Music Education in Urban America: A Demographic Report of Music Teachers in High-Poverty Urban Schools

• Other Authors: Simon, Kerry Anne (authoraut)
• Format: Others
• Language: English; English
• Published: Florida State University
• Subjects: Music
• Online Access: http://purl.flvc.org/fsu/fd/FSU_migr_etd-7605

ABSTRACT In the pursuit of providing all students with meaningful musical experiences, teachers of students in high-poverty areas can experience both satisfaction and dissatisfaction. The purpose of this study was to provide a brief glimpse into the demographics and point of view of music teachers currently teaching in schools whose poverty population is the majority. Specifically, the study answered the following research questions: (1) What is the gender and ethnic/racial make-up of the teachers in low-SES schools? (2) What types of certifications do these teachers have? (3) What areas of music do these teachers teach? (4) Are teachers required to teach non-musical curricular subjects? (5) How long have the teachers been teaching in low-SES schools? (6) What is their level of satisfaction in their current placement? (7) What is their perception of program success in their current placement? (8) What are the reasons teachers teach in a high-poverty environment? (9) Do teachers plan to stay at their current school or one with similar student population characteristics? Using data given by the U.S. Census Bureau (2010), the researcher chose school districts from the top 100 most populous cities. Schools were then selected if the majority (>50%) of their students were identified as being economically disadvantaged and selected music teachers from those schools received an invitation to complete the survey. Music teachers (N=172) provided basic demographic information as well as attitudinal information. Results indicated that although teachers in these schools acquired certification to teach and/or adequate teacher training, some felt the frustrations associated with teaching in high-poverty school, such as poor administrative and school support as well as lack of student motivation. Conversely, many teachers commented on their level of satisfaction within the high poverty classroom. Many teachers indicated they felt these students gave them a sense of purpose and it was their mission to provide opportunities for students who, otherwise, would not have the opportunity to participate in meaningful musical experiences. === A Dissertation submitted to the College of Music in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. === Spring Semester, 2013. === March 25, 2013. === MUSIC EDUCATION, MUSIC TEACHERS, TEACHER ATTITUDES, TEACHER DEMOGRAPHICS, URBAN EDUCATION === Includes bibliographical references. === Kimberly VanWeelden, Professor Directing Dissertation; John Parks, University Representative; Steven N. Kelly, Committee Member; Clifford Madsen, Committee Member.