Date

2-29-2024

Department

School of Music

Degree

Doctor of Music Education (DME)

Chair

Jerry Newman

Keywords

Rural Music Education, Pedagogy, Minnesota, Marching Band

Disciplines

Education | Music

Abstract

Despite a vast amount of literature addressing issues and concerns regarding curriculum in secondary band classes, pedagogy in the rural classroom remains under studied. Music educators in rural public schools must employ a unique approach to maintain enrollment, and their public image, which vastly differs from those in suburban settings. Many educators in rural public schools find themselves alone, with no guidance and nothing like any coursework on how they were prepared to teach in college. This study examined the approaches of instrumental directors in rural towns that support a summer, street-style marching band and their approach to the classroom setting and compare them to those of successful suburban music programs in the Twin Cities Suburban Metro Area of Saint Paul and Minneapolis. Using a Qualitative Case Study research method, quantitative data was collected to be compared against the qualitative qualities of instrumental music programs in rural and suburban settings. Differences in how rural and suburban music educators approach performance-based education will be examined through existing literature. Understanding how students learn and teachers teach is vital to the content literature. This study is important because it will highlight rural band teachers' innovative and unique educational approaches. The study will encourage further comparison of different demographic research and add to the discourse of teacher preparation. In addition, it will open up conversations about what the actual normal is for educators entering the field in a rural setting and how to best prepare and share that knowledge across the discipline.

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