RACHEL BRASHIER
Rachel Brashier is a Visiting Assistant Professor of Music Education at Westminster Choir College in Princeton, NJ. Originally from Illinois, she earned her Bachelors in Music Performance and Education at Eastern Illinois University and then taught K-12 music (general, vocal, and instrumental) full time in the Chicago area for over 12 years. She also holds Masters degrees in Musicology from Southern Illinois University Carbondale and in Ethnomusicology from the Eastman School of Music, and is completing her PhD in Music Education at the Eastman School of Music. She is currently doing research in the areas of music teacher identity development, informal music learning, and embodied musiking in communities of praxis. Professor Brashier teaches elementary and secondary general and choral music methods and critical pedagogy courses, supervises student teachers and conducts a student teacher seminar, and is a NAfME Chapter advisor. Professor Brashier holds the T. Temple Tuttle Prize (Society for Ethnomusicology), and is published in ACT and Ethnomusicology Review.
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Teacher Roles and Identities
The roles and relationships that music education students learn in institutions of higher education affect their future identities as teachers. How can I, as a professor of music education at one of these institutions foster communities of learning which better prepares new music educators to teach in real-world situations where resources and support are sometimes lacking? Since every new teacher’s situation is unique, professors must help students to develop a network of support and solidify their roles and new teacher identities, empowering them to navigate and build upon even the most challenging teaching situations.