The Self-Expressed Professional Development Needs of Music Educators
Chelcy
Bowles
University
of Wisconsin-Madison
Abstract
In an effort to
better serve its members, the Wisconsin Music Educators Association requested
and financially supported a survey to investigate their self-perceived
professional development needs of in-service music educators in the state. A
questionnaire was developed to explore interest in topics for professional
development opportunities (workshops in particular) and for general preferences
regarding motivation, sponsorship, leadership, format, accreditation, costs,
location, housing, and study requirements. Respondents were also asked to
indicate their teaching specialty (band, choir, elementary general, etc.) and
teaching level (elementary, middle school, university, etc.), with directions
to indicate multiple specialties and levels if appropriate. A letter describing
the purpose of the survey and the questionnaire were mailed to 1541 active
members of the Wisconsin Music Educators Association. Four hundred fifty-six
completed questionnaires were returned and were analyzed as to demographics,
topics and general preferences. Respondents included teachers of elementary
general music, band, choir, secondary general music, orchestra, and private
lessons (in descending order of frequency). Results indicated that 31% of all
respondents teach two specialties (including private lessons), with the most
frequent combinations being choir and elementary and/or secondary general
music. Teachers of band do not commonly teach other specialties. More than half
in each specialty category teach at multiple levels.
The most
frequently chosen topics of interest by descending rank order were Technology,
Assessment, Instrument/Choral Literature, Standards, Creativity, and Grant
Writing. General music teachers are most interested in topics that would be
directly related to General Music, and are also more interested in Multiple
Intelligence, Multiculturalism and Interdisciplinary Curriculum than the total
responding. Secondary general, choir, and orchestra teachers are also highly
interested in Health-Related Issues.
Regarding general
programming concerns, all specialties reported essentially the same preferences
as the total responding. Profiling the preferences for all respondents,
in-service music educators prefer programs sponsored by university continuing
education music programs, want/need university credit, prefer academic
leadership by a state or regional professional, prefer consecutive-day
intensive summer workshops, are not willing to travel over 100 miles, prefer to
stay in commercial hotels, are willing to spend $75 per day, $150 per graduate
credit, and $50 on materials in addition to the workshop fee. Regarding
distance learning opportunities, 42% percent said they are interested in studying
via electronic correspondence course, 37% by mail correspondence; 43% are not
interested at all in studying via correspondence.
As a result of the
survey, WMEA is sponsoring its first credit workshop for music educators in
Summer 2000, considering all of the expressed needs and preferences possible at
this time, and with plans for sponsoring future opportunities. Results of this
study may be of use to universities, school administrators, arts organizations,
and local, state and national professional organizations that program
professional development opportunities for music educators. In addition, the
survey instrument may serve as a model to investigate the preferences of
particular groups of music educators and for other populations seeking professional
development opportunities.
Chelcy Bowles,
Associate Professor
Director of Continuing
Education in Music
University of
Wisconsin-Madison
720 Lowell Center, 610
Langdon St.
Madison, WI 53703-1195
608/265-5629