Elementary General Music Teachers and Professional Development: Kindling the Spark, Fanning the Flame, and Keeping an Eye on the Fire

Abstract

Beginning with the story of a question posed at the end of a professional development meeting ("What does it feel like when you are on the floor making music with the children?") Reynolds unfolds four different narratives—one of them her own—of "feeling like a teacher". The speakers are all experienced teachers in different stages of their careers. Reynolds connects their stories by reflecting on professional development and school experiences (not all of them teaching) that affect the sense of being a teacher, and on what counts as professional development for these teachers.