The key research question for this qualitative study was as follows: How do program directors in selected schools describe the successes and challenges related to the design of their Master of Music degree in music education? Data sources included website content for 21 NASM-accredited programs and individual interviews with program directors from seven institutions. Program directors outlined several challenges associated with program development, including how to address the practical needs of music teachers in a flexible, accommodating, and efficient manner while maintaining the highest standards for coursework so as to prepare some masters students for the possibility of doctoral work. We discuss major themes in relation to past studies of graduate education in music.
AbrahamsonC. E. (1998). Issues in interactive communication in distance education. College Student Journal, 32(1), 33–43.
2.
AlbertD. (2015). Online versus traditional master of music in music education degree programs: Students’ reasons for choosing. Journal of Music Teacher Education, 25(1), 52–64. https://doi.org/10.1177/1057083714548588
3.
AustinJ.BauerW.ConwayC. M.NiermanG. (2013, April). Teaching research to graduate students in music education [Symposium]. Music Education Special Research Interest Group of the American Educational Research Association, San Francisco, CA.
4.
BarrettJ. R. (2006). Recasting professional development for music teachers in an era of reform. Arts Education Policy Review, 107(6), 19–30. https://doi.org/10.3200/AEPR.107.6.19-28
5.
BautistaA.YauX.WongJ. (2018). High-quality music teacher professional development: A review of literature. Music Education Research, 19(4), 455–469. https://doi.org/10.1080/14613808.2016.1249357
6.
Bell-RobertsonC. G. (2011). Sharing emotional repertoire: A case study of online community of practice for novice music teachers [Doctoral dissertation]. ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global. (UMI No. 3504538)
CarrS. (2000). As distance education comes of age, the challenge is keeping the students. Chronicle of Higher Education, 46(23), A39–A41.
9.
ChongE. K. M. (2008). Harnessing distributed musical expertise through edublogging. Australasian Journal of Educational Technology, 24(2), 181–194. https://doi.org/10.14742/ajet.1220
ConwayC. M.EdgarS. (2014). Music teacher professional development. In ConwayC. M. (Ed.), Oxford handbook of qualitative research in music education (pp. 479–500). Oxford University Press.
12.
ConwayC. M.ErosJ.StanleyA. M. (2008). Summers-only versus the academic year master of music degree: Perceptions of program graduates. Bulletin of the Council for Research in Music Education, 178, 21–34. https://jstor.org/stable/40319336
13.
ConwayC. M.ErosJ.StanleyA. M. (2009). Perceptions of master’s graduates regarding the effects of the master of music in music education program on P-12 teaching practice. Research Studies in Music Education, 31(2), 129–141. https://doi.org/10.1177/1321103X09344381
14.
DorfmanJ.LipscombS. D. (2005). Graduate music students’ attitudes toward research. Journal of Music Teacher Education, 15(1), 31–42. https://doi.org/10.1177/10570837050150010106
15.
FitzpatrickK. R. (2014). Blogging through the music student teaching experience: Developing virtual communities of practice. Research Studies in Music Education, 36(1), 91–105. https://doi.org/10.1177/1321103X13509350
16.
GroulxT. J.HernlyP. (2010). Online master’s degrees in music education: The growing pains of a tool to reach a larger community. Update: Applications of Research in Music Education, 28(2), 60–70. https://doi.org/10.1177/8755123310361765
KaswormC.HemmingsenL. (2007). Preparing professionals for lifelong learning: Comparative examination of master’s education programs. Higher Education, 54(3), 449–468, https://doi.org/10.1007/s10734-006-9006-8
19.
KnowlesM. S. (1970). The modern practice of adult education: Andragogy versus pedagogy. Cambridge Books.
20.
KnowlesM. S. (1984). Andragogy in action: Applying modern principles of adult education. Jossey-Bass.
21.
KnowlesM. S.HoltonE. F.SwansonR. A. (2005). The adult learner (6th ed.). Elsevier.
22.
LaveJ. (1991). Situating learning in communities of practice. In ResnickL. B.LevineJ. M.TeasleyS. D. (Eds.), Perspectives on socially shared cognition (pp. 63–82). American Psychological Association. http//doi:10.1037/10096-003
23.
LaveJ.WengerE. (1991). Situated learning: Legitimate peripheral participation. Oxford University Press.
ReeseJ. A. (2015). Online status: Virtual field experiences and mentoring during an elementary general music methods course. Journal of Music Teacher Education, 24(2), 23–39. https://doi.org/10.1177/1057083713506119
30.
ReeseJ. A. (2016). Virtual mentoring of preservice teachers: Mentors’ perceptions. Journal of Music Teacher Education, 25(3), 39–52. https://doi.org/10.1177/1057083715577793
31.
ReeseJ. A. (2017). An exploration of interactions between virtual mentors and preservice teachers. Contributions to Music Education, 42, 201–221. https://jstor.org/stable/10.2307/26367443
RovaiA. P.JordanH. (2004). Blended learning and sense of community: A comparative analysis with traditional and fully online graduate courses. International Review of Research in Open and Distributed Learning, 5(2), 1–13. https://doi.org/10.19173/irrodl.v5i2.192
34.
RutkowskiJ.WebsterP.GossettJ. (2012, March). A further examination of doctoral programs in music education [Paper presentation]. Music Educators National Conference, St. Louis, MO.
35.
RutkowskiJ.WebsterP.GossettJ. (2013, September). Continued examination of doctoral programs in music education [Paper presentation]. Society for Music Teacher Education, Greensboro, NC.
36.
SikoraA. C.CarrollC. D. (2002). Postsecondary education descriptive analysis reports (NCES 2003-154). U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Government Printing Office.
37.
WallsK. (2008). Distance learning in graduate music teacher education: Promoting professional development and satisfaction of music teachers. Journal of Music Teacher Education, 18(1), 55–66. https://doi.org/10.1177/1057083708323137
38.
WengerE. (1998). Communities of practice: Learning, meaning, and identity. Cambridge University Press.
Supplementary Material
Please find the following supplemental material available below.
For Open Access articles published under a Creative Commons License, all supplemental material carries the same license as the article it is associated with.
For non-Open Access articles published, all supplemental material carries a non-exclusive license, and permission requests for re-use of supplemental material or any part of supplemental material shall be sent directly to the copyright owner as specified in the copyright notice associated with the article.
