An examination of music student teaching seminars at midwestern universities

Abstract

This study was designed with two main purposes: (a) to provide researchers and educators with information about the structure and content of music student teaching seminars by gathering baseline data regarding current practices, and (b) to examine whether the perceived needs of music student teachers, as identified in the research literature, were being met through the contents and structure of the student teaching seminars. Music education professors (N = 45) from accredited institutions in Midwestern states completed a researcher-designed survey (response rate of 36.9%). Respondents also were asked to indicate how extensively they addressed specific content areas based on the list of concerns of student teachers and cooperating teachers that had been identified. Results indicated that most institutions (n = 40, 88.9%) hosted an accompanying seminar course during the student teaching internship; however, only 42.5% of respondents reported a seminar designed specifically for music education majors. Seminar instructors indicated that they addressed topics pertaining to the internship, classroom management, and employment more extensively than any other area. Professional portfolios, résumé writing, and mock interviews represented the most common seminar activities. Findings suggest that, with the exception of classroom management, the topics that instructors addressed most extensively in the music student teaching seminar did not align with the concerns of student teachers and cooperating teachers as reported in extant research.