   |
|
|
|
|||
|
|
|||||
THE OCCUPATIONAL ASPIRATIONS AND EXPECTATIONS OF MUSIC EDUCATION MAJORS IN MEXICO
Karendra Devroop
Elizabethtown College
kdevroop@hotmail.com
Beatriz Aguilar
Edgewood College
betina68@yahoo.com
Abstract
The purpose of this study was to investigate the occupational
aspirations and expectations of students majoring in music education in
Mexico. Participants (N = 83) included the entire population of music
education majors enrolled at the National School of Music at the
National Autonomous University of Mexico during the 2002 academic year.
Questionnaires were administered by one of the researchers, with a
return rate of 92%.
The analysis of occupational aspirations and expectations revealed some
disparities in the types of occupations subjects preferred and expected.
The majority of students indicated they aspired to a combination of
occupations however most students indicated they expected to be engaged
in performance. Teaching was among the least aspired occupations with
less than 9% of respondents indicating they would prefer to teach
exclusively. This is an alarming finding when one considers that the
population under investigation was comprised of music education majors.
Within the context of this study one would expect students’ aspirations
and expectations to be similar since it is generally accepted that a
music education major would naturally aspire and expect to be engaged in
teaching.
Although this study is among the first to investigate the occupational
aspirations and expectations of music education majors in Mexico, the
data does provide baseline information for subsequent investigations.
Recommendations for future research are discussed.
About the Authors
Dr. Karendra Devroop is a Fulbright scholar from Durban, South Africa.
He received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in South Africa and
completed his PhD in music education at the University of North Texas.
He has presented and published his research in the United States, South
Africa, Germany and Canada. He was the 2002 national winner of the Alice
Branfonbrener Young Investigator Award which is sponsored by the
Performing Arts Medical Association. In 2004 he was invited to be a
panelist and contributing author to the Health Promotion in Schools of
Music Conference.
He is an Assistant Professor of music in the department of Fine and
Performing Arts at Elizabethtown College in Elizabethtown, Pennsylvania
where he teaches undergraduate coursework in music education, world
music and supervises student teachers. In addition to his teaching, Dr.
Devroop is an active jazz saxophonist, guest conductor and clinician.
Dr. Beatriz E. Aguilar serves as Assistant Professor at Edgewood
College’s Music Department where she teaches courses related to General
Music Education, group and individual piano, and Fundamentals of Music
Education for education majors. She is also in charge of Edgewood
College’s Early Childhood Music Program. Before moving to the United
States from Mexico, Dr. Aguilar taught at the early childhood, middle
school, and college levels for several years. Dr. Aguilar received a
Bachelor in Piano Performance from the National Autonomous University of
Mexico, a MME and a PhD in Music Education from the University of
North Texas, and is a certified Kodály music educator. Dr. Aguilar is
currently working on a Mexican children’s songs and games collection
with musical and extra-musical pedagogical suggestions for each example
with the intent of publishing it as a book. She has written articles for
the Journal of Historical Research in Music Education, Contributions to
Music Education, and Southwestern Musician, and has presented workshops
in both Mexico and the United States.
Current issue/Vol. 5 | Vol. 4 | Vol. 3 | | Vol. 2 | Vol. 1 | Purpose & Copyright | Submissions & Guidelines | Editorial Board | Contact Us
ISSN 1532-8090
All material © 2007 Research and Issues in Music Education All rights reserved.