Informal learning practices in the teaching and music making of music teachers

This article is published in Research Perspectives in Music Education Vol. 18, No. 1, 2016

The purpose of this pilot study was to examine two classroom teachers who participate in informal music making and have introduced aspects of the experiences into their teaching. I examined the availability of informal learning environments in the form of musical “sessions” or gatherings in a city in upstate New York. Through purposeful sampling techniques, I observed two teachers in each of their informal session settings. Both teachers were then asked to take part in a quasi-structured interview about their use of informal music learning practices in their classroom teaching. The data from both aspects of the study were coded and compared to draw out themes such as their use of repetition, their performance of several styles of music, and their interest in learning many of the instruments found in the style in which they participated. These themes imply the usefulness of participation in informal music experiences for pre-service and in-service teachers. Recommendations of further research include identification of similar individuals to the participants in this study on a national level and using that data to initiate similar studies in other parts of the country.

A full copy of the article can be requested at saundersr22@gmail.com