Date

9-17-2026

Department

School of Music

Degree

Doctor of Music Education (DME)

Chair

Hanna Byrd

Keywords

Music Education, peer teaching, student teaching, pre-service music teachers, pre-service music training, music teacher preparation, teacher preparedness in music education, action-based training, skill-based learning

Disciplines

Education | Music

Abstract

Student teaching opportunities are the most valuable and foundational experiences in a music educator’s pre-service training. Foundational skills are often refined during student teaching experiences. These skills include critical thinking, pedagogical strategies, classroom management, and effective communication—all key elements of successful teaching. Student teaching opportunities serve as the bridge between course content and real-world application for young educators. The purpose of this study was to provide recommendations for strategies to improve student-teaching opportunities in the undergraduate music education program at a faith-based college in the southeastern United States. The problem was the limited scope and frequency of student teaching opportunities in the music education degree completion plan at this institution. The rationale for this study is the importance of intentionally evaluating and improving teacher preparation in music education. Exploring strategies to improve the scope and frequency of student-teaching opportunities may further augment the undergraduate music teacher preparation experience. The central research question was, how can student teaching opportunities be improved at a faith-based college in the southeastern United States? Three forms of data were collected for this study, including interviews, surveys, and qualitative document analysis. The collected data were coded for relevant themes. Recommendations were developed based on findings from the identified themes in the collected data.

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