the six ethnic music styles. Moreover, the year of enrollment and the interaction between enrollment year and certificate level significantly influenced participants’ familiarity with the ethnic music styles. Furthermore, music training was a significant variable affecting the willingness to teach Hokkien music.

The purpose of this study was to determine the extent to which the 3 × 2 achievement goal model describes the goal orientations of university band students in two performance contexts. Students ( N = 183) enrolled in four concert band ensembles at two universities completed a goal orientation questionnaire, once in reference to personal music performance goals and once in reference to music performance goals as members of their university concert bands. The questionnaire, translated from the sports domain for use with musicians, measured the six goal orientations of the 3 × 2 achievement goal model: task-approach, task-avoidance, self-approach, self-avoidance, other-approach, other-avoidance. Results of confirmatory factor analyses indicate satisfactory fit of the six-factor model in the personal and ensemble contexts. In both contexts, the 3 × 2 model demonstrates better fit to the university band student data than ten alternative models. The model also demonstrates construct reliability and validity. Discussion includes evaluation of model fit differences between performance contexts. Future study of musician’s goal orientations could benefit from participant-level analysis and further examination of performance context differences. Continued development of a 3 × 2 achievement goal model scale for musicians could further bolster goal orientation research in the music domain.

This study examines the adequacy of a general proficiency in music listening for describing how examinees responded to exam questions on various music genres based on an empirical investigation of a public music listening examination. In the Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education Examination (HKDSE), Music consists of three mandatory components: listening, performing, and creating. Notably, the listening component is evaluated through a written examination, allowing for objective scoring. A candidate’s performance on this exam has been summarized as a single score, a method that is effective for evaluation purposes, while the underlying conceptualization may oversimplify the depth of knowledge required for assessment. Consequently, we conducted a reevaluation of the HKDSE Music listening test, employing the Rasch testlet model to explore potential multidimensional structures. Our findings highlighted distinctive attributes in questions related to Cantonese opera, setting them apart from others. We discuss the implications of these findings for music assessment.