Jessica West says that her research project opened her eyes and ears to how fascinating music from other parts of the world can be. Jessica, a Leicester, Massachusetts native, graduates in May with a degree in Music Education.
In a course on teaching music at the elementary level, Jessica learned about Music Learning Theory, which had a profound effect on the shaping of [her] research and understanding of music learning. A Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship grant in 2004 allowed her to apply this theory to her research. Although she had an immense amount of material to sift through, which become tedious at times, she found the research process incredibly rewarding.
Jessica's life goal is to be an elementary music teacher at the forefront of music learning research. She states, "This project has shown me that music can effectively be used as a co-curricular tool," further revealing that, through music, children can gain a better understanding and acceptance of diversity.
Jessica was inspired and assisted in her research by her mentor, Instructor of Music Susan S. Hatfield. Hatfield teaches for both the education and music departments at the University of New Hampshire. She specializes in Music Learning Theory and Research. Hatfield found Jessica to be an independent and thorough thinker, and was pleased with her topic of music in co-curricular activities. Hatfield states, "The problem is universal to our field, and Jessica's findings offer practical, meaningful solutions for elementary music teachers and their students."
Hatfield added that Jessica's editorial work with Inquiry editors has been invaluable, stating that, "Because Jessica's topic is familiar to me but not to those with whom she has been revising her article, [Inquiry's] suggestions for defining vocabulary and concepts for a potentially non-music education audience have been necessarily eye-opening for both Jessica and me."
Hatfield's work with Jessica was her first mentoring experience. Since then, two other students have asked her to mentor their research projects.
Read Jessica West's research article, Teaching Musical Skills in the Co-Curricular Elementary Classroom >>
