Abstract
The purpose of this study was to examine string teachers’ (kindergarten-12th grade [K-12] school teachers, private lesson teachers, and collegiate teachers) practices and attitudes regarding their primary string instrument. Research questions included string teachers’ practices and attitudes regarding modeling on their primary string instrument inside the classroom and string teachers’ practices and attitudes regarding playing their primary string instrument outside the classroom. American String Teachers Association members (K-12 string teachers, private lesson teachers, and college-level string teachers) responded to a researcher-constructed questionnaire (N = 419, response rate = 37%). We found that most participants: (a) claimed to model for students many times a week to many times a day (86.04%); (b) believed benefits of modeling include being an effective teaching tool and positively affecting student motivation and student engagement; (c) reported playing their instrument outside the classroom at least a couple of times a week (75%); (d) reported performing at least one concert a year (94%), with 54% performing over 11 times a year; and (e) reported continuing music making because it was part of their identity (76%) and to keep skills sharp in order to model for students (59%). Findings from this study suggest that music making is an important aspect of string teachers’ (K-12 inservice teachers, private lesson teachers, and college teachers) personal and professional lives, connecting music making with their identity and perceptions of string student learning.
