In late Sept., several Kent State University Glauser School Music Education faculty members and doctoral students presented their latest work during research poster sessions at the biennial Symposium of the Society for Music Teacher Education (SMTE). The 2021 symposium was held virtually.
During the three-day event, Jay Dorfman, Ph.D., associate professor and coordinator of music education, presented a study titled “Rhetoric from the Dark Side: Examining Music Teacher Education Faculty Transitions to Administrative Roles.” The survey study included data from 57 participants whose responses added to a better understanding of the perceptions of music education faculty career changes.
Wendy K. Matthews, Ph.D., associate professor and director of bands, and Kent State faculty members Cynthia Kenyon, Ph.D., and Danielle Manring, M.Ed., presented “Bringing Two Worlds Together through Music: Preservice Teachers and Students with Special Needs.” The study documented the researchers’ work in Matthews’ Instrumental Methods class, which organized opportunities for music education students to teach beginning band for students in Kent State’s Career and Community Studies (CCS) program. Housed in the College of Education, Health and Human Services, CCS is a transitional, non-degree program that prepares students with intellectual and developmental disabilities for adult life through academic pursuits, peer socialization, and career discovery and preparation.
Also presented was a collaborative project conducted by Matthews along with music education doctoral students Eric Bable, BethAnn Hepburn, Will Kish, Bill Klein and Kristin Koterba. Titled “Building the Plane During Flight: A Collaborative Autoethnography of Music Teachers during COVID-19,” the study collected and reported data on the researchers’ own experiences as music teachers at all levels during the pandemic. It highlights the resilience of teachers and their ability to pivot multiple times throughout the school year and the importance of peer support.
The Society for Music Teacher Education was founded in 1982 and is part of the National Association for Music Education, an organization that supports all levels of music education and aims to ensure access to quality music programs. The next Symposium will be held in 2023. Learn more on the SMTE website.