Abstract
The purpose of this autoethnography was to investigate my development as both a musician and teacher as a result of implementing a new ukulele-based course at the middle school level called “Creative Musicianship.” I was interested in exploring the ways vernacular, informal music experiences and instruction influenced my philosophy of teaching and perception of myself as a musician and teacher. I collected data through journal entries, artifacts from the Creative Musicianship class, and my written philosophy of teaching. After compiling and revisiting the data, I organized and analyzed the narrative with attention to transformation of philosophy and identity and considered through Mezirow’s (Adult Edu 28:100–110. https://doi.org/10.1177/074171367802800202, 1978) transformative learning theory. I concluded that integrating prior experiences as a formally trained musician with new experiences with informal music teaching and learning led to a revision of my frame of reference that was more inclusive. Implications include considerations for music teacher educators to encourage perspective transformation among pre-service music educators and for the music education profession as a whole to support the growth and transformation of practicing teachers.
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Giotta, K.K. (2020). Trading My Baton for a Ukulele. 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_5
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