Anneke McCabe (PhD \u201923) has always yearned to tell stories through music.<\/p>\n
The musician, songwriter and music teacher graduated from Brock’s Joint PhD in Educational Studies program on Friday, Oct. 13 during the University\u2019s 114th Convocation.<\/p>\n
The first Brock PhD student to have completed doctoral work in music education, McCabe drew on her experiences to craft an innovative research approach using an arts-based lens.<\/p>\n
She engaged with narrative inquiry by exploring the life stories of three other musicians who are elementary music teachers, with herself as co-participant, reflecting on how being a musician shapes their perspectives as teachers.<\/p>\n
Participants reflected on their past career, social and relationship experiences that have affected their life and creative practice as well as how physical place has impacted their musical storytelling.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat is unique about this research is that the participants are musicians themselves as well as being elementary music teachers,” she said. “It really honours the experiences of their lives and their role as teachers.\u201d<\/p>\n
From these interviews, McCabe developed a conceptual framework original to her research that allowed the participants to create and record a musical narrative, or soundscape, that expressed the musician-music teacher narrative.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was an incredibly rich way for musician-music teachers to tell their stories,\u201d she said. \u201cI loved the elements of fun, openness and vulnerability \u2014 the creative process brings that out in people.\u201d<\/p>\n
As an expression of researcher reflexivity, McCabe engaged with her own songwriting during the five years of working on her PhD and recently released a five-song album to accompany her thesis. The songs share the musical narrative of her PhD experience.<\/p>\n
Shelley Griffin, Professor in Music Education and McCabe\u2019s PhD supervisor, said that McCabe\u2019s dedication to music-making as a music educator was a characteristic that set her apart from others.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnneke\u2019s multimodal thesis exemplifies her highly creative abilities to blend teaching, research and musicianship in deep and thoughtful ways that have a new-found impact on the discourse of music teaching and learning,\u201d Griffin said.<\/p>\n
McCabe recently took on the role of Vice Principal at a school in Fergus, Ont., in addition to teaching music in Grades 4 to 8. She is also a sessional instructor in music education for teacher candidates in Brock\u2019s Teacher Education programs.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen I go teach music, I’m tapping into my whole life story, not just who I am as a teacher; this provides a unique perspective in the elementary music classroom,\u201d said McCabe.<\/p>\n
As an arts-based researcher, McCabe said there is great value in connecting through the art form.<\/p>\n
\u201cListening to a song, your experience is different. It brings up memories and feelings activated by the music, allowing you to connect in a different way,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
McCabe hopes that system leaders at school boards will use her research to communicate the importance of professional learning, highlighting the way creativity and songwriting can greatly benefit students.<\/p>\n