Music Educators’ Perspectives on Student Empowerment: Complexities and Conundrums
Theresa Hoover,
PhD Student
Music Learning and Teaching
Arizona State University
Introduction
Music educators often aim to empower students, yet the teacher-directed paradigm so prevalent in music programs makes it difficult for students to feel empowered (Allsup & Benedict, 2008). Some music educators recognize this tension, discussing how music programs could support student empowerment (Elliot, 2012; O’Neill, 2015) while other research exists about student agency (Karlsen, 2011; Monk et al., 2014), learner-centeredness (Johnston Turner, 2013; Talbot, 2014; Williams & Kladder, 2019), and democracy in music education (Allsup, 2003, 2007). A common theme across this discourse is that students have, or should have, ownership of their music making and learning.
Abstract
Music educators often aim to empower students, yet the teacher-directed paradigm so prevalent in music programs makes it difficult for students to feel empowered (Allsup & Benedict, 2008). Some music educators recognize this tension, discussing how music programs could support student empowerment (Elliot, 2012; O’Neill, 2015), while researchers in the field have investigated related topics such as student agency (Karlsen, 2011; Monk et al., 2014), learner-centeredness (Johnston Turner, 2013; Talbot, 2014; Williams & Kladder, 2019), and democracy in music education (Allsup, 2003, 2007). A common theme across this discourse is that students have, or should have, ownership of their music making and learning.
The purpose of this study was to analyze educator’s accounts of student empowerment in music classes and ensembles. The research questions included: What do music educators say when speaking about student empowerment, and, how do music educators’ descriptions of student empowerment relate to broader notation of agency and learner centeredness? To address these questions, I conducted a comparative analysis of podcast interviews with music educators who discussed student empowerment in their programs. Raw data for this study came from the Pass the Baton podcast, which has published over 50 episodes from 2021 to the present. I analyzed interviews with 11 music educators focused on secondary music education during the 2022-2023 school year. Codes and categories were then compared to the Critical Youth Empowerment (CYE) framework (Jennings et al., 2006). The aim of the inquiry process was to move “beyond surface observations to delve deeper into” (Vasquez Heilig et al., 2020, p. 15) the educators’ discourse. Similar to being a participant observer, I am both the researcher and one of the podcast hosts.
Analysis of the podcast interviews led to the formation of the Music Learning Empowerment Model, which shows that music educators spoke about student empowerment in two main ways: (1) What the music educators wanted for their students as empowered learners, and, (2) What the music educators did as pedagogical practices to support student empowerment. Each of these primary themes had two components. The music educators wanted their students to be independent musicians and independent learners. To achieve this, they focused on individual student needs and the learning environment.
The Music Learning Empowerment Model aligns with several components of the CYE framework, including a welcoming and safe environment, meaningful participation, and critical reflection. While the sociopolitical elements of the CYE framework (participation in sociopolitical processes to effect change and integrated individual- and community-level engagement) were not directly evident, educators described student dispositions and mindsets such as leadership, critical thinking, and decision making that connect to acting in the world in an empowered way (O’Neill, 2015).
It is interesting to note that the music educators who participated in this study all had over ten years of teaching experience and felt that their ability to foster student empowerment developed over time, often to meet a need they noticed related to student growth, learning, or sense of community. This aligns with literature surrounding concerns of beginning teachers and teacher development, which shows that beginning teachers are often faced with various challenges for the first several years of their careers (Roulston et al., 2005). There were no discussions about choosing literature, specific instrumental or vocal techniques, or rehearsal strategies, which differs from the content usually spoken about by music educators at conferences, in journals, or in social settings (Bauer & Moehle, 2008; Brewer & Rickels, 2014; Palkki et al., 2016).
Implications for music teacher education (MTE) include an examination of MTE programs and professional learning for music educators to determine if student empowerment is being discussed. Opportunities for future music educators to feel empowered in their learning and music making, along with reflection about those experiences, could be helpful in cultivating dispositions towards the empowerment of music students.
Critical Youth Empowerment
Critical youth empowerment, proposed by Jennings et al. (2006) is a conceptual framework that aims to equip young people with the skills and knowledge to participate in social and political change. This occurs through the following six dimensions:
- A welcoming and safe environment
- Meaningful participation and engagement
- Equitable power-sharing between youth and adults
- Engagement in critical reflection on interpersonal and sociopolitical processes
- Participation in sociopolitical processes to affect change
- Integrated individual- and community-level empowerment (p. 41)
In the context of this research, I’m interested in discovering if the educators interviewed discussed elements of youth empowerment, and if so, in what capacity.
References
Allsup, R. E. (2003). Mutual Learning and Democratic Action in Instrumental Music Education. Journal of Research in Music Education, 51(1), 24–37. https://doi.org/10.2307/3345646
Allsup, R. E. (2007). Democracy and One Hundred Years of Music Education. Music Educators Journal, 93(5), 52–56. https://doi.org/10.1177/002743210709300517
Bauer, W. I., & Moehle, M. R. (2008). A Content Analysis of the MENC Discussion Forums. Bulletin of the Council for Research in Music Education, 175, 71–84.
Brewer, W. D., & Rickels, D. A. (2014). A Content Analysis of Social Media Interactions in the Facebook Band Directors Group. Bulletin of the Council for Research in Music Education, 201, 7–22. https://doi.org/10.5406/bulcouresmusedu.201.0007
Elliott, D. J. (2012). Another Perspective: Music Education as/for Artistic Citizenship. Music Educators Journal, 99(1), 21–27. https://doi.org/10.1177/0027432112452999
Jennings, L. B., Parra-Medina, D. M., Hilfinger Messias, D. K., & McLoughlin, K. (2006). Toward a Critical Social Theory of Youth Empowerment. Journal of Community Practice, 14(1/2), 31–55. https://doi.org/10.1300/J125v14n01_03
Johnston Turner, C. (2013). Another Perspective: Crowdsourcing Our Ensemble Rehearsals. Music Educators Journal, 100(2), 68–71. https://doi.org/10.1177/0027432113505839
Karlsen, S. (2011). Using musical agency as a lens: Researching music education from the angle of experience. Research Studies in Music Education, 33(2), 107–121. https://doi.org/10.1177/1321103X11422005
Monk, S., Mills, M., Renshaw, P., Geelan, D., Keddie, A., & Gowlett, C. (2013). Investigating ‘moments’ for student agency through a differentiated music curriculum. International Journal of Pedagogies and Learning, 8(3), 179–193. https://doi.org/10.5172/ijpl.2013.8.3.179
O’Neill, S. A. (2015). Youth Empowerment and Transformative Music Engagement. In C. Benedict, P. Schmidt, G. Spruce, & P. Woodford (Eds.), The Oxford Handbook of Social Justice in Music Education (pp. 388–405).
Palkki, J., Albert, D. J., Hill, S. C., & Shaw, R. D. (2016). 20 Years of the MENC Biennial Conference: A Content Analysis. Journal of Research in Music Education, 64(1), 14–28. https://doi.org/10.1177/0022429415621896
Roulston, K., Legette, R., & Trotman Womack, S. (2005). Beginning music teachers’ perceptions of the transition from university to teaching in schools. Music Education Research, 7(1), 59–82. https://doi.org/10.1080/14613800500042141
Talbot, B. C. (2014). A Proleptic Perspective of Music Education. In C. Randles (Ed.), Music Education: Navigating the Future (p. 14). Routledge.
Vasquez Heilig, J., Brewer, T. J., Kim, A. K., & Sanchez, M. (2021). A Digital Ethnography of Teach For America: Analysis of Counternarrative From the Truth For America Podcast. Urban Education, 56(4), 610–639. https://doi.org/10.1177/0042085920953880
Williams, D. A., & Kladder, J. R. (Eds.). (2020). The learner-centered music classroom: Models and possibilities. Routledge.
Meet the Participants
Interested in learning more about the music educators featured in this study? You can find interview summaries and podcast links here.
How did it start?
In 2021, Kathryn Finch and I started the Pass the Baton: Empowering Students in Music Education podcast as an extension of our book on the same topic. Our goal was to share the stories of music educators doing creative things to empower their students. At the time, we had no idea the podcast would accumulate over 50 episodes, released bi-weekly, with more being recorded and published to this day. Nor did I realize the incredible data I was being presented with by the various music educators we interviewed as podcast guests. And that’s what inspired this research project.
The purpose of this study is to analyze educator’s accounts of student empowerment in music classes. The data for this study comes from the Pass the Baton podcast, where music educators share their experiences with student empowerment including what it looks like, what they do, and how it impacts the students in their classes. Kathryn and I chose all of the podcast guests based on work they were doing that we felt empowered students. We met these educators through connections in our personal and professional networks, including conferences, professional development activities, publications, and social media. They teach in a variety of settings and contexts around the world.
In most cases, there was a specific topic or project we asked the podcast guests to speak about that served as the theme for the interview. Looking at it from a research perspective, the interviews could be considered semi-structured. In terms of podcasting, this means Kathryn and I provided guests with talking points in advance, and aimed to keep the interviews conversational. Guests were asked to share their interest in their project or topic, describe what it looked like in their classroom, how it benefited their students, and provide suggestions for other music teachers. (We also asked about building community and relationships, but that’s another study!) Interviews ranged from 30 minutes to one hour in length, depending on how conversation progressed.
Theresa Hoover is a PhD student at Arizona State University, in Tempe, Arizona. Research interests include student empowerment, technology integration, and professional learning for music educators.
Email: thoover5@asu.edu
