Development and Interactions of Instructor and Student Musical Identities in a University Introductory Music Course for Non-Music Majors
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University of Northern Colorado Scholarship & Creative Works @ Digital UNC Master's Theses Student Research 5-3-2021 Development and Interactions of Instructor and Student Musical Identities in a University Introductory Music Course for Non-Music Majors Nicholas Booker [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://digscholarship.unco.edu/theses Recommended Citation Booker, Nicholas, "Development and Interactions of Instructor and Student Musical Identities in a University Introductory Music Course for Non-Music Majors" (2021). Master's Theses. 201. https://digscholarship.unco.edu/theses/201 This Dissertation/Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Student Research at Scholarship & Creative Works @ Digital UNC. It has been accepted for inclusion in Master's Theses by an authorized administrator of Scholarship & Creative Works @ Digital UNC. For more information, please contact [email protected]. UNIVERSITY OF NORTHERN COLORADO Greeley, Colorado The Graduate School DEVELOPMENT AND INTERACTIONS OF INSTRUCTOR AND STUDENT MUSICAL IDENTITIES IN A UNIVERSITY INTRODUCTORY MUSIC COURSE FOR NON-MUSIC MAJORS A Thesis Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Music Nicholas Alexander Booker College of Performing and Visual Arts School of Music Music Education May 2021 This Thesis by: Nicholas Alexander Booker Entitled: Development and Interactions of Instructor and Student Musical Identities in a University Introductory Music Course for Non-music Majors has been approved as meeting the requirement for the Degree of Master of Music in the College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences in the Department of Music program of Music Education Accepted by the Thesis Committee: ______________________________________________ Brian Casey, D.M.A., Chair, Advisor ______________________________________________ Nancy Glen, D.A., Committee Member Accepted by the Graduate School _____________________________________________________ Jeri-Anne Lyons, Ph.D. Dean of the Graduate School Associate Vice President for Research ABSTRACT Booker, Nicholas Alexander. Development and Interactions of Instructor and Student Musical Identities in a University Introductory Music Course for Non-music Majors. Unpublished Master of Music thesis or creative project, University of Northern Colorado, 2021. The purpose of this study Was to investigate student and instructor musical identities in the context of a university music course intended for non- music majors. Participants Were the instructor of an introductory music course and 16 of her students at a medium-sized university in the Western United States. Study of this group of participants and their interactions throughout one 15-week semester led to greater understanding of their roles in music as Well as better insight into the many Ways in Which they formed connections betWeen music and their identity concepts. The research alloWed for the development of assertions based on participant perceptions regarding identities and the development and interactions of those perceptions over time. Of the 17 total participants, nine student participants and the one instructor participated in three 1-hour intervieW sessions each. These intervieWs Were used to generate the majority of the data used in the study. Data Were also gathered in the forms of five class observations and various documents related to the class. Analysis of these data sources led to three primary assertions regarding the musical identities of participants, the development of those musical identities, and the Ways in Which they Were related to instructor-student iii interactions. First, student participants generally vieWed interaction With their instructor as having some influences on their musical identities particularly With regard to contextualizing or reinforcing identities. Second, student participants believed that their preexisting and developing musical identities Were impactful on the effects Which the introductory music course had on their lives. Third, various effects Which the instructor had on the musical identities of student participants in this case study Were influenced by her oWn preexisting and developing musical identities. These assertions suggest that instructor and student musical identities can interact in Ways Which create noticeable changes for all of those involved in introductory music courses for non-music majors. Instructors and leaders involved With similar classes may consider the possibility that neither instructors nor students have direct control over many of the musical identities Which could affect instructor-student interaction. Instructors in similar classes should also consider the possibility that demonstrating and maintaining interest in student identities may serve to increase their understanding of their students and contribute to more effective instruction. Additionally, While there may be benefits to presenting unbiased perspectives on course content, instructors of similar courses may Wish to consider that alloWing students some knoWledge of their oWn identities may have a positive effect on instructor-student interaction. Lastly, the study demonstrates the potential that introductory music courses for non- music majors may have a marked impact on student identities. University leaders and instructors Who are considering the development, continuation, or removal of iv such courses should accept that these classes may be highly impactful on the experiences and identity developments of certain students. v ACKNOWLEDGMENTS The researcher Would like to extend his thanks to the folloWing people. Dr. Brian Casey and Dr. Nancy Glen, thank you for your guidance, your understanding, and your kindness, Which you Were capable enough to demonstrate even over video calls. Thank you to Dr. Mark Montemayor for your thoughtful guidance in the beginning stages of planning this research and for setting an exceptional example as a scholar, a researcher, and an educator. To the research participants, thank you for giving of your time to make this research possible. Your thoughtfulness and your honesty Were the basis of everything presented here. Thank you also to my family and my partner, Ashtyn Rossman, for listening, laughing, and sometimes crying With me throughout my Work on this project. In the many difficult moments, I kneW I had you to rely on. In the many cheerful moments, I kneW I had you to celebrate with. I oWe this all to you. vi TABLE OF CONTENTS CHAPTER I. INTRODUCTION AND REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE…………... 1 Background on Musical Identities 1 Musical Identities in the Literature 2 Musical Identities in the Context of Places and Social Groups 6 Musical Identities in the Classroom 10 The Appreciation of Music 14 Purpose of the Study 18 Research Questions 20 Definitions 20 II. METHODOLOGY……………………………………………………….. 22 VieWpoints and Research Traditions 22 Design of the Study 23 Ethical Considerations 24 Changes Due to the Global Pandemic 25 Site Selection 27 Data Collection 27 IntervieWs 28 Class Observations and Document Collection 30 Analysis 31 Validity 32 III. RESULTS: EMERGENT THEMES……………………………………. 34 Vignette: “Up in the Air” 34 Instructor Intent and Identity 39 Participant Backgrounds 41 Music in Identities 43 Family Identity 43 Identity and Friend Groups 48 Identity and Age 53 Associations With the Past 58 Associations With Genre and Style 63 Identities in Music 69 Performer 69 Non-performer 79 Interactions BetWeen Identities 81 vii VieWs of Others 88 Student VieWs of Instructor 88 Instructor VieWs of Students 92 Changes in Musical Identities 97 Changes in Instructor Identities 97 Student Skill Development 98 Changes in Student Identities 101 Vignette: “We Can Do It, Right?” 113 IV. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS………………………………..... 116 Perception and Development of Musical Identities 116 Implications for Instructors and Leaders 121 Recommendations for Future Research 124 REFERENCES………………………………………………………………….. 127 APPENDIX A. Recruitment Materials and Consent Forms…………………………... 134 B. IntervieW Protocols……………………………………………………… 145 C. Final Codes for Data Analysis………………………………………..... 164 D. Institutional RevieW Board Exempt Determination………….............. 169 viii LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1: Student Participant Self-Identified Majors……………………….... 42 Figure 2: Student Participant Self-Identified Racial and Ethnic Identities.... 43 Figure 3: Possible Interpretation of Interactions Among Harper’s Musical Identities………………………………………………………………………..... 86 ix 1 CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION AND REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE Background on Musical Identities The majority, if not the totality of people in modern society can be thought of as having musical identities in one Way or another (Folkestad, 2002, p. 151; MacDonald et al., 2002, p. 11). Indeed, it Was John Blacking (1973/2000) Who said, “the nature from Which man has selected his musical styles is not only external to him; it includes his oWn nature” (p. 25). Blacking’s seminal research on the Venda people and cultures of the African continent re-defined how the musical community thinks about music outside of a Western art music paradigm. While his Work pre-dates much of the scholarship used today in defining musical identities, even in 1973, one can see characteristics of the ideas of music in identities (MII) and identities in music (IIM) addressed in the research presented here. In Blacking’s vieW, music is a part of Who We are as humans, both as individuals and as contributors to our society, our culture,