ABSTRACT
It is 7:00 a.m.. The pre-service music teachers embark upon their first teaching experience at the middle-school general music practicum site. They arrive early, leaving enough time to prepare materials for their lessons and to participate in the school’s daily ritual of the Pledge of Allegiance, announcements, trivia question and a moment of silence. Dressed in their finest teacher-clothes, they are excited, nervous, and concerned. Now serving in the role of ‘music teacher’, they wonder: Will the students like us? Will they be interested in our lessons? How can we engage and excite them about making music? The morning bell rings and twenty-eight middle-school students filter into the classroom. Taking their seats, they eye the new teachers in the room and are curious as to what they have in store for them. They speculate: Will we like music class as taught by these new teachers? Will we have to participate in their activities? Will class be fun or boring? In these first silent moments of student–teacher interaction, the pre-service music teachers’ semester-long experience of teaching in an authentic context begins. (Pre-service music teachers’ first day at Shipley School)
