MARGARET SCHMIDT
Margaret Schmidt, professor of music education-strings, holds a doctorate in music education from the University of Michigan, a master's in violin performance from SUNY-StonyBrook, and a bachelor'sin music education from Lawrence University. Prior to her appointment at ASU, Professor Schmidt was associate professor of music education and chairperson of the Music Department at St. Cloud State University. A specialist in string education, she has held public school string positions in Naperville, Illinois, Jackson, Michigan, Albuquerque, New Mexico, and Austin, Minnesota.
Professor Schmidt’s research focuses on preservice and beginning teachers, and teachers and students in underserved schools. She has published articles in leading education journals including the Journal of Research in Music Education and the American String Teacher. Schmidt is a frequent presenter at conferences including the Music Educators National Conference, the American String Teachers Association, and the American Educational Research Association. She is founder and director of the ASU String Project, which in 2005 won the Robert Jesselson String Project Consortium Award for the nation’s outstanding String Project. |
College Experiences of Music Educators from Low SES Backgrounds
As I have provided opportunities for preservice teachers in our program to consider the diverse backgrounds and interests of their future K-12 music students, a few have mentioned in class discussions that they come from families with limited incomes. I have found that, although it is challenging to separate race and ethnicity from SES for study, students from lower income families have spoken about particular challenges in earning college degrees that seem different from those specifically having to do with their race and ethnicity. Socioeconomic status contributes to structural inequities that limit children’s access to, and experiences with, music education from a young age (Bates, 2012, 2018). University music faculty, the gatekeepers for admission to music education programs, most often come from relatively privileged backgrounds, and may be oblivious to the systemic hurdles that belie their beliefs in a meritocratic admissions system (Bradley, 2015; Koza, 2008). Researchers have studied the experiences of students of color in predominantly white university music programs (Castañeda Lechuga & Schmidt, 2017; McCall, 2015). They have also examined the experiences of preservice music educators who value musical styles other than the Western classical music generally valued in schools of music (Brewer, 2014; Kruse, 2013). Researchers in higher education have explored the experiences of first-generation college students (e.g., Lanford, 2018; Schoorman, 2016) but there is minimal similar research in promoting equitable practices in music teacher preparation (Elpus, 2015; Fitzpatrick, Henninger, & Taylor, 2014; Vasil & McCall, 2018).
The purpose of this comparative case study was to gain a better understanding of the experiences of four K-12 music educators who describe their family’s financial situation as lower SES and/or who were the first in their families to attend college. My goal was to become more aware of the ways that these students felt marginalized. We faculty may fail to recognize both the challenges they encountered in navigating a university music education program, and the strengths they brought that allowed them to successfully complete the program. I chose to interview program graduates because, now settled into careers as music educators, they have had time to reflect on their college experiences. How did they become interested in being a music educator? What were their experiences preparing for college in general, and music school auditions in particular? What supports and hindrances did they encounter in completing their college degrees? What accommodations did they have to make in pursuing their education? What did their families think about their choices along the way (e.g., choosing an instrument, sticking with it, teacher requests for private lessons or instrument purchase, going to college)? What needed supports did they not get, and what advice do they have for all university faculty? I also wanted to learn from them how they draw on their encounters with—and experiences of overcoming—structural injustice in K-12 and collegiate education to empower their current students’ experiences with music in their classrooms.
References
Bates, V. C. (2012). Social class and school music. Music Educators Journal, 98(4), 33-37.
Bates, V. C. (2018). Equity in music education: Back to class: Music education and poverty. Music Educators Journal, 105(2), 72-74.
Bradley, D. (2015). Hidden in plain sight: Race and racism in music education. In C. Benedict, P. Schmidt, G. Spruce, & P. Woodford (Eds.), The Oxford handbook of social justice in music education (pp. 190-203). New York: Oxford University Press.
Castañeda Lechuga, C., & Schmidt, M. (2018). Cultural straddling: The double life of a mariachi music education major. In Brent Talbot, Ed., Marginalized voices in music education (pp. 80-98). New York: Routledge.
Elpus, K. (2015). Music teacher licensure candidates in the United States: A demographic profile and analysis of licensure examination scores. Journal of Research in Music Education, 63(3), 314-335.
Fitzpatrick, K. R., Henninger, J. C., & Taylor, D. M. (2014). Access and retention of marginalized populations within undergraduate music education degree programs. Journal of Research in Music Education, 62(2), 105–127.
Koza, J. (2008). Listening for Whiteness: Hearing racial politics in undergraduate school music. Philosophy of Music Education Review, 16(2), 145-155.
Kruse, A. J. (2013). “I always had my instrument”: The story of Gabriella Ramires. Bulletin of the Council for Research in Music Education, 195, 25-40.
Lanford, M. (2018). Making sense of “outsiderness”: How life history informs the college experiences of “nontraditional” students. Qualitative Inquiry, 25(5), 500-512.
McCall, J. M. (2015). Degree perseverance among African Americans transitioning from Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) to Predominantly White Institutions (PWIs). (PhD). Arizona State University, ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global. (1682266271)
Schoorman, D. (2016). From the “Ivory Tower” to the “University of the Poor”: A professor’s educational journey. Urban Education, 51(7), 797-823.
Vasil, M., & McCall, J. M. (2018). The perspectives of two first-generation college students pursuing doctoral degrees in music education. Journal of Music Teacher Education, 27(2).
The purpose of this comparative case study was to gain a better understanding of the experiences of four K-12 music educators who describe their family’s financial situation as lower SES and/or who were the first in their families to attend college. My goal was to become more aware of the ways that these students felt marginalized. We faculty may fail to recognize both the challenges they encountered in navigating a university music education program, and the strengths they brought that allowed them to successfully complete the program. I chose to interview program graduates because, now settled into careers as music educators, they have had time to reflect on their college experiences. How did they become interested in being a music educator? What were their experiences preparing for college in general, and music school auditions in particular? What supports and hindrances did they encounter in completing their college degrees? What accommodations did they have to make in pursuing their education? What did their families think about their choices along the way (e.g., choosing an instrument, sticking with it, teacher requests for private lessons or instrument purchase, going to college)? What needed supports did they not get, and what advice do they have for all university faculty? I also wanted to learn from them how they draw on their encounters with—and experiences of overcoming—structural injustice in K-12 and collegiate education to empower their current students’ experiences with music in their classrooms.
References
Bates, V. C. (2012). Social class and school music. Music Educators Journal, 98(4), 33-37.
Bates, V. C. (2018). Equity in music education: Back to class: Music education and poverty. Music Educators Journal, 105(2), 72-74.
Bradley, D. (2015). Hidden in plain sight: Race and racism in music education. In C. Benedict, P. Schmidt, G. Spruce, & P. Woodford (Eds.), The Oxford handbook of social justice in music education (pp. 190-203). New York: Oxford University Press.
Castañeda Lechuga, C., & Schmidt, M. (2018). Cultural straddling: The double life of a mariachi music education major. In Brent Talbot, Ed., Marginalized voices in music education (pp. 80-98). New York: Routledge.
Elpus, K. (2015). Music teacher licensure candidates in the United States: A demographic profile and analysis of licensure examination scores. Journal of Research in Music Education, 63(3), 314-335.
Fitzpatrick, K. R., Henninger, J. C., & Taylor, D. M. (2014). Access and retention of marginalized populations within undergraduate music education degree programs. Journal of Research in Music Education, 62(2), 105–127.
Koza, J. (2008). Listening for Whiteness: Hearing racial politics in undergraduate school music. Philosophy of Music Education Review, 16(2), 145-155.
Kruse, A. J. (2013). “I always had my instrument”: The story of Gabriella Ramires. Bulletin of the Council for Research in Music Education, 195, 25-40.
Lanford, M. (2018). Making sense of “outsiderness”: How life history informs the college experiences of “nontraditional” students. Qualitative Inquiry, 25(5), 500-512.
McCall, J. M. (2015). Degree perseverance among African Americans transitioning from Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) to Predominantly White Institutions (PWIs). (PhD). Arizona State University, ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global. (1682266271)
Schoorman, D. (2016). From the “Ivory Tower” to the “University of the Poor”: A professor’s educational journey. Urban Education, 51(7), 797-823.
Vasil, M., & McCall, J. M. (2018). The perspectives of two first-generation college students pursuing doctoral degrees in music education. Journal of Music Teacher Education, 27(2).