Date of Award

5-2026

Document Type

Open Access Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Music Education (MME)

First Advisor

Dr. Casey Schmidt

Second Advisor

Dr. Michele Kaschub

Keywords

Music Education, Elementary Music Teaching

Abstract

The purpose of this mixed-methods study was to explore the repertoire selection practices of elementary general music teachers in the state of Maine. Participants (N = 94) completed a survey asking for the demographic information of their school community, their level of education, the repertoire resources they most often use when planning, and what criteria would cause them to omit or remove a song or piece from their curriculum. Song collection websites were the most popular repertoire resource among participants, and the leading criteria for a good song choice were songs “with a variety of musical elements”. “Historical context” was the leading response for why teachers would omit or remove a song from their curriculum. Themes that emerged from the interviews were “Gauging student needs,” “Finding online community,” “Researching individual songs,” and “Planning for repertoire selection.” Survey responses were aligned with codes and themes from the interviews to and labelled as “confirmation” when in agreement, “deviation” when they did not align, and "explanation" when the interviews helped to provide nuance to the survey results. Findings from the mixed-methods comparison showed that elementary general music teachers surveyed use the majority of their planning time doing repertoire research and seek community in online spaces like forums, supporting each other in expanding their repertoire, researching problematic songs, and identifying engaging song choices that meet their students’ needs.

Download

Share

COinS