Teaching Composition in a Middle School Orchestra Classroom: A Narrative Action Research Study

The purpose of this narrative action research study was to tell Marcus’s story as an ensemble director learning how to teach composition in his middle school orchestra program. Marcus collaborated with Sam, a university professor, and designed a study to examine his teaching in his 49-member advanced orchestra class. As time passed, the focus of the study shifted from examining the specific elements of Marcus’s curriculum to the inclusion of changes in the creative culture of his program. In response to this shift, we used a narrative inquiry approach to understand how Marcus’s teaching story unfolded. Transcripts of his video journal, research meetings, and student focus group interviews helped Marcus improve his teaching and develop his curriculum. As co-narrators of this story, we used different font styles to identify whose voice is in the foreground.