The trumpet metaphor: A narrative of a teacher's mid-career pedagogical change from formal to informal
learning practices.
Research Studies in Music Education 2014 36: 57 originally published online 19 March 2014
Joseph Michael Abramo and Stephen C. Austin
Abstract
Through his first year of teaching this composition course, we – Stephen, the teacher, and Joseph, a music
teacher educator – asked: What dilemmas arise, what new views occur, and what assumptions are questioned
when a veteran and successful instrumental teacher takes on different pedagogical and professional
responsibilities that incorporate an informal pedagogy? What might teacher educators learn from this? These
questions are examined through and framed by Stephen’s metaphor of his primary instrument, the trumpet,
which appears as the epigraph to this paper. By examining each phrase of the metaphor as well as a whole, we
suggest that this quote summarizes his struggles with the implementation of an informal pedagogy.researcharticle2014
Narrative Inquiry Methodology
This project is conceptualized as a narrative inquiry, which looks at individuals’ experiences and beliefs
through the stories they tell (Barrett & Stauffer, 2009)…. central to this investigation is the idea that
metaphors are essential to thinking about and experiencing phenomena.
The sharing of this narrative between two parties is not triangulation; it is not intended to render a “more
accurate” or “real” account of Stephen’s teaching. Instead, it is an attempt to display the complexity of the
stories shared within the context of a collaborative inquiry.
Excerpts:
I think as a trumpet player. I think as a single melodic line instrument. And many students in my
composition class don’t think melodically, they think harmonically, which is difficult for me because
I’ve never been able to be a harmonic instrument (laugh). The disadvantage I have is that as I try to
think harmonically, my sense of harmony are (sic) not a pop music sense of harmonies. What I see as
one key, they see as another key, what I think of as two notes, they think of as a chord. I struggle
because I work as a trumpet player, and I’m concerned with melodies, never harmonies because
theconductor never says, “Steve, play a G chord.” I get the paper and I play what’s in front of me.
(Stephen,interview, 12 March 2012)
…Like a repairer fixes and improves a passive, dented instrument, in the large ensemble, Stephen’s
goal was to improve students by repairing their mistakes. He did this by providing feedback after
they played. Thus, students passively took direction and did not contribute directly to the direction of the
curriculum, just as an instrument has no control over how it is repaired. In this process, he was “the loudest
thing around” while students remained verbally silent. But, this approach did not work in the composition
class where he tried to include student direction, small-group work, and social-constructivist pedagogy.
…Stephen tried to teach differently in composition from the familiar ways he taught in band. In
his words, he was “trying to not do that in this class”. Though his identity and musical thinking was that “of the
trumpet” and that caused him to “be the loudest thing around”, he realized that it was not appropriate in this
class, and this made him question the value of his classical musician skills.
Conclusions
Despite the struggles and dilemmas, teachers can rewrite their narratives, and change, even
if incremental, is possible: I came to this school and told people, “I’m a band director. I do band, I’ve always
done band.” I’ve always tried to teach music in my band class, but I need to do something new as well. So
now, I tell people, “I’m a music teacher.” (Stephen, interview, 31 March 2011)