Preservice Music Teacher Education

Teacher-educators’ primary role is to prepare the next generation of teachers for their future careers, including possibilities in diverse geographic settings. Preservice music teachers report, however, that they are underprepared to teach in rural schools. To investigate this shortcoming in more detail, the authors examined expectations for teacher knowledge as influenced by rural settings through the lenses of Pedagogical Content Knowledge and Core Music Teaching Practices. The resulting emphasis on knowledge of learner characteristics, curriculum, administration, and overall pedagogical content knowledge revealed insights about the importance of field experiences and student-teaching internships in rural schools. This chapter concludes with recommendations for music teacher-educators to address preservice teachers’ urbanormative misconceptions and to recognize the ways rural settings influence each of these knowledge domains. Implications include promoting thoughtful reflections about the affordances and opportunities in rural settings for the benefit of future music teachers and their students.