Teaching the Values of Lifelong Music Engagement to Middle School Band Members: A Teacher Research Study

Abstract

The purpose of this teacher research study was to develop a collaborative classroom project in which adult community musicians of the North Coast Concert Band interacted with members of the 7th grade band at Port Clinton Middle School with the goal of teaching the importance of lifelong musical engagement. Three main research questions guided this study: a) What do community band members’ interactions with students reveal about their lifelong engagement with music? b) How do middle school band students describe their interactions with the community musicians? and c) How is this research likely to influence how I teach toward students’ lifelong musical engagement? This study involved collecting data form 46 middle school band members and four adult community musicians through surveys, small group interviews, a video recorded class discussion and journal logs from the teacher/researcher. Findings indicate that the following elements impact producing lifelong musicians: fostering a classroom environment that develops and celebrates students as musicians, creating additional opportunities in the classroom, providing connections with the community, and increasing the overall visibility of music in the school.