Lori Gray, an assistant professor and the director of music education in the Department of Music, along with Amy Wickstrom, a graduate assistant in music education, traveled this summer to the International Society for Music Education conferences. The conferences were held in Prague, Czech Republic (The Music in Schools and Teacher Education Pre-Conference Commission Seminar), and in Baku, Azerbaijan (The World Conference).
Gray and Wickstrom received support from several departments at Boise State and received a travel grant from the College of Arts and Sciences.
The International Society for Music Education is an international organization that includes music educators from over 80 countries. Through a blind, peer-review process, five of Gray’s proposals related to teacher identity and professional development were accepted for presentation at the conferences. Wickstrom presented three sessions on her research in music education and special education.
In a letter to the dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, Gray wrote, “the global perspective we gained from our international participation in music education activities this past summer will directly impact our teaching, research, and service in positive ways. During the conferences, we engaged with music in multiple ways with people from all over the world. We considered questions of inclusion, equity, and access for music education, and how to enhance learning experiences for all types of learners. Presenting new research at the international level is challenging, stimulating and something that is seen as an honor worldwide. We had the opportunity to interact with and form collaborations with premiere researchers in music education. This is a springboard at the start of Amy’s career as an emerging researcher at the graduate level, but also an opportunity for Lori to establish new partnerships and remain at the forefront of research in music teacher identity.”
Gray added that she and Wickstrom hope to provide professional development for K-12 teachers in Boise in order to promote a more inclusive music education for all students throughout Idaho and the Pacific Northwest. They hope to provide professional development opportunities in the near future for in-service teachers and to help them develop their roles as mentors for pre-service music teachers.