Toward a Relational Understanding by Shannan L. Hibbard A
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Music Teacher Presence: Toward a Relational Understanding by Shannan L. Hibbard A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy (Music Education) in the University of Michigan 2017 Doctoral Committee: Professor Colleen M. Conway, Chair Professor Elizabeth A. Davis Associate Professor Kate R. Fitzpatrick Professor Edward W. Sarath Shannan L. Hibbard [email protected] ORCID iD: 0000-0002-8873-6332 © Shannan L. Hibbard 2017 DEDICATION To my dear family: Samuel Scott Melkonian, Violet Marie Melkonian, and David James Lawson. Thank you for being my unwavering supports through this journey. Your love guided this work, and so, you are an integral part of it. Thank you for filling our house with music. Whether recording songs, plunking out tunes on the piano, playing records, improvising together, or sampling Earl’s meow on the 1980’s Casio keyboard, may our daily interactions with music continue to bring us closer, make us laugh, and give our lives meaning. ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS To the students with whom I worked at Holcomb Elementary in Detroit, University Prep Elementary (Ellen Thompson and Mark Murray Campuses) in Detroit, The Boggs School in Detroit, and Four Corners Montessori: Thank you for giving of yourselves while we shared music. I have never laughed so hard or felt so deeply as I have in the moments we spent together. I learned about what it means to be present through our time together. Thank you for showing me a better way. To the participants who were willing to share some very personal stories about themselves and their teaching lives, I cannot thank you enough. I acknowledge your vulnerability and openness in our time together. I recognize the privilege I have in bringing your powerful stories to others. I want to express my sincere gratitude to the faculty of the music education department at the University of Michigan, School of Music, Theatre, and Dance. Dr. Hopkins, Dr. McCarthy, Dr. Rodriguez, and Dr. Skadsem, thank you for sharing your wisdom through dynamic dialogue and extending your patience and compassion to me throughout my time in the program. Dr. Fitzpatrick, thank you for your feedback on this project, and for your constant encouragement and positive example. Dr. Conway, I cannot express how grateful I am for keeping me on this task, for the countless opportunities you placed in my path, and for your faith in my work. Thank you, Dr. Davis for giving up so much time and energy for this project, and for your much-needed perspective. Professor Sarath, thank you for the deep spiritual and musical impact you’ve had on my life, for growing my iii musicianship, and for your inspiring commitment to creating change in this world. To the lineage of amazing people to precede me in the Ph.D. program at the University of Michigan: Dr. Ryan Hourigan, Dr. Ann Marie Stanley, Dr. John Eros, Dr. Kristen Pellegrino, Dr. Chad West, Dr. Lisa Furman, Dr. Scott Edgar, Dr. C. Michael Palmer, and Dr. Christopher Bulgren. I am constantly inspired by your work, and I am grateful for every moment of encouragement you have offered me. To my peers in the program, Dr. Erin Hansen, Dr. Sommer Forrester, Andy McGuire, and Dr. Jared Rawlings, if I could only chronicle all the hilarious and touching moments we have shared. Thank you for your lasting friendships and for accepting me for who I am. For all of you and only you I will say GO BLUE! I want to acknowledge Jessica Marra and Chris Marra for your helpful feedback in the proposal stage, and for the brief, but fun times we shared as long-lost peers in the program. Thank you to Dr. Kristen Pellegrino and Dr. Sommer Forrester for your extremely helpful comments in the end stages of the study, and to Dr. Christopher Baumgartner for your extensive editing work and incredible eye for APA. I am beyond grateful for the hours you committed to helping me in the editing stages. To my extended family of wonderful women: MaryAnn Hibbard, Tam Weber, Elise Hibbard, Pam Vinson, Dr. Heather Vinson, and Tab Vinson, thank you for your love, support, laughs, and the beautiful and unique ways you show your love this world. Heather, your commitment to finishing your Ph.D. has been an inspiration from the start. To my dearest friends Emilie Rohrbach, Nicole Baranek, Jenny Nesbitt, Alyssa Brown, and Joanna Heiman-Aldridge, our kinship is a constant source of energy and inspiration. Thank you for always cheering me on. Most importantly, to my family, I will never forget all the big and small things you have each done to help me during this time. Mom and Dad, you are the reasons that music first became so important in my life, both through your examples and your enduring support through every musical iv endeavor I sought. When life became difficult during this Ph.D. journey, your compassion, generosity, and commitment was the net that cushioned me from hitting bottom. Sam, you started Kindergarten the day I began in the program. Serenaded by the sweet sounds of your ukulele, you have remained patient and encouraging through it all. Violet, you were only a year old at the start, but your infectious energy, hugs, and laughs have been a light in many dark times. Dave, you came into my life at the perfect time, and I cannot express what your support has meant for me and for the completion of this project. Thank you for your unending patience and grace, but most of all for being such a loving partner. My family, I am a changed woman because of your love. v TABLE OF CONTENTS DEDICATION ................................................................................................................................ ii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ............................................................................................................. iii LIST OF FIGURES ....................................................................................................................... xi LIST OF APPENDICES ............................................................................................................... xii ABSTRACT ................................................................................................................................. xiii CHAPTER I – INTRODUCTION ...............................................................................................1 Key Question ...................................................................................................................................4 Presence in Teaching .......................................................................................................................5 The Need for Presence in Music Education .........................................................................7 Student and Teacher Roles in Music Education ..............................................................................7 Descriptions of “Student-Centeredness” in Practitioner Literature .....................................8 Constructivist perspective ........................................................................................9 General “student-centered” rhetoric ......................................................................10 Examining “teacher-centered” rhetoric ..................................................................11 A false dichotomy? ................................................................................................12 Pedagogical Bias ............................................................................................................................13 Conclusion .....................................................................................................................................14 CHAPTER II – CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK ...................................................................16 Personal Interests ...........................................................................................................................16 Epistemological Foundation: Universal Integralism .........................................................16 Epistemological evolution and music education....................................................17 Definition of universal integralism ........................................................................18 Spirituality..........................................................................................................................21 Defining spirituality ...............................................................................................22 Personal Connection ..........................................................................................................23 Theoretical Framework: Presence ..................................................................................................24 Presence as Self-Awareness or Connection to the Self (I-I relationship) ..........................27 Presence as Connection to Students (I-Thou Relationship) ...............................................29 vi The relational learner .............................................................................................30 Helping children location and develop their authentic voice.....................30 Creating regular, dependable, and responsive practices ............................32 Creating learning environments that support teachers’ ability to know their students ..............................................................................................32 Boundaries, care, and control.....................................................................33