An Analysis of Certification Practices for Music Educators in the Fifty States

Abstract

Bruner (1977) observed that "Americans are a changing people; their geographical mobility makes imperative some degree of uniformity among high school and primary schools. Yet the diversity of American communities and of American life in general makes equally imperative some degree of variety" (p. 9). These observations also pertain to teacher credentialing practices in the United States. A mobile society will see not only students relocating from state to state, but teachers as well. While uniform teacher certification procedures, as called for by the Carnegie Task Force on Teaching as a Profession ( 1986), the Holmes Group (1986), andGallegos (1978), may seem accommodating to teachers, the diversity of school settings and student populations among the states necessitates variety in certification practices.Each state determines its own standards for certifying teachers. Consequently, certification practices among states vary significantly. Differences in standards appear even more varied when looking at a single certification area, such as music. For those involved in music teacher education, knowledge of the various certification practices is an important tool in providing quality, relevant preparation for future music educators. While it is expected that those involved with music educator training be familiar with certification practices for the state in which their college or university is located, an awareness of requirements in other states is also valuable, particularly for private schools and programs serving a large number of out-of-state students.Knowledge of certification practices can shape assignments and activities within methods courses. While students planning to reside and teach in the same state as the college or university may use state goals and standards when planning lessons and identifying lesson objectives, students planning to teach in other states may benefit from citing standards or criteria from other states or the National Standards for Music Education (Coalition of National Arts Education Asoociations, 1994). In addition, those serving as advisors to students can offer accurate and helpful information to students interested in teaching in other states, particularly in terms of testing and additional course requirements.

Teaching general music to young adolescents: Findings from a survey of music teacher perspectives

“…The absence of statistically significant findings related to the influence of preservice education is worthy of further consideration by the field of music education. Preservice music education in the United States typically focuses on developing music educators prepared to teach K-12 (Henry, 2005) and thus programs must make choices about which grade levels or music content areas are prioritized in the curriculum. Yet, the absence of preservice as an influencer on how music educators teach middle school general music raises several questions for future research.…”

An Analysis of State Music Education Certification and Licensure Practices in the United States

“…Few studies have been conducted on music teacher certification practices across the 50 states and the District of Columbia, perhaps due to the difficulty of the data collection process (Dumas & Weible, 1984; Henry, 2005). In a 50-state study of elementary teacher certification, Dumas and Weible (1984) reported the necessity of making judgments about the exact nature of certification requirements despite repeated contact with state offices of education.…”

“…Teacher certification and licensure practices for music educators vary by state. Preservice music teachers, practicing music teachers, and music teacher educators can all benefit from knowledge of music teacher certification and licensure practices, as this knowledge can inform the quality of teacher preparation programs and teaching practices (Henry, 2005). An understanding of teacher certification and licensure practices can also help inform curriculum decisions for music teacher preparation programs and assist with student advisement specific to employment (Henry, 2005).…”

“…Preservice music teachers, practicing music teachers, and music teacher educators can all benefit from knowledge of music teacher certification and licensure practices, as this knowledge can inform the quality of teacher preparation programs and teaching practices (Henry, 2005). An understanding of teacher certification and licensure practices can also help inform curriculum decisions for music teacher preparation programs and assist with student advisement specific to employment (Henry, 2005). To ensure that preservice music teacher preparation programs reflect current trends in teacher education policies and practices, music teacher educators must be cognizant of important changes made to state licensure requirements as well as variations in these requirements across states.…”

A Case Study of a Noncredentialed, Second-Career Music Educator

“…Music teacher education programs commonly include specialized coursework and a bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution, plus content examinations designed to ensure teacher readiness for the classroom (Elpus, 2015). Although these certification standards vary from state to state (Elpus, 2015; Ludlow, 2011), such criteria ultimately aim to promote consistency in quality across teacher preparation programs (Henry, 2005).…”