Update: Applications of Research in Music Education

The purpose of this study was to examine professional interactions among music educators in the Elementary Music Teachers Facebook group, which had 26,100 members at the time of the study. I conducted a descriptive content analysis of posts made between November 1 and 30, 2023, documenting 749 posts, 11,271 reactions, and 11,321 comments across three categories: curricular, co-curricular, and community. The most common curricular posts included Repertoire Suggestions (n = 145, 31.7%) and Lesson Planning (n = 74, 16.2%). Co-curricular posts most frequently featured Performance Logistics (n = 93, 40.8%) and Equipment: Instruments (n = 40, 17.5%). In the community category, Humor (n = 24, 38.1%) and Other Information Sharing (n = 20, 31.7%) were most frequent. The results indicated that the group serves as a community of practice for music educators to exchange ideas, seek experience, and problem-solve concerns.

The purpose of this literature review was to broadly investigate ways music educators have implemented culturally sustaining pedagogy. Using systematic searches in educational databases, I analyzed 16 studies published between 2018 and 2024 that met the inclusion criteria of implementing culturally sustaining pedagogy in music education settings. The literature is organized by the three core tenets of culturally sustaining pedagogy: funds of knowledge, decolonization, and critical reflexivity. Findings reveal that meaningful implementation of culturally sustaining pedagogy requires a fundamental transformation of music education, moving beyond diverse repertoire selection to encompass students’ cultural knowledge, decolonial practices, and educators’ critical self-reflection.

The purpose of this exploratory study was to investigate preservice music educators’ perceptions of large ensemble experiences at a southwestern university. The researcher created and tested a survey designed to explore how preservice educators perceived their large ensemble experiences may impact their pedagogy and musicianship. Respondents (N = 101) answered agreement statements about ensemble experiences and course enrollments. Instrument data yielded four perceived developmental aspects: Conducting Gesture Growth, Musicianship and Pedagogy, Repertoire and Literature Selection, and Other with a Cronbach’s alpha of .92. A composite score for Musicianship and Pedagogy indicated a statistically significant difference by primary teaching area. Preservice music educators reported their conducting gesture had the most musicianship growth from large ensemble experiences. Participants gave the highest pedagogy ratings for statements about large ensembles preparing them for a career in music education, improving their teaching effectiveness, and ensemble experiences altering their perceptions of music teaching.

The purpose of this report was to review the literature on and closely related to empathy development in music education and to augment music educators’ knowledge of empathy development practices within their own professional contexts. In this review of literature, I explore empathy development in music education by investigating (a) the definitions, types, and characteristics of empathy; (b) empathy education; (c) empathy in the context of musical group interaction; (d) empathy in the context of music ensembles; and (e) empathy development in music education settings. Scholars have suggested that empathy may support positive behaviors including perspective-taking, active listening, helping, and caring for and about others. Due in part to the empathic characteristics of music and interactive music activities, music classrooms provide a potentially empathy-rich environment in which teachers may engage students in empathy development. I end the review by discussing implications and suggested practices for music educators.

Despite the documented growth of music administration programs at the collegiate level and growing numbers of careers in music administration, traditional K–12 music education lacks the integration of this topic in its curriculum. This leaves students to discover it during their collegiate studies, if ever. The purpose of this study was to survey Pennsylvania secondary music teachers (PASMTs) and determine their attitudes and perceptions about teaching music administration as part of their existing music curriculum. Research questions pertained to PASMTs’ music administration experiences, attitudes toward teaching music administration topics, comfort level teaching music administration topics, and perceived importance of music administration topics in relation to other subjects in secondary music teaching. Key findings included PASMTs not being comfortable as the sole teacher of music administration topics, believing music administration topics could improve music student success, and valuing traditional music topics over music administration topics in their secondary music classes.

The purpose of the review of the literature was to provide an overview of Geneva Gay’s culturally responsive teaching (CRT), examine the challenges of multiculturalism in school musical theater production, and explore the potential applications and implications of CRT in theater and choral education that can be applied to musical theater production. Drawing from this review, I propose that CRT strategies from theater and choral practices could effectively be applied to musical theater production. To create culturally responsive musical theater productions, teachers are advised to choose musicals with high cultural validity and ensure they align with students’ skills and identities. They may also apply identity-conscious casting, prepare culturally relevant materials, and create a safe rehearsal space for students with diverse identities, while teaching them to appropriately interpret and represent the musical songs.

Effective singing requires an integrated understanding of coordinated bodily function. Traditional vocal pedagogy addresses pitch, range, breath control, posture, and tone; however, structured posture education remains underdeveloped. Despite the availability of extensive instructional resources, vocal health challenges have increased in singers from a variety of backgrounds, including popular music artists, young vocalists in training, and vocal educators. These challenges frequently result from inefficient postural habits, excessive performances demands, and insufficient training. Early exposure to structured posture education can improve vocal health and support career longevity for both performers and educators. In many educational contexts, posture instruction remains informal, relying on spontaneous feedback rather than systematic pedagogy. Body Mapping offers a comprehensive framework for posture education by enhancing internal body awareness. This literature review synthesizes research on Body Mapping, the Alexander Technique, and somatic learning to support the integration of formal posture education within vocal training programs.