ABSTRACT
There is a substantial body of writing on the myriad roles of music in society (e.g., Green, 2006; Nettl, 1997). This chapter deals with one aspect of the sociology of music, musical identity, specifically identity among the subgroup of people who teach music in kindergarten through grade 12 (K-12) of the public schools of the United States. Identity is defined for this purpose as who a music teacher is as opposed to what a music teacher does (Stållhammar, 2006). Also employed in this chapter is a conception of identity as both a personal way of distinguishing oneself from others, in this case how individual music teachers see themselves in relation to society as well as how society sees them; and also how groups of music educators interact collectively with society (Jorgensen, 2006). Although the occupational identity of music educators is shaped in part by the types of music and musical activities involved, the conception of occupational identity developed in this chapter differs from previous treatments of musical identities of various types (see Hargreaves, Miell, & MacDonald, 2002).
