Preservice Music Teachers Perceptions of Teaching and Learning Popular Music

Theoretical Paradigm

Music scholars have described informal music learning as a social constructivist practice (Cremata, 2017; Davis, 2013; Jaffurs, 2004; Kastner, 2014; Webster, 2011). Broadly understood, constructivism involves creating a learning environment and conditions optimized for self-guided, self-directed, discovery-orientated, and experiential education (Cremata, 2017; Webster, 2011). In a constructivist classroom, knowledge is constructed by the learner through their experiences in a social environment (Cleaver & Ballantyne, 2013; Davis, 2013). Social constructivism is therefore both a learning theory and a pedagogical approach, characterized by opportunities to engage actively in problem-based learning in collaboration with others (Davis, 2013; Webster, 2011; Windschitl, 2002). Constructivists value individuality, differentiation, and freedom (Cremata, 2017, 2019); constructivism also has been discussed as a democratic educational practice (Cleaver & Ballantyne, 2013). However, teachers may struggle in implementing social constructivist practices and face several obstacles as they develop new teaching skills and reevaluate their teaching philosophies (Windschitl, 2002).

As Webster (2011) noted, many incorrectly assume that arts educators accept constructivist practices. Thus, to prepare preservice teachers to consider constructivist practices in their classrooms, teacher educators should immerse them in environments that foster constructivist ideals. As constructivism constitutes a shift in philosophy and teaching practice from the “norms” of music education, preservice teachers should not only learn about constructivism in classes but also experience it in field placements. In this study, we were guided by the understanding that PME employs constructivist practices, and preservice music teachers need extended teaching–learning opportunities to develop new ideas and skills.

Participants

Participants included preservice teachers (N = 12) enrolled in a PME class and elementary school students (N = 20) from two after-school popular music ‘ukulele programs. Of the preservice teachers, seven identified as female, five identified as male, with 11 pursuing undergraduate degrees in music education, one pursuing a master’s degree in music education with teaching certification, and all between 20 and 25 years old. Ten were enrolled in the instrumental music education track for their degree, and two were enrolled in the choral/general music education track. Twenty of the 40 elementary students in the after-school program consented to participate in the study. Demographic information about the elementary student participants is summarized in Supplemental Table 1.

Context

The preservice teachers were enrolled in a one-semester PME course, which was designed to give them experiences learning popular music using informal practices and teaching popular music. The class met once a week as a two-and-a-half-hour seminar for a 15-week semester. As part of the course, we provided playing experiences on standard modern band instruments including guitar, bass, drum set, ‘ukulele, and voice, but not keyboard due to a lack of instruments.

We divided instructional time into three sections. In the first section, the instructor would lead the class in learning fundamental skills such as appropriate instrument-specific technique, instruction on reading chord charts/tablature, and individualized student support. The first section of the class typically culminated in learning of a song or an activity, such as songwriting or making beats, to demonstrate a facilitation model in action. The second section typically included class discussion of content for the day, including strategies for teaching genres of music that most of the preservice teachers were less familiar with (such as hip hop or electronic dance music), and use of music technology, songwriting, advocacy, and other issues related to teaching in a PME environment. We also used a number of free resources provided by the nonprofit organization Little Kids Rock. ¹ In the third section of the class, preservice teachers divided into self-selected bands to work on music of their choosing. Our goal was to provide preservice teachers with “lived experiences” in popular music, which they could then apply to their teaching experiences (Bell et al., 2019, p. 455). Preservice teachers used tablature and other forms of nontraditional notation, their aural skills, and trial-and-error as they learned their songs. We designed the course to create an environment for preservice teachers that is “steeped” in authentic informal music-making practices (Finney & Philpott, 2010), meaning that preservice teachers spent a great deal of time in self-directed peer groups learning music with minimal teacher guidance. The final exam for this course included a public performance of the various covers and original songs the preservice teachers had learned or written over the course of the semester.

As a component of this course, preservice teachers were required to facilitate learning in a once weekly after-school popular music ukulele jam club throughout the semester, and to complete class assignments to reflect on their jam club experiences. At the two partner elementary schools, preservice teachers would run the free jam club during the regular after-school activity time. School partner teachers and instructors supervised the preservice teachers. Due to differences in the length of the school activity program time, one of the programs ran for 60 minutes per week (School A), while the other ran for 45 minutes (School B). To accommodate preservice teachers.

schedules, nine taught at school A, and three taught at school B. Because partner teachers typically introduced ‘ukulele in fourth grade, they offered the program to any interested students in third through fifth grade in their K-5 schools. A total of 19 students enrolled in the program at School A and 21 students at School B.

In terms of the structure of the jam club, we first created a list of songs with the elementary students that they wanted to learn, which was expanded throughout the semester. Songs chosen by the students included current pop hits as well as classic rock, country, Hawaiian, hip-hop, and cartoon or video-game themes. Often, students learned only segments of songs, such as the verse or chorus, due to challenging chord changes and/or time constraints. As noted by Davis (2013), models of PME that start with imitating entire songs (i.e., Green, 2002) are typically based on experiences for older students, and thus these shorter versions helped the elementary students to feel successful without becoming overwhelmed. The preservice teachers facilitated learning songs in a variety of ways, including preparing chord charts, creating play along tracks or transposing recordings, or simplifying chord structures. Students were free to choose which song they wanted to work on week to week. We provided chord charts, tablature, and paper and markers for students to write down notation, pictures, or notes. We also purchased several inexpensive Bluetooth speakers that allowed students to play along with recordings played from a cell phone. Interventions by partner teachers and authors were limited to situations in which the preservice teachers were struggling to maintain an appropriate learning environment, such as actions that might damage the instruments.

Data Collection

After receiving IRB approval, the second author came to the class, explained the purpose and procedures of the study, and provided consent forms. The second author indicated that if preservice teachers elected not to participate, they would engage in normal class activities with no effect on their grade or relationship with the first author (instructor), but all chose to participate. The second author interviewed preservice teacher participants to mitigate against conflicts of interest between the course and research study. Preservice music teachers participated in three individual interviews each at the beginning, middle, and end of the course. These semistructured interviews included approximately 10 to 15 questions each. The preliminary interview included questions about the preservice teachers’ musical backgrounds, previous experiences with popular music, their impressions of learning popular music, and their impressions of working with the elementary students. The second interview included questions about in-progress experiences of teaching and learning popular music, and views on the value of PME. The final interview focused on reflections on experiences teaching and learning popular music, views on PME, and overall impressions of this learning opportunity. Preservice teacher interviews ranged from 4’45” to 19’37” in length.

Elementary students (N = 40) were invited to participate in the after-school popular music ‘ukulele program via posters and a teacher announcement at their respective schools. We contacted parents of students in the after-school program via school email and asked for permission for their child to participate in the study. Both parental consent and child assent forms were collected. Students who elected not to participate in the study continued to participate in the after-school program. The public school teachers were not present for the interviews and did not know which students participated in the study. The interviews included 15 questions about students

musical backgrounds and interests, reasons for joining the after-school popular music ‘ukulele program, and their thoughts on participation. We interviewed elementary students who agreed to participate in the study (N = 20) one time in the middle of the semester, and interview length ranged from 3’27” to 10’01” minutes.

We audio recorded, transcribed, and assigned participant codes to protect confidentiality for all interviews. Preservice teacher reflections were compiled for analysis, along with artifacts such as student notations and notes about informal conversations with the cooperating teachers. We also kept a collaborative researcher journal for school sites in which we wrote during the class itself every week to capture in-the-moment information on our observations and afterwards to reflect on the class for that week. These weekly reflections were free form and ranged in length from approximately half a page to two pages.

Data Analysis

We transcribed the interviews and analyzed the data using descriptive coding (Miles et al., 2014). Data were used both formatively (to inform specific changes in the ‘ukulele class) and summatively (presented as themes in the findings). Triangulation across multiple data sources, including interviews, preservice teacher assignments, artifacts, and the researcher journal helped ensure validity and determine areas of agreement or conflict (Creswell, 2014). We also triangulated these data with what Denzin (2006) calls “investigator triangulation,” which involves multiple researchers in an investigation, and “methodological triangulation,” which involves using multiple methods to gather data (p. 472). To fulfill investigator triangulation, we independently analyzed the data sources in the following manner: (a) the first and second authors independently coded the preservice teacher interview data and met to resolve any disagreements, after which the third author reviewed coding and (b) the first and third authors independently coded the elementary student interview data and met to resolve any disagreements, after which the second author reviewed the coding. We shared initial themes through memos, then discussed coding discrepancies until we reached consensus.

Learning to be Informal

As musicians, some of the preservice teachers described prior experiences in learning music informally. Several preservice teachers had experience making music informally as an aspect of their culture; as one noted, “the backyard Kanikapila session (essentially, an ‘ukulele jam session with all the aunties and uncles) is a pillar of local Hawaiian culture and informal music learning at its finest” (INT 1). While those with prior experience were comfortable in the initial classes, others expressed great trepidation for learning outside of formal music-making practices. For example, one preservice teacher expressed surprise that the class would include performance experiences, rather than an exclusively theoretical or pedagogy-based class: “But when we had our first meeting of the class, I was surprised. I didn’t know we were actually going to do popular music. So, I thought, ‘oh my god . . . I might hate this’” (INT 1). This preservice teacher did not play or listen to any music outside of formal classical traditions, so the experience was daunting. However, they seemed to feel better about the experience after developing skills on the instruments: “I feel like I’m one of the kids in the ‘ukulele class right now, that if I can play these chords, as an adult . . . It seems pretty cool and uplifting and inspiring for me” (INT 2). Another preservice teacher wrote about her experience with a project and how the class environment helped her to feel more secure:

I was initially too embarrassed to do my assignment on the song I chose, Truth Hurts by Lizzo. If I taught a popular music class, I would want the classroom culture to be similar to ours. From my perspective, everyone finds it to be a safe place to be themselves because everyone supports each other. Being someone who can lack self-confidence, our class environment allows me to push myself to do things out of my comfort zone. (INT 2)

This theme of initial trepidation, followed by enjoyment, was common to many of the preservice teachers’ experiences in this class.

Although some of the preservice teachers had prior experience playing popular music, as educators, the ‘ukulele club was the first experience teaching with informal practices for all of them. For many, this constituted a major paradigm shift in their understanding of what constitutes teaching. They expressed insecurity, self-consciousness, and frustration in their initial teaching experiences, primarily due to the major differences they perceived between teaching informally and working in a traditional large ensemble. For example, one preservice teacher described their discomfort with the lack of a structured lesson plan: “Oh, the first day was rough. The second day was pretty okay. I was getting super overwhelmed the first day because I was like, ‘I don’t know what to do. I have no lesson plan’ kind of thing” (INT 1). Another preservice teacher expressed their concern with lesson planning and with the use of physical space:

I found it challenging in the beginning because I’m so used to always having a structured lesson plan and doing things step by step, being at the front of the classroom all the time. And when [my supervising teacher] mentioned, “use more proximity,” “go around to the kids,” and just have them do it on their own. And then you just facilitate. I think I was uncomfortable with that because I’m so used to being in the front, not being able to go around to the other groups of children. But as the semester went by, it got a lot more comfortable. (INT 3)

Most of the preservice teachers did not seem to view the preparation they did—including finding lead sheets in appropriate keys, simplifying chord structures, learning the songs themselves, and preparing simplified strumming patterns—as a form of lesson planning; without a plan that included a teacher-directed sequence of instruction, they felt underprepared. The act of moving around the classroom to teach without being the center of attention felt unfamiliar to them, as a desire to be at the front of an ensemble without moving was prevalent in their comments. By the end of the semester, some of the preservice teachers did come to see their preparation more similarly to lesson planning. For example, one remarked, “well, we do have a basic lesson plan, but it’s not like, ‘here’s a lesson plan, let’s stick to it,’ it’s more, ‘this is a flexible lesson plan, these are techniques and ways to achieve your goal for the day’” (INT 2). Another preservice teacher explained how they viewed this difference:

I’ve been used to more traditional settings like band or orchestra, or what we’ve done in general [music] . . . In traditional [settings], you have everything set up already, and if something goes wrong you usually always want to fix it for them. But for informal, you just have to be ready for what they want to do, instead of what you want to do. (INT 2)

Thus, while the preservice teachers perceived key differences in how teaching was structured in this program, they also began to see how this model was a viable alternative approach, particularly the opportunities for making space for student agency and choice.

Teacher Identity

As this was the most extensive field placement any of the preservice teachers had by this point in their degrees, they had the opportunity to practice teaching skills and develop their teacher identities by seeing the same group of students every week. Initially, the preservice teachers seemed to view the partner teachers as the authorities in the room and did not assume responsibility for the students. For many of the preservice teachers, early ‘ukulele club experiences brought out their fears of being perceived as incompetent, which caused reticence to engage with students. For example, in the early visits to the schools, we noted that the preservice teachers did not interact with students before class or after class while the students waited for their parents. As they did not yet view themselves as the teachers, they did not see the need to interact with students outside of instruction. We addressed the need to engage the students throughout the class time in the seminar and discussed reasons why working with students was initially challenging for them. One preservice teacher mentioned that getting to know the students helped them feel more like a teacher and in turn to read the students more effectively:

. . . getting to know the kids more has made it a lot easier. I guess just knowing their names and being able to figure out which students have certain habits, or which have an easier time with certain things. Those things help us help them. (INT 2)

Developing relationships with the students helped them feel more like a teacher and in turn to interact with their students more meaningfully. Another preservice teacher explained that seeing the same students over a semester encouraged more meaningful reflection and improvement of their teaching:

. . . we’re getting the chance to actually work with students, instead of just learning about working with students . . . which is a privilege to have. That allows you to think about what [went] well and what didn’t every week, get better, and prepare for the students. (INT 1)

This extended teaching opportunity also gave preservice teachers the opportunity to practice teaching skills before student teaching, such as developing rapport, maintaining student interest, and classroom management. One preservice teacher mentioned the challenges of maintaining a productive classroom environment while trying to give individualized attention:

. . . it was difficult to be aware of the entire class at any given time . . . you walk up to a certain group, and you forget what everyone else is doing . . . developing the awareness of classroom management, even when you’re giving individualized attention, is a challenge. (INT 2)

While the preservice teachers continued to find classroom management challenging, many appreciated the opportunity to develop the skills in a relatively low-stakes environment. Several expressed that this was more authentic than their previous field experiences because they never had to manage student behavior issues in their short-term teaching experiences in other classes. One preservice teacher noted the changes in student behavior as a learning opportunity:

Lots of weeks have been more difficult than the beginning because the kids are getting comfortable, rowdy, sassy, and all the fabulous things that eight-year-olds are. So that has proved really challenging. But I think it’s been a really good learning opportunity to work with the same students for a long time and learn what it’s like after that honeymoon period when they aren’t the sweet little baby angels they are in the beginning. (INT 3)

As these preservice teachers negotiated their developing teacher identities, they were also able to develop skills essential to teaching using both formal and informal learning practices.

Changing Perceptions

Through participating in PME as teachers and learners, many of the preservice teachers reported changed perceptions of the value of popular music and its place in education. As musicians, performing popular music gave the preservice teachers a new perspective on the musicianship needed to perform in these genres. For example, one preservice teacher stated:

Before this class, I didn’t really think learning popular music and stuff was true musicianship, or I just thought it was less than a traditional ensemble type of thing. But this class has really been really exciting because I don’t believe that anymore. (INT 3)

The opportunity to learn popular music may have shifted preservice teachers’ perceptions of musicianship skills required in popular music.

Interestingly, preservice teachers expressed mixed beliefs about the place of PME in schools. Some preservice teachers suggested PME was acceptable for after-school programs but stopped short of curricular inclusion. Some made comments espousing the value of PME but then made statements such as “if I have time around teaching band classes,” suggesting that they saw PME as secondary to more traditional forms of music education. Some of the preservice teachers felt strongly that PME should be a part of all school music programs. One preservice teacher expressed in a reflection, “I genuinely feel that PME is not just a nice addition to a music program, but a necessity.” Moreover, some preservice teachers noted that they could teach the same musical concepts with popular music as they would in a traditional setting. For example, one preservice teacher expressed the ability to teach concepts through PME:

It’s opened my eyes to new ways of learning musical concepts that doesn’t have to be the traditional way. And if you can reach more students who may not be interested in traditional ensembles, making a musical impact in as many lives as possible should be the goal of any educator. (INT 3)

While not all the preservice teachers believed that PME should be a curricular component of school music programs, all expressed newfound appreciation for PME and popular musicianship.

Elementary Student Perceptions

Halfway through the semester, we conducted brief interviews with elementary participants about their reasons for joining the program, their musical interests, and perceptions of the program. Most of the students joined the program because of an interest in ‘ukulele, not in any particular genre. Some of the students had previous ‘ukulele experience in school or other community programs. Many had parents who encouraged them to join, while others asked to be involved; parental support was a consistent theme in their interviews.

Regarding their perceptions of the program, the student participants expressed enjoyment in getting to perform for peers, getting to choose songs, and in being able to get immediate help. They also appreciated having songs simplified or broken down, which provided multiple participatory access points for engaging at a variety of skill levels (Davis, 2013). Student participants commented on the accessibility of performance in this environment and the support they received from the preservice teachers. One student said, “whenever I play ‘ukulele with the university students, I always feel like I’m having fun with ‘ukulele.” Another student participant mentioned, “it makes it easier to learn ‘ukulele than YouTube videos . . . You aren’t listening to a complete stranger.” Preservice music teachers invited but did not require to perform, which seemed to foster a comfortable learning environment. Several student participants expressed that they would perform songs they learned in class for their families. Another student participant shared her and a friend’s experiences in the program:

My friend, she didn’t want to join the ‘ukulele [program]. But her mom signed her up, and now she likes it a lot. Now she loves [it] and she’s so excited. I think it’s the personalities of the teachers. I know them really well; they treat you as if you had known them for a long time. I feel really comfortable. I really like to sing, and since we perform sometimes, they make me feel very comfortable to sing and play. Even when I make mistakes on ‘ukulele, it makes me feel like it’s fine.

The student participants appreciated experiencing informal learning practices in a low-pressure environment, the music they got to learn, and the support of the preservice teachers.

Implications for Music Teacher Education

Our findings suggest that preservice music teachers may change their viewpoints on PME when they have the opportunity to engage in substantive teaching and learning experiences. We therefore recommend that other music teacher educators look for and implement PME-based field experiences. The combination of classroom experiences in PME as students and field experiences as teachers seem to have provided rich opportunities for reflection and the development of teacher identity; should consider how they might provide high levels of connectivity between coursework and fieldwork to maximize these opportunities. In particular, field experiences in which preservice teachers can engage with the same students over an extended period of time provide invaluable opportunities to develop essential teaching skills and construct their teacher identities, and thus such field experience opportunities should be more widely implemented prior to student teaching.

From a practical perspective, this study helped us to introduce PME practices to local teachers, to prepare preservice teachers for working in PME contexts and to provide free or low-cost music experiences to students who may not otherwise be able to afford such activities. Notably, partner teachers have continued these programs beyond the scope of the semester. We have found indications that PME exposure can change attitudes for preservice teachers and provide musical opportunities for students. We hope that this project may provide an example for facilitating similar partnerships in other contexts.