Music electronic theses and dissertations (MU)
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The items in this collection are the theses and dissertations written by students of the Department of Music. Some items may be viewed only by members of the University of Missouri System and/or University of Missouri-Columbia. Click on one of the browse buttons above for a complete listing of the works.
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Item "I've just got to survive right now." A phenomenological study of first year middle school choral educators(University of Missouri--Columbia, 2025) Shields, Mary Kathleen; Adams, Kari; Sims, WendyFirst-year music educators often lack confidence in their abilities and feel unprepared to begin their first year of teaching. The development of each novice teacher's sense of identity, efficacy, classroom practices, and teaching pedagogies has been well documented. There is not much research about the very beginning experiences of first year music educators. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to examine the lived experiences of beginning middle school choral music educators during the first nine weeks of their careers. Participants were five first-year middle school choral educators in Missouri. They discussed their classroom experiences in five semi-structured interviews during the first nine weeks of the 2023-2024 academic year. In addition to the interviews, I collected data in the forms of daily journals and lesson plans. I analyzed the qualitative interview data using interpretative phenomenological analysis. IPA is an approach to qualitative research "committed to the examination of how people make sense of their major life experiences" (Smith et al., 2022, p. 1). I selected this analytical method as it centers around both understanding experience at the individual case level and in its own terms. Four themes emerged from the data: Developing My Self-Trust, Putting Pedagogy into Practice, the Learning is Overwhelming, and Leaving Work at Work. Based on these findings, I suggested implications for music educator curricula including additional field experiences to provide opportunities to build self-trust and apply pedagogy, an extension of the student teaching semester, and further exploration of the work and life separation. Future researchers might consider examining the experiences of teachers during the beginning of their teaching careers and the transition between student teaching and the beginning of a music teacher's career.Item Making a way out of no way : exploring Black music teacher agency through the lens of critical consciousness(University of Missouri--Columbia, 2025) Gaskin, Austin Jermaine; Adams, KariAgency can be defined as "a person's capacity to engage with cultural schemas and mobilize resources in ways that did not exist before, creating new contexts and practices" (Varelas et al., 2015, p. 1). In predominantly Black, and often urban educational environments, there exist various systemic and cultural factors that elicit the need for Black music teachers to exercise their agency to circumvent the effects of these factors. Critical consciousness (Freire, 1970) can provide a framework for Black music educators who teach in predominantly Black schools to view their teaching contexts and Black students with an understanding of the ways in which socioeconomic systems create and uphold inequality. This collective case study explored the ways in which five Black public school music teachers exercised their agency within their schools and communities leading to positive outcomes for themselves and their students. Analysis found that Black music teacher agency was facilitated by highly developed interpersonal skills and professional fearlessness. The teachers tapped into cultural capital within their networks and the Black community, acknowledged the interdependence of networks and institutions, and possessed a deep sense of shared culture with Black students. Additionally, they were fearless in advocating for themselves, developed teacher values that existed outside of music education norms, and displayed positive insubordination by challenging authority figures in education. The professional outcomes of these teachers challenged deficit narratives of predominantly Black schools and music programs by showing how music teachers can exercise agency to maneuver around or through structures within their teaching environments to empower themselves and their programs.Item Teaching the collegiate non-music major student in the applied string studio : a phenomenological study(University of Missouri--Columbia, 2025) de Oliveira Honorio, Priscila; Rawlings, JaredThe purpose of this study was to explore the essence of the string professors' experience of teaching collegiate non-music major (NMM) students in the applied studio. Four full time string faculty from a large US mid-western university volunteered to participate in the interviews. Findings indicate that teaching the collegiate NMM student in the applied string studio is experienced (a) in a process of becoming a professor, when the performer turns into teaching; (b) by being understanding, knowing who the NMM is and accepting their varied music expectations; (c) by balancing formal string learning with the student's commitment limitations. Learning about these professors' experience is relevant for institutions aiming to improve the experience of their non-professionally oriented students in the applied string studio specifically, with the possibility of transfer to other applied music studios. These findings also may inform to the private teacher of other instruments who have students not seeking music professionally. This study adds to the literature of string pedagogy, which needs more research to investigate pedagogical approaches.Item Asthenia lullaby(University of Missouri--Columbia, 2024) Shirvani, Mahbod; Asuroglu, UtkuInstrumentation: 1 Piccolo 1 Flute 1 Oboe 1 English Horn 1 Clarinet in Bb 1 Bass Clarinet in in Bb 1 Bassoon 1 Contrabassoon 2 Horn in F 2 Trumpet in C 1 Trombone 1 Bass Trombone Timpani (32-30in) 2 Percussionists: 1. Bass Drum Wood block Glockenspiel Triangle 2. Vibraphone Cymbal Tubular bells Tam-tam Harp Violin I Violin II Viola Violoncello Contrabass Transposed Score Duraton: Approx. 7:10Item Descriptions of expert middle school band teachers’ decision-making processes before, during, and after instruction(University of Missouri--Columbia, 2024) Hall, Faith A.; Silvey, Brian A.; Sims, WendyTeacher decision-making is a cognitive activity in which teachers identify problems, extract relevant cues from the environment, and evaluate potential strategies to decide the most appropriate action (Calderhead, 1981; Clark & Peterson, 1978). According to Clark and Peterson (1986), teachers' decisions are informed by thought (e.g., planning, interactive decisions, reflection, and beliefs) and action (e.g., teachers' classroom behavior, students' classroom behavior, student achievement). Teachers make decisions in three stages: before, during, and after instruction (Colton & Sparks-Langer, 1993; Jackson, 1968; Westermann, 1991). These stages are cyclical and reciprocal (i.e., reflection from a lesson can contribute to future planning of instruction) (Hayes, 1996; Yinger, 1977). The study of expert music teachers is of great value to the music education profession as it provides clear models of successful instructional practice. Although research exists about the observed behaviors of expert music educators, there have been few investigations about the decisions behind their behaviors and the connections between them. In an attempt to fill this gap, I utilized a multiple case study approach to gain an in-depth understanding of expert music teachers’ decisions within the real-life context of expert teachers' teaching environments. The purpose of this study was to describe expert instrumental music educators' instructional decision-making processes. Specifically, I sought to describe the thought processes underlying expert middle school band teachers' decisions before, during, and after instruction. Participants were three expert middle school band teachers. I collected data via semi-structured interviews, researcher observation, participant observation through verbal protocols (i.e., think-aloud and stimulated recall,) and physical artifacts (i.e., written lesson plans, copies of music scores with teachers' annotations, photos and/or diagrams of the classroom environment). Data analysis revealed cross-case themes for participants' decision-making processes as they planned, while they taught, and as they reflected on their rehearsals. Findings indicated that these expert middle school band teachers' decision-making processes were consistent with previous research related to expert teachers' decisions. The themes that emerged about expert middle school band teachers' decisions before instruction were (a) Forming Expectations, (b) Learning Goals, and (c) Time. The themes that emerged about expert middle school band teachers' decisions during instruction were (a) Reacting and Responding, (b) Filters, and (c) Emotional Intelligence. The themes that emerged about expert middle school band teachers' decisions after instruction were (a) Self-focus, (b) Short-term vs. Long-Term Goals, and (c) Reflection is Ongoing. Future research into the decision-making processes of both expert and novice teachers in additional contexts (i.e., beginning, high school, and collegiate ensembles) and continued use of verbal protocols to study music teacher cognition is recommended.