Abstract
I am excited and humbled to serve as the newest editor for Update: Applications of Research in Music Education. I look forward to continuing the excellent work of my predecessor, Debbie Rohwer, who served admirably over the past 4 years. We owe much gratitude for her incredible work in furthering the mission of the journal. By establishing new article types such as “Research-To-Resource” and “Extending the Discussion,” Deb provided outlets in which our authors’ research findings could be more easily applied in our readers’ classrooms and rehearsal halls. I have appreciated her mentorship in helping me navigate the logistical hurdles inherent in this undertaking.
The members who comprise an Editorial Board are critical in shaping the quality of the journal by serving as the gatekeepers for the manuscripts that may eventually appear. Many thanks to those who dedicated their time and expertise over the past 4 years in this capacity: Ryan Fisher, Patrick Freer, Jacque Henninger, Jacki McHale, J. Si Millican, and Doug Orzolek. The newest members of our Editorial Board are Johanna Abril, Melissa Baughman, Casey Clementson, Jared Rawlings, Matthew L. Williams, and John Rine Zabanal. I am excited to work with this collection of talented scholars and educators, in addition to those who will be continuing on the board. Their knowledge will greatly benefit those who submit manuscripts to Update.
My first published research article appeared in the November 2009 volume of Update. When I submitted the manuscript as a doctoral student at the University of Texas, I recall fondly how much I felt supported throughout the process from submission to publication. It was evident that the reviewers, and editor at the time, Ruth Brittin, were invested in my success. They offered lots of specific and constructive feedback that not only strengthened the manuscript that appeared in the journal but also served me well as a novice scholar who was a bit apprehensive about the peer review process. The feedback that I received spurred additional research ideas, improved my overall writing skills, and gave me the belief that I could be a music education researcher. If I had experienced an unhelpful or negative process, I cannot say how that may have affected my passion for research. My goal is that our authors—whether they are young scholars just beginning their careers or those who have published regularly for some time—will continue to have the same positive experience that I had when first submitting to Update.
As for the content of Update, I have sometimes heard pejoratively that this is the “lit review” music education journal. In the “About This Journal” section on the website, it indeed reads that “The journal presents reviews of the literature and findings of individual studies without research terminology or jargon.” My belief is that we have much to learn from authors who report on a collection of studies with findings that can be synthesized and applied in the music classroom. In fact, I often assign literature reviews from Update to undergraduate students as a way of demonstrating how research findings can inform music teaching practices. Rather than thinking about the content of the journal in any one specific way, I encourage potential authors to view Update as a home for all types of music education scholarship. Mixed methods? Yes, please. Surveys? Of course. Single case studies? You bet. In fact, give us multiple case studies! Although we welcome excellent reviews of literature and want them to be showcased in the journal, any type of research that will help teachers “to apply the results of research readily in music classrooms and rehearsal halls” is welcomed. I suspect that practitioners, just like the students they teach, enjoy diversity in the research methods and writing styles that our authors use in their studies.
Among NAfME research journals, Update has a unique mission to help practitioners. How can we reach and help even more teachers? Honestly, that is not clear to me yet. Linking the podcasts at the bottom of the journal homepage to the articles themselves might be one way. (By the way, the podcasts are a terrific way for readers to connect more with the author.) A Tik-Tok video of the author demonstrating an idea for classroom use? Maybe. We are open to these types of ideas as we think about the importance and meaningfulness of connecting music education research to teaching practices. I appreciate the opportunity to help lead Update as we try to be even more helpful to practitioners over the next 4 years, and look forward to your continued support of the journal.