Literature Review

Name: Jim White

Author: Patrick Schmidt, Janet Robbins
Title: Looking Backwards to Reach Forward: A Strategic Architecture for
Professional Development in Music Education
Journal or Text: Journal Arts ducation Polic! Review
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&olume or dition: %%#
Pa'es: () * %$+
,ain idea-s. Su//ortin' vidence
0rucial to the /ro1essional 'rowth,
develo/ment and well*bein' o1 a music
teacher is the communit! o1 teachers, in
/articular, other music teachers2 S/endin'
an entire da! teachin' students leaves a
teacher emotionall! and /h!sicall! tired
o1ten2 3t is valuable to meet with others to
rechar'e throu'h shared ideas,
encoura'ement 1or a 4ob well done,
swa//in' 5war6 stories and workin'
discussin' concerns about s/eci1ic student
learnin' needs2
,usic teacher are musicians and o1ten
/er1ormer as well as teacher2 3t ma! seem
like a sim/le statement but the truth is,
music is /art o1 a music teacher7s 8NA2
The! live and breathe music2 Workin'
with students is no doubt rewardin' but a
music teacher must continue to develo/
their own musical skills throu'h /ractice
and /er1ormance2 9ein' a /art o1 a local
s!m/hon!, rock band, 4a:: 'rou/,
communit! chorus or i1 available, other
/ro1essional music o//ortunities will
bolster the music teachers skill and love
1or music as well as kee/ them in with
other excellent musicians so as not to have
their /ersonal skills decline2
,uch res/onsibilit! is /laced on a teacher
re'ardless o1 the a'e students the! have in
the classroom2 Teachers must be learners
to kee/ current and 1resh in their 1ield o1
stud!2 A teacher7s in1luence 'oes 1ar
be!ond the classroom2 valuatin' a
teacher7s success comes not 4ust with
success1ul lesson /lans and assessment o1
students but also with the consistenc! o1
in1luence the! have with the school
communit! as a whole2 Parents, 1amilies,
students, 1ellow teachers, administrators
and others all come under the sco/e o1
relationshi/ that music be develo/ed and
nurtured to have a success1ul teachin'
career2
0ollaboration 1or teachers can be the li1e*
blood o1 creativit! and ener'! in the
classroom2 ;irst, it removes 1eelin's o1
isolation that can sa/ li1e 1rom a teacher
<uickl!2 Second, out o1 collaboration
come new ideas, accountabilit!, students
concerns can be addressed 1rom multi/le
vanta'e /oints, and workin' with others o1
Another thread o1 this issue is a communit!
a//roach to teacher learnin' in communit!2
Teachers need contact with other teachers, des/ite
the /ro/ensit! o1 man! to o/erate in isolation and
behind closed doors2 We are all aware o1 the harm
that isolation can have on continued learnin' and
develo/ment2 ;or music teachers, 1eelin's o1
isolation ma! be exacerbated as a result o1 their
1re<uent /osition as the sole music s/ecialist in the
school2 P2 (=
,usic teachers 'enerall! assume an additional role
>that o1 artist2 3n this issue, Pelle'rino makes
stron' case 1or the use o1 music*makin' as a
/ro1essional develo/ment a//roach 1or the
musician*teacher, ar'uin' that en'a'ement with
music is central to a teacher7s identit!2 When 5the
artist sel1 in1orms the teacher sel16 -9all #$$+., a
more inte'rated teacher can emer'e who is /resent,
connected to students, and en'a'ed in teachin' and
learnin'2 This kind o1 en'a'ement blends /ersonal
and /ro1essional 'rowth and leads to renewal and
well*bein'2 P2 (=
,usic teacher /ro1essional develo/ment must link
teachers7 ca/acities to desi'n curriculum,
assessment, and standards 1or student learnin' to
sustainable accountabilit!2 We need to reco'ni:e
/ro1essional develo/ment as an enter/rise that relies
on and su//orts teachers as leaders and
learners who can activel! sha/e and assess their
teachin' and their students7 success2 valuation
/rocesses must look at a teacher7s work in the
school communit! over time and with attention to
issues be!ond the deliver! o1 instruction2 P2(=
0ollaborative in<uir! can lead to accountabilit! that
is /artici/ative, but to do so, /artnershi/s must be
1ramed and understood as natural insti'ators o1
in<uir!2 What de1ines a /roductive /artnershi/ in
this context is not sim/l! similarit! and
consonance, but the creative encounter o1 di11erent
communities with shared interests2 Pro1essional
develo/ment that 1ocuses on 1osterin' a teacher*