Written by Rita Gigliotti | Edited by Danielle Bissonnette
This summer, I had the incredible opportunity of attending the International Symposium for Music Education (ISME) in Helsinki, Finland. The conference, held from July 28 to August 2 brought together educators from over 80 countries to share insights, research, and practices that are shaping the future of music education worldwide.
I was invited to present my full paper, co-authored with Dr. Tina Beveridge, which was selected after a competitive blind peer review by the ISME Scientific Committee. Our research focused on an increasingly relevant and critical topic: the well-being of music teachers. In a world where the education sector, especially in the United States, is grappling with challenges such as teacher burnout and recruitment difficulties, our study offered timely insights into how well-being practices for educators might be a key to addressing these issues.
Rita Gigliotti presenting at the International Symposium for Music Education (ISME) in Helsinki, Finland
My case study focused on the well-being of K-12 music educators. Through in-depth interviews with six music teachers in Virginia, I was able to explore the stressors they face both inside and outside the classroom and the wellness practices they use to cope. The most significant findings from this study are how music teacher well-being is affected both positively and negatively by both inside and outside of work factors, and that music teacher well-being is influenced by the way teachers perceive they are valued by others, both inside and outside of the classroom.
The presentation resonated deeply with the audience, fueling my commitment to continuing to spread awareness about teacher well-being. My goal is to help educators better integrate sustainable well-being practices into their teaching environments and to offer workshops that provide practical support for teachers in building and maintaining their overall wellness.
Looking ahead, I am working on a dissertation that will expand this research into a quantitative study with a larger sample size. This next phase aims to develop a comprehensive definition of music teacher well-being that considers both school-related and external stressors, ultimately providing data that could inform broader educational practices.
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