Existing research suggests that the high school ensemble experience is often a strong influence in the decision to teach music and that the majority of music education students plan to teach in a secondary ensemble setting. The purpose of this instrumental case study was to explore the experiences and beliefs of one male undergraduate music education student who chose a student-teaching placement (and subsequent career) in an elementary general music setting rather than his original intent to become a band director. Analysis of interviews, email correspondence, teaching videos, and journal entries revealed four emergent themes in his decision to teach elementary general music: (a) the influence of undergraduate coursework, (b) the participant’s tendency to be student-centered, (c) the need for broadening students’ musical skills and understanding, and (d) dissatisfaction with the current band culture. Findings suggest that music teacher education and future music education research might focus on teacher/director role perceptions, beliefs about the purpose of music education, and critical incidents that can impact career decisions in preservice music teachers, as well as the role of music education coursework in music teacher identity development.

The purpose of this study was to compare the concert band assessments of male-directed ensembles and female-directed ensembles in the state of Virginia. Data included overall ratings of male-directed and female-directed bands ( N = 3,229) that performed at District Concert Assessments held across the state in the past 6 years (2013–2018), which were publicly available on the website of the Virginia Band and Orchestra Directors Association. Results showed a statistically significant association between ratings and director gender at both the middle school and high school levels. In both instances, male-directed ensembles were more likely to receive a I rating, whereas female-directed ensembles were more likely to receive a II rating. This association was more pronounced at the high school level. Implications include a need for further exploration of possible bias in band festival rating systems as well as increased sensitivity to equitable hiring and representation of women in the field of secondary band teaching.

The purpose of this case study was to explore one elementary music teacher’s beliefs about the nature of musical ability and the ways in which these beliefs relate to actions and lived experiences in the classroom. Data included extensive classroom observations documented through fieldnotes and video footage, semi-structured interviews, teacher journal entries, teaching artifacts, and researcher memos. Three themes emerged from the data: (a) enabling success for all; (b) power of the learning environment; and (c) encouraging lifelong engagement with music. The findings of this study suggest that music educators’ beliefs about students’ musical abilities relate to their actions in the music classroom, their interactions with students, and their beliefs about the purpose of music education. Music educators should reflect on their beliefs, the ways in which they relate to teaching practice, and the impact they may have on students’ musical achievement and musical identity development. Additionally, music teacher educators should consider the role they might play in helping pre-service as well as in-service music teachers examine and possibly reshape their beliefs about music teaching and learning.

Few entering music education students plan to teach in an elementary general music (EGM) setting, and the majority of those who teach EGM are female and have vocalist backgrounds. The purpose of this collective case study was to examine six male instrumentalists’ decisions to pursue a career in EGM teaching rather than secondary instrumental music. Analysis of interview data revealed three emergent themes: (a) development of a new schema for EGM, (b) teacher beliefs and identity, and (c) tension between autonomy and the perceived “status quo” in traditional instrumental music education. Findings suggest music teacher educators should be aware of the power of “detracked” coursework in music teacher preparation programs as well as the factors that might influence individuals to choose a career in EGM teaching and/or deter them from choosing a career in secondary instrumental music teaching.

Considering the potential for stereotypes to shape professional expectations, the four researchers in this study investigated photographic representation of adult men and women in implied positions of authority in 50 years (1962–2011) of issues of Music Educators Journal ( MEJ). Data included every photograph ( N = 7,288) of adults conducting, teaching or presenting, or granted the authority of having their picture labeled with their name (named persons), and were analyzed by year over the 50-year period. Results showed that females composed 28% of these photographs, with the largest representation of females being found in the teaching/presenting category (56%) and markedly smaller representations of females found in the conducting (21%) and named persons (20%) categories. Fluctuations in certain categories across the five decades suggest that while representation of males and females in MEJ has changed in 50 years, inequity persists. Implications include a call for greater attention and effort toward equitable representation in music education media for publishers, authors, and other contributors in addition to increased sensitivity to the representations of male and female stereotypes and professional expectations encountered by music educators and students.