Abstract
This chapter illuminates the story of “Beth,” a music teacher in the tiny rural community of High Plains, as she worked to adapt to the unique challenges presented in a place where she had little in common with residents. Beth described the distinctions between her worldview and that of her students, her developing perception of teacher role within the community, her sense of isolation and feelings as an outsider, and her expectations for a successful rural music program juxtaposed with intentions of various High Plains stakeholders. Ultimately, Beth recognized the growth such experiences brought to her sense of professional and personal self. She uncovered a desire to seek balance between her own goals as a music teacher and still meet the needs of a student population with limited resources and differing musical conceptions.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution.
Buying options
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Learn about institutional subscriptionsReferences
Ashwood, L. (2018). Rural conservatism or anarchism? The pro-state, stateless, and anti-state positions. Rural Sociology, 83(4), 717–748. https://doi.org/10.1111/ruso.12226.
Azano, A. P., & Stewart, T. T. (2015). Exploring place and practicing justice: Preparing pre-service teachers for success in rural schools. Journal of Research in Rural Education, 30(9), 1–12.
Bates, V. C. (2011). Preparing rural music teachers: Reflecting on “shared visions”. Journal of Music Teacher Education, 20(2), 89–98. https://doi.org/10.1177/1057083710377722.
Brook, J. (2013). Placing elementary music education: A case study of a Canadian rural music program. Music Education Research, 15(3), 290–303. https://doi.org/10.1080/14613808.2013.779641.
Budge, K. (2006). Rural leaders, rural places: Problem, privilege, and possibility. Journal of Research in Rural Education, 21(13), 1–10. Retrieved from http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.614.1996&rep=rep1&type=pdf
Burkett, E. I. (2011). A case study of issues concerning professional development for rural instrumental music teachers. Journal of Music Teacher Education, 21(1), 51–64. https://doi.org/10.1177/1057083710393152.
Connelly, F. M., & Clandinin, D. J. (2006). Narrative inquiry. In J. L. Green, G. Camilli, & P. Elmore (Eds.), Handbook of complementary methods in education research (3rd ed., pp. 477–487). Mahwah: Lawrence Erlbaum.
Fracis, A., & Bakehorn, J. (2013). On (not) practicing what we preach. Contexts, 12(4), 80–83. https://doi.org/10.1177/1536504213511224.
Goodnough, K., & Mulcahy, D. (2011). Developing a teacher candidate identity in the context of a rural internship. Teaching Education, 22(2), 199–216. https://doi.org/10.1080/10476210.2010.539680.
Hogg, M. A., Terry, D., & White, K. M. (1995). A tale of two theories: A critical comparison of identity theory and social identity theory. Social Psychology Quarterly, 58(4), 355–269. Retrieved from http://libproxy.uwyo.edu/login/?url=https://search-proquest-com.libproxy.uwyo.edu/docview/1297038402?accountid=14793
Hunt, C. (2009). Perspectives on rural and urban music teaching: Developing contextual awareness in music education. Journal of Music Teacher Education, 18(1), 34–47. https://doi.org/10.1177/1057083708327613.
Isbell, D. (2005). Music education in rural areas: A few keys to success. Music Educators Journal, 92(2), 30–34. Retrieved from http://libproxy.uwyo.edu/login/?url=https://search-proquest-com.libproxy.uwyo.edu/docview/197181294?accountid=14793
Little, J. (2002). Rural geography: Rural gender identity and the performance of masculinity and femininity in the countryside. Progress in Human Geography, 26(5), 665–670. https://doi.org/10.1191/0309132502ph394pr.
O’Toole, P. (2003). Shaping sound musicians. Chicago: GIA Publications.
Prest, A. (2013). The importance of context, reflection, interaction, and consequence in rural music education practice. Journal of Research in Rural Education, 28(14), 1–13. Retrieved from http://libproxy.uwyo.edu/login/?url=https://search-proquest-com.libproxy.uwyo.edu/docview/1470956893?accountid=14793
Sherman, J. (2009). Bend to avoid breaking: Job loss, gender norms, and family stability in rural America. Social Problems, 56(4), 599–620. https://doi.org/10.1525/sp.2009.56.4.599.
Sieger, C. (2017, June). Establishing communities of musical practice in rural Locales. Spoken paper session presented at the International Symposium on the Sociology of Music Education, London, UK.
Sieger C., & Dalrymple, H. (2017, September). Perceptions of music teaching, socialization, and efficacy in rural school settings. Poster session presented at the Society for Music Teacher Education Symposium on Music Teacher Education, Minneapolis, MN.
Spring, J. (2013). Perspectives of a rural music educators: A narrative journey through ‘sense of place.’ The Rural Educator, 34(3), 27–27. Retrieved from http://libproxy.uwyo.edu/login/?url=https://search-proquest-com.libproxy.uwyo.edu/docview/1467330464?accountid=14793
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2020 Springer Nature Switzerland AG
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Sieger, C. (2020). Navigating the Climate: Perspectives of a Rural Music Educator. In: Smith, T.D., Hendricks, K.S. (eds) Narratives and Reflections in Music Education. Landscapes: the Arts, Aesthetics, and Education, vol 28. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-28707-8_6
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-28707-8_6
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-030-28706-1
Online ISBN: 978-3-030-28707-8
eBook Packages: EducationEducation (R0)