Running Head: PROBLEMS OF PRACTICE 1

Problems of Practice in the Secondary Music Classroom

Rachel M. Hoke

University of South Carolina

Running Head: PROBLEMS OF PRACTICE 2

Abstract

Three problems of practice affecting teachers of secondary music are examined. Problems of

practice include: the impact of sexual violence in the classroom, lack of standardized secondary

music curriculum, and the unique professional development needs of new music teachers. For

each problem of practice, causal factors are listed, and national, personal, and situational

contexts are described.

Running Head: PROBLEMS OF PRACTICE 3

Problems of Practice in the Secondary Music Classroom

Problem of Practice 1: Sexual Violence in the Classroom

Statement of Problem

Sexual violence is a pervasive cultural problem that is influenced by technology and

affects students at the adolescent level, yet is rarely addressed until adulthood.

Figure 1. Cause-and-effect fishbone diagram of contributing factors to technology-facilitated

societal attitudes of complacence toward sexual violence.

National Context

According to RAINN (2018), one in every six American women has been the victim of

rape. This number increases when including sexual assault and other forms of gender-based

violence. Most organized preventative interventions are currently directed at college students
Running Head: PROBLEMS OF PRACTICE 4

and adults (Graybill, Minister, & Lawrence, 2017), yet young women ages 16 to 19 are four

times more likely to be sexually assaulted (RAINN, 2018), meaning that a large percentage of

young women experience sexual violence long before these interventions ever reach them.

Education in bystander intervention is proven to be effective in prevention, particularly for men,

who often cite the belief that their male peers accept the behavior as their reason for not

intervening (The White House, 2014).

Personal Context

In the urban middle school setting where I teach, I observe male students directing

explicit and sexually harassing words and actions toward female students and staff on a daily

basis. Technology plays a frequent role, as incidents often develop out of inappropriate content

posted by students online. The students themselves often demonstrate a lack of understanding of

the inappropriate nature and potential consequences of their actions, and the school is unwilling

or unable to employ a coordinated or rehabilitative response to these “gateway” stages of sexual

violence behavior.

Situational Context

Middle school students are increasingly more active and reliant on social media for peer

interaction, and as a result have increased exposure to provocative online material. This

exposure makes them more likely to post provocative material themselves: for females, as an

attempt to be liked, and for males, as a form of entertainment (Armstrong & Mahone, 2017).

Rape culture is partly the result of an unhealthy cultural construct of what it means to be

masculine (Graybill et al, 2017; Posadas, 2017), and middle school is currently an under-utilized

opportunity to redefine this construct before male students become perpetrators, 85 percent more

likely to occur after age 17 (RAINN, 2018). Women are more likely to intervene in preventing a
Running Head: PROBLEMS OF PRACTICE 5

sexual assault when they have received direct instruction about sexual violence, and individuals

of any gender are more likely to intervene when they believe that others share their opinions

(Armstrong & Mahone, 2017), implying that the implementation of educational programming

regarding appropriate sexual interaction and a redefined concept of masculinity at the adolescent

level could prevent future acts of sexual violence.

Research Purpose Statement

The purpose of this action research will be to investigate the role played by technology in

the attitudes and behaviors that perpetuate a culture of sexual violence among students in an

urban middle school setting.

Running Head: PROBLEMS OF PRACTICE 6

Problem of Practice 2: Gaps in Secondary Music Methodology and Curriculum

Statement of Problem

Secondary music instruction is extremely inconsistent and notoriously difficult for

teachers, largely due to its reliance on antiquated methodologies and self-created curriculum.

Figure 2. Cause-and-effect fishbone diagram of contributing factors to the disparity in

curriculum, methodology, and effectiveness of secondary general music classes.

National Context

The pedagogy of elementary music instruction is primarily based on four main

methodologies: Dalcroze/eurhythmics, Gordon/music learning theory, Kodály, and Orff-

Schulwerk, all of which evolved throughout the early 20th century. The specific methodologies

in which a music teacher is trained are largely dependent on where he or she received university
Running Head: PROBLEMS OF PRACTICE 7

instruction, with inconsistency between various institutions as well as between general music

instruction and ensemble instruction at the same institutions (Benson, 2016). While some

principles of these pedagogies can be transferred to secondary music, they are not ideally suited

to older students, and are all based on extremely outdated and biased research. Building- and

district-level administrators are unlikely to be experts in music content knowledge, and therefore

are unable to offer adequate content-related support to teachers (Parsad & Spiegelman, 2012).

Personal Context

The large, urban school district where I work contains 32 schools, all offering music

courses to some or all of their students (with the exception of one adult education school). Prior

to 2014, Delaware employed the NAfME national standards for music and provided its music

teachers with the Delaware Recommended Curriculum as their basis for instruction, a document

which is not a true curriculum, but merely a collection of the standards and corresponding grade-

level expectations. In 2014, Delaware adopted the National Core Arts Standards (NCAS), and

now has no corresponding curriculum in place in any of its public schools, leaving teachers to

create their own individual course materials with little to no district or state oversight. My

district, along with many others in the state, is in the process of creating a revised curriculum

based on NCAS, but hesitates to include specific content due to clashing teacher opinions over

methodology.

Situational Context

A Northwestern University study found that 67 percent of public secondary schools are

required by their state and/or district to offer music courses, with 45 percent including general

music as a course offering (Abril & Gault, 2008). The U.S. Department of Education reports that

an average of 81 percent of schools with music courses offer some type of “curriculum guide” to
Running Head: PROBLEMS OF PRACTICE 8

their teachers, although this number drops to only 74 percent among high-poverty schools

(Parsad & Spiegelman, 2012). For Delaware teachers, this curriculum guide is merely a

collection of the national standards and grade-level objectives, and contains little to no

information about scope and sequence, assessments, or actual content to be taught (Delaware

Department of Education, 2008). As a result, teachers are left to create their own curriculum,

units, and lessons with no formal training or support, an overwhelmingly difficult task that leads

to teacher frustration and inconsistent student learning objectives.

Research Purpose Statement

The purpose of this action research will be to observe and measure the teacher and

student impact of the implementation of a specific and standardized NCAS-compatible

curriculum for secondary music courses throughout Red Clay Consolidated School District.
Running Head: PROBLEMS OF PRACTICE 9

Problem of Practice 3: Support for New Music Teachers

Statement of Problem

New music teachers are frequently placed in positions outside their area of expertise, then

provided with inadequate professional mentoring and development, leading to teacher

frustration, perceptions of isolation, and burnout.

Figure 3. Cause-and-effect fishbone diagram of contributing factors to perceptions of isolation,

frustration, and burnout among new music teachers.

National Context

In many schools, music is a one-person department, with an average of 1.96 music

teachers per building in secondary schools (Abril & Gault, 2008) and generally even fewer in

elementary schools, as 54 percent of music teachers are assigned to multiple buildings (Parsad &

Spiegelman, 2012). New music teachers frequently experience feelings of isolation, and lack the
Running Head: PROBLEMS OF PRACTICE 10

opportunities for collaboration, common planning, and collegial support afforded to other

teachers (Krueger, 1999). While 94 percent of elementary and 91 percent of secondary schools

offer music programs, only 25 and 27 percent, respectively, offer music-specific professional

development to their teachers (Parsad & Spiegelman, 2012). This perception of isolation and

lack of institutional support causes new teachers to operate in “survival” mode, leading to a

“high incidence of burnout” and nearly 30 percent of new teachers reporting moderate to strong

job dissatisfaction (Ballantyne & Packer, 2004).

Personal Context

My current school district aligns with the national model, with most buildings employing

one or two music teachers, and some teachers assigned to multiple buildings and/or music

content areas. Our collective bargaining agreement allows the district to transfer teachers within

the department to a different music content, building, and/or grade level at its discretion, which

occurs with regularity. As established teachers in the district are allowed to voluntarily transfer

into vacancies, the open positions remaining available for new teachers often consist of the most

difficult teaching settings. New teachers are provided with the state-mandated mentoring and

induction program, which includes no content-related material whatsoever, a mentor teacher who

does not teach music, and rare opportunities for music-specific professional development.

Situational Context

Music teachers in Delaware, like most states, are certified to teach all areas of music

instruction, for all grades K-12: this includes elementary general music, secondary general

music, band, orchestra, chorus, guitar, piano, and other harmonizing instruments, music theory,

music history, music appreciation, and any other music course offered by their school or district.

Collegiate music programs generally require students to enter with a “major instrument” and
Running Head: PROBLEMS OF PRACTICE 11

then follow a corresponding track (i.e. instrumental or general/choral music) in their course

work; however, students from all tracks graduate with the same generic “Teacher of K-12

Music” certification. As a result, many new teachers obtain their first job in a music content area

far outside of their area of specialization, while lacking integral content-specific knowledge

(Conway, 2002). Surveys of new music teachers show that content-specific mentoring programs

and opportunities to observe experienced music teachers decrease feelings of isolation related to

teacher attrition (Krueger, 1999).

Research Purpose Statement

The purpose of this action research will be to utilize technology and other resources to

implement and measure the impact of a comprehensive, content-specific new teacher

development program for music teachers in Red Clay Consolidated School District.
Running Head: PROBLEMS OF PRACTICE 12

References

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Ballantyne, J., & Packer, J. (2004). Effectiveness of preservice music teacher programs:

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