Before the singing : the journey of an artistic director

Abstract

Reflective practices and teacher leadership development can be meaningful and integral components of music teacher education. The purpose of this study was to examine the professional journey and reflective practices of an artistic director of a large, nonprofit community children's choir organization in the Midwestern United States. The conceptual framework for this case study with narrative techniques included two main areas of practice: reflective teaching (critically reflective teaching and reflective practitioner) and teacher leadership. The overarching research question asked: How does a successful children's choir director enact effective teacher leadership through reflective practices? The related sub-questions were as follows: 1) How does the participant's life history inform her vision for the organization? 2) What characterizes the participant's views of teacher leadership and creative work as artistic director? 3) What characterizes the participant's views of learning and teaching in the children's choir context? Data collection included transcripts from three semi-structured interviews, a follow up interview, two rehearsal observation sequences with one video-stimulated recall iteration, field memos, and artifacts. I used a constant comparative method to examine the coded transcripts, memos, field notes, video observation logs, and artifacts. Trustworthiness was established through data triangulation, a follow-up interview, participant checking, and peer checking. Three main themes emerged from the analysis: building a scaffold for reflective teacher leadership, artistic director as leader, and the intersection of reflective practitioner and teacher leader. Findings suggested that the participant's well-defined philosophies of leadership and teaching, reflective rehearsal pedagogy, and pedagogical thoughtfulness had a significant, positive impact on the high quality, experiential opportunities provided to the choristers and the choir organization as a whole.

Five Lives Represented in the Waiata Collected by Alfred Hill—A Biographical Methodology for the Historiography of Aotearoa New Zealand Musics

“…150 However, he also attributes the physical superiority of Māori rugby players to an inherited tradition of high-level physical training, such as running, dancing, and 'spear play'. 151 Further, unlike the contemporary racialised educational discourse that Hokowhitu identifies, which domesticated Māori intelligence within labouring roles, Hoben highlights that Māori men could be both successful rugby players (singling out by name Warbrick, Ellison, Gage, and Tomoana) and accomplished university students and newspaper editors. 152 Notably, his descriptions of casual games played by girls, multi-generational hapū, and shearing gangs hint at a greater and wider presence of early Māori rugby than is currently appreciated.…”

“…These are now cared for, respectively, at Rotorua Museum-Te Whare Taonga o Te Arawa and Tairāwhiti Museum. Although, or perhaps more so because, these piupiu were placed in museums primarily in connection with 88 Blackley, 'The Galleries of Maoriland',222. See for example Arini Loader, 'Kei Wareware: Remembering Te Rauparaha ', Biography 39, no.3 (2016): 339-365. For Hill's songs later adopted and adapted by Māori, see for example Cross, 'Forgotten Soundtrack', 97 89 I have transcribed Hill's interviews and Williams' oral histories.…”

“…106 Sydney G. remembered that the Hoben family home at Manly was a rendezvous for Te Aute students, although the team stayed at a nearby hotel. 107 He also recalled his own role: 'I was then only a child, but I have vivid memories of myself, wearing Maori mats [kākahu] and huia feathers, being taken on to the field as the team's mascot'. 108 Besides playing rugby, students attended prestigious functions where they gave music performances.…”

“…For a history of European racialised discourse on body type, see Orkin and Joubin, Race, 64-70. 151 Hoben, 'National Game', 44. 152 Respectively, Hokowhitu, 'Māori Rugby ', 2322-2323Hoben, 'National Game', 44-45. Tomoana edited Huia Tangata Kotahi, see Ballara and Huata, 'Tomoana'.…”

“…106 This date is curious as in late June the Evening Post reported that he had only recently completed the score after visiting Greytown, 'where facilities were afforded him of making a close acquaintance with Maori ideas of melody'. 107 Hill visited Wairarapa for a fortnight in May. 108 He may have been one of the 100 Pākehā who attended an opposition politician's meeting at Pāpāwai on 12 May, and the meal that followed, which was provided by the Māori community at Pāpāwai pā.…”