Teaching music teachers: CU-Boulder at SMTE
College of Music faculty, students and alumni had a big presence at the Society for Music Teacher Education's recent symposium.
The way music teachers are recruited, trained and evaluated is evolving, and in the middle of the conversation about its future are the music education faculty, students and alumni at the University of Colorado Boulder.
Last month, five members of the music ed department, along with four PhD students, attended the Symposium on Music Teacher Education at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. Assistant Professor of Music Education David Rickels鈥攚ho is on the national board for SMTE鈥攕ays the information and experiences shared at this conference are crucial in keeping music education relevant.
鈥淭his is the only conference on teaching music teachers,鈥 he says. 鈥淥thers are more broadly related to music education, but this one is so influential because it brings together researchers and pedagogues to share鈥攅ven shape鈥攃urrent thinking about music teacher education.鈥
And that, Rickels explains, is core to the mission of the music ed department at CU-Boulder. It鈥檚 why our faculty, students and alumni have made it a point to have a strong presence at the biennial gathering. This year, CU-Boulder led 16 sessions over the course of three days, running the gamut on everything from mentorship to licensure.
Associate Professor of Music Education Margaret Berg presented on the Middle School Ensemble program during a poster session, sharing lessons learned and discoveries made. 鈥淚t鈥檚 great to be able to go to sessions designed to share ideas about the programs and different practices of other universities,鈥 continues Rickels. 鈥淚 heard from people who have used the same kinds of classroom technologies that I鈥檝e been researching and incorporating.
鈥淚t鈥檚 very current, and that鈥檚 what I like most about it.鈥
Rickels says the conference also offered an opportunity for faculty to reconnect with alumni, who continue to be a part of the conversation about music teacher education. 鈥淥ur graduates were there presenting, influencing the dialogue.
鈥淲e also had current students鈥攚ho aren鈥檛 even in the field yet鈥攁lready getting involved. That鈥檚 exciting.鈥
Among music education programs nationwide, Rickels says CU-Boulder had one of the biggest groups of current students, alumni and faculty in attendance at the SMTE conference.
To read about the other sessions presented by our attendees, .