Lived Experiences: Music Educators’ Stress in the COVID-19 Pandemic

The purpose of the study was to examine music educators’ stress and stressors during the COVID-19 pandemic. In this multiple case study (Creswell, 2012; Merriam & Tisdell, 2016), we examined practicing music educators’ stress and stressors pertaining to teaching and life experiences. Participants all self-identified as females and were practicing music educators (N = 16) from various geographical locations in the United States, representing K-12 general music, ensemble conducting, applied lessons, and university instruction. All participants participated in weekly focus groups over a 12-week period during the spring of 2021. We analyzed data through open coding (Gibbs, 2007), yielding four themes: logistics, student engagement and disengagement, helplessness, and curriculum changes. Based upon the results, we suggest the need for an increase in support systems for music educator stress through professional organizations and professional learning communities. Future research may warrant examining the long-term effects of music educators’ stress from teaching during the COVID-19 pandemic