Chapter 3 Facing the Music
Exploring the Fears of Pre-Service Generalists in the Music Classroom
In: Perspectives on Arts Education Research in Canada, Volume 2Search for other papers by John L. Vitale in
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Abstract
This study explores the attitudes and perspectives of elementary generalist teachers who have self-identified as having a fear of taking a music education course and a fear of teaching music. Participants include 20 pre-service generalists who (a) described their fears of teaching music and (b) provided a rationale for these fears through a 2-page written journal reflection. A typical qualitative analysis revealed that participants collectively generated 5 themes, namely: (a) inadequacy, (b) embarrassment, (c) stress, (d) past experiences, and (e) future time deficit. Through an arts-based methodology, I have chosen to present and discuss the findings through an authentic screenplay. This fictional narrative (entitled Facing The Music) is about 3 primary school teacher candidates (Melody, Viola, and Cadence), and their music education professor (Dr. Basso). In sum, all 3 teacher candidates have had uneventful musical experiences and feel ill-prepared and fearful of teaching music, while the professor attempts to makes sense of what his students are thinking and feeling. This study has practical implications for many stakeholders including pre/in-service generalists, music specialists, and administrators at all levels. Most importantly, the screenplay format allows stakeholders to easily process the findings in an appealing and resonant format that easily lends itself to further discussion, learning, and meaning-making, ultimately revealing the intrinsic value and significance of arts-based methodologies.