Jesse Rathgeber | University of Wisconsin-Madison (original) (raw)

Thesis Chapters by Jesse Rathgeber

The purpose of this study was to trouble existing conceptions of disability that ground music edu... more The purpose of this study was to trouble existing conceptions of disability that ground
music education literature and practice. I sought plausible insights into how disability is experienced in, through, and/or around music by participants who are disabled persons/persons with disabilities (DP/PwD). Insights gained might allow readers to complexify and trouble taken-for-granted assumptions about disability. Questions included: (a) How do participants experience disability in, through, and around music? (b) What plausible insights related to disability can be gained by attending to participants’ experiences of disability in, through, and around music? (c) What plausible insights related to inclusion can be gained by attending to participants’ experiences of disability in, through, and around music? The inquiry approach was grounded in Buberian relational ontology, phenomenollogy, interactional theories of disability, and narrative.

Seven DP/PwD participated in this study: (a) Erica, a 14-year-old diagnosed with a developmental disability of unknown etiology; (b) Duke, a drummer diagnosed with Williams syndrome; (c) Birdie, an abstract visual artist with epilepsy who used music to inform her art; (d) Daren, a b-boy/breakdancer diagnosed with Tourette syndrome, (e) Sienna, a legally blind social work college student who played banjo in a music therapy-based bluegrass band and participated in musical theatre; (f) Ice Queen, an undergraduate flute player recently diagnosed with Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD); and (g) Culann, an adult counselor and music listener with ADHD and mood disorders. Data generation included conversational interviews, observations, artmaking, and serendipitous data.

Data co-generated with participants were crafted into narratives of their lIifeworlds, including description of their experiences with disability in, through, and around music and in other aspects of their lives. An envisioned conversation among all participants demonstrates the shifts and complexities in the meanings of disability and unpacks different ways participants describe and understand disability and the myriad roles that music plays in their lifeworlds. The final chapter of the study offers discussions and suggestions regarding thinking about and approaching disability (i.e., interactional theories, intersectionality, and identity), inclusion (i.e., belonging, suggestions by participants, and anti-ableist pedagogy), and research/writing.

Book Chapters by Jesse Rathgeber

The Oxford handbook of special music education and music therapy: Research to Practice , 2024

In this chapter, we explore ways to enact inclusion in music classrooms using frameworks and idea... more In this chapter, we explore ways to enact inclusion in music classrooms using frameworks and ideas from Disability Studies. We acknowledge the hard work that music teachers have taken on to foster inclusion in classrooms. Teachers’ differences in preparation, critiqued perspectives, and limited resources related to inclusion can make it challenging for them to enact inclusive practices. Further, teachers often misinterpret inclusion as a generalized set of specific procedures and phrases—”best practices”—
developed by “experts” to replicate in specific teaching settings. While inclusion may involve such procedures/techniques and phrases, we suggest that practitioners’ perspectives can be enriched through Disability Studies. In the vignette below, you find yourself as a fourth-year music teacher at a rural K-12 school dealing with the realities of working deliberatively toward inclusion.

The Sage handbook of school music education, 2024

Disability as an identity and/or lived experience is a way of being diverse, but disability itsel... more Disability as an identity and/or lived experience is a way of
being diverse, but disability itself is diverse, too. The
implications of this reality are manifold for the field of music
education and amplified by the fact that the global population
of disabled persons/persons with disabilities is estimated to be
over 15%, which is more than one billion people. In this chapter
we discuss how normative practices of music education impact
disabled persons/persons with disabilities in both school and
community contexts and examine the complexities of how and
why pedagogical practices can be inclusive or exclusive for a
given learner. Using a narrative approach, we tell the stories of
a learner named Ray as they encounter different music learning
contexts throughout their lifespan. First, we open with Ray
experiencing the “norm” in school and community music
learning settings to identify issues. Following, we offer a
commentary of Ray’s experiences as a disabled person/person
with a disability with regard to (1) diversity (of approach,
perception, and pedagogy), (2) access (to instruction, to
experiences, to instruments/tools), and (3) equity (the
monetary, personal, and social costs of music learning).
Drawing on key concepts from the field of Disability Studies, we
discuss how Ray’s bodymind disrupts normative music
education practices, thereby identifying engrained ableist
practices that need to be unlearned. Furthermore, we advocate
for re-learning by reorienting to a disability-centered approach
that recognizes, values, and honors disability epistemology.
Finally, we conclude with a vision of what a more just music
education world might look like for Ray, but with the caveat
that what is right for Ray may not be for others because
disability is diverse and therefore the work of inclusion is
always incomplete.

The music technology cookbook: Ready-made recipes for the classroom, 2020

In this experience, learners will develop critical consciousness of barriers to participation roo... more In this experience, learners will develop critical consciousness of barriers to participation rooted in ableism that are "baked into" instruments. This critical consciousness will assist learners in creating controllers with lower/no barriers for disabled persons/persons with disabilities. Learners will encounter concepts such as the "social model of disability" that come from Disability Studies scholarship in order to find and address disabling features of commerciallyavailable instruments and to design new instruments, controllers, and practices that are antiableist. Through these experiences, learners will develop skills and knowledge related to using microcontrollers such as the Makey Makey and coding platforms such as Scratch through an iterative design process.

Creative music making at your fingertips: A mobile technology guide for music educators , 2021

The chapter considers potential possibilities and pitfalls encountered by music learners and scho... more The chapter considers potential possibilities and pitfalls encountered by music learners and scholar-practitioners when using tablet-based technologies for music making and learning. The authors address this question by providing a nuanced, anti-ableist, and balanced discussion of issues that arise at the intersection of adaptive and tablet-based technologies, music learning and making, and disability. First, the chapter highlights applications and approaches discussed elsewhere in the volume, addressing their potentials for fostering adaptive, inclusive, equitable, and meaningful music learning and making with and for disabled musickers/musickers with disabilities (DM/MwD) that can include tablets. Then the authors draw on theoretical perspectives indigenous to discourses about disability studies to problematize these resources, calling attention to potentially negative implications related to autonomy, extracurricular advancement, and othering rooted in and affirming ableism. The chapter concludes with questions and suggestions to assist music learners and scholar-practitioners in navigating the intersections and interactions of tablet-based technologies, use of apps, music learning and making, and disability. anti-ableism, ableism, adaptive technology, tablets, apps and disability.

Oxford Handbook of Social Media and Music Learning , 2020

We investigate the uses of social media by disabled musicians/musicians with disabilities. Viewin... more We investigate the uses of social media by disabled musicians/musicians with disabilities. Viewing social media as potential assistive technologies, we discuss SignSnap, Bandhub, and Facebook and discuss how these platforms are used by disabled/musicians/musicians with disabilities to connect with others and generate content. We also critically examine how generated content is read/heard and may be (mis)represented and (mis)appropriated by nondisabled audiences through the critical case of the video of Julia Maritza Ceja. This case, analyzed through the application of theories of disability develop in disability studies literature, examines the ease by which content generated by disabled musicians/musicians with disabilities can become problematic through what we can "inspiration pornification." We conclude by noting both the positive and problematic potentials of social media in the music learning and music making of disabled musicians/musicians with disabilities.

Routledge Research Companion to Popular Music Education, 2017

In this chapter I discuss means of fostering inclusive music making experiences as demonstrated ... more In this chapter I discuss means of fostering inclusive music making experiences as demonstrated in the practices of a music therapy rock band, the Smooth Criminals. The band uses many adaptive strategies to mitigate physical barriers to participation that may be useful in other music learning spaces. The band’s practices provide means of identifying and negotiating social barriers deeply rooted within popular and informal learning practices.

Articles by Jesse Rathgeber

Wisconsin School Musician, 2024

This is the first article in a series meant to demystify and welcome music educators of all kinds... more This is the first article in a series meant to demystify and welcome music educators of all kinds and contexts to research. In this article, I consider research and its relation to everyday curiosity and inquiry in music education spaces. I then share ways to become involved in the statewide or broader research community.

11/25, 2021

This article is based on the lived experiences of the authors engaging with modern band and the o... more This article is based on the lived experiences of the authors engaging with modern band and the organization Little Kids Rock (LKR). We approach this research as critical storytelling to highlight the importance of critique of music curriculum and pedagogy. We identify moments of cognitive dissonance we experienced with LKR and modern band and unpack them through theory. Data included review of LKR materials, journals, text-messages, reflective writing, and discussion around participation in LKR-sponsored events. We share our critical story through text messages and narration, through which we note issues such as neoliberalism and indoctrination; language mis(use) through educational buzzwords; identity reformation; and the manner in which teachers feel a need to cling to methodolatry or act as change agents. We illustrate the central role critique plays in music teaching discourses and practices to guide music teachers to accept vigilance of curricular resources and pedagogical approaches presented to them.

Journal of Music, Health, and Wellbeing, 2021

Preservice music educators enter teacher education programs with visions of their future largely ... more Preservice music educators enter teacher education programs with visions of their future largely built on their own past experiences. What happens when these preservice music teachers encounter a present that may look drastically different from the one they expected? During the COVID-19 pandemic, music teachers are encountering disruption to their current practice and may be reconsidering their visions for and expectations about music in their communities, and their identities as musicians and music educators. As one subset of this group, individuals transitioning from preservice to in-service teaching offer distinctive perspectives on how COVID-19 is shaping music teacher visions and expectations.

Qualitative Research in Music Education, 2019

The purpose of this reflective case study was to analyze preservice music educators' reflections ... more The purpose of this reflective case study was to analyze preservice music educators' reflections on meanings of facilitating JMUke, a curricular, community-centric, participatory-based, community ukulele project, and interpret how these experiences may have impacted their professional visions. We-one undergraduate music education student, one graduate music education student, and two music teacher educators-analyzed data from 38 preservice music educators, including coursework and reflective dialogues among participants. Analysis revealed themes related to: (a) preparation and adaptation, (b) motivation and fun, and (c) expanding praxis. Drawing on Hammerness's (2003, 2006, 2015) conception of professional vision, we interpreted impacts of participation in JMUke on preservice music educators' professional visions and offer implications for music teacher educators.

Bulletin of the Council for Research in Music Education, 2019

The purpose of this study was to examine agentic thinking among preservice music educators throug... more The purpose of this study was to examine agentic thinking among preservice music educators through a “directed content analysis” (Hsieh & Shannon, 2005) of the written coursework of two cohorts of preservice music teachers (N = 66) enrolled in introduction to music education courses in order to advance knowledge of agentic thinking in music teacher education. We used a theoretical framework informed by Emirbayer and Mische’s (1998) triadic conception of agency that positions human agency at the nexus of three temporally-oriented elements: iteration (past), projectivity (future), and practical evaluation (present). We investigated the agentic temporalities
of different assignment types and analyzed the agentic vocabulary usage in pre-midterm and post-midterm assignments by cohort, identified gender, year in school, residency status, major, and applied instrument. Slight differences in overall agentic vocabulary and vocabulary by agentic element were found between cohorts. Unexpectedly, we found a marked decline in overall agentic vocabulary usage in post-midterm written assignments compared to pre-midterm written assignments. Analysis of change over time by agentic element found decreases in iterative and practical evaluative vocabulary and an increase in projective vocabulary usage in
post-midterm written assignments. Findings from key-word-in-context analysis, however, suggest that a decline in agentic vocabulary may be related to a refinement in agentic vocabulary usage and an increased openness to different perspectives and career options. Based on our results, we argue that Emirbayer and Mische’s framework may provide music teacher educators and researchers with a nuanced tool by which to investigate, understand, and foster music teacher agency.

Drafts by Jesse Rathgeber

The Modern Band Handbook: Practical Perspectives and Lessons for Music Educators.

Teachers' Backgrounds This chapter is written by a father (Wayde) and son (Jesse) with deep exper... more Teachers' Backgrounds This chapter is written by a father (Wayde) and son (Jesse) with deep experience in popular music practices, specifically learning songs by ear and creating new pieces of music. Wayde has played guitar for 50 years and was in numerous rock bands, including Stash and Presence in the 1970s and early 1980s. Jesse has played guitar, bass, and other instruments for almost 30 years and played in indie rock and jam bands including the Biscuit Band and Vishnu Blue in the 2000s. Both authors have taught guitar and coached musicians in primarily rock band settings both formally and informally. Wayde is primarily an avocational musician who works as a city manager and Jesse is a music education professor who has taught early childhood through adult learners since 2006. When they are together, they regularly learn songs by ear, play family favorites on acoustic guitar and ukulele, and jam.

Music Educators Journal, 2023

Feedback plays an essential role in music education, helping individuals learn to consider creati... more Feedback plays an essential role in music education, helping individuals learn to consider creative works from multiple perspectives. In this article, we explore the Critical Response Process, a four-step process for engaging with artistic works-in-progress, be they new compositions, improvisatory pieces, or performances of ensemble literature. Founded on the principle that both student-artists and responders play active roles in feedback, this process is designed to promote discovery and help students learn how to engage in a responsive feedback dialogue with others. In addition to outlining the process, we also offer narratives from our own practice, examples of how the process might be implemented in various settings, and ideas for adaptations.

The Places and Purposes of Popular Music Education, 2022

Contemporary approaches to working with disabled persons/persons with disabilities (DP/PwDs) focu... more Contemporary approaches to working with disabled persons/persons with disabilities (DP/PwDs) focus on mainstreaming, 1 assistive/adaptive technology, 2 differentiated instruction, 3 universal design, 4 working with support personnel 5 and special educational laws/policies. 6 While powerful in shaping equitable practices, these approaches to inclusion presume that a) DP/PwDs, generally, long to be included into settings built for and primarily by nondisabled persons/typical learners and that b) settings and practices for and by nondisabled persons are neutral, regular and/or the norm. Yet, DP/PwDs who are artists, musicians, poets, community leaders and scholars call for practices and settings built with them from the ground up that value the different approaches to music learning, experiencing music and music-making.

40The purpose of this study was to examine the what, how, and extent to which disabled persons ha... more 40The purpose of this study was to examine the what, how, and extent to which disabled persons have been represented photographically in the popular music education publication known as the Music Educators Journal (MEJ). I used captions/text and visual means to identify photographs of disabled persons in 643 issues of the MEJ from 1914 until 2015. Data for this content analysis included every photograph of disabled persons (N = 186) located. Photographs were analyzed for disability labels, setting, integration, activities depicted, perceived race, location in the journal, and decade. The majority of photographs of disabled persons were found in the 1980s, possibly in response to the 1975 legislation PL 94-142 (now known as the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act). Mental impairment was the most frequently represented disability in the photographs (30.1%), followed by visual impairment (9.7%), hearing impairment (7.0%), with 30/1% of photographs depicting persons with unspecified disability labels. Additionally, I found an over abundance of general music classroom settings for photographs (37.1%) as compared to all other music education classroom settings (16.1%). Overall, the limited percentage of disabled persons in the MEJ suggests a marginal status and/or concern for disabled persons within the popular consciousness of music education of the United States.

This report documents a 20172018 “Research: Art Works” collaborative project between James Madis... more This report documents a 20172018 “Research: Art Works” collaborative project between James Madison University and Gemeinschaft Home. We investigated the impact and value of arts engagement through songwriting as a medium to explore issues of incarceration, equity, justice, and community. After presenting a literature review and describing study methodology, data sources, and structure, we share findings from our mixed methods study addressing three research questions related to: (a) formerly incarcerated persons, (b) preservice professionals, and (c) community members in and around Harrisonburg, Virginia. Data were gathered in three stages: (a) a pilot storytelling and songwriting project facilitated by project staff, (b) eightweek storytelling and songwriting projects facilitated by preservice professionals, and (c) a live performance event in which songs written by residents from Gemeinschaft Home were performed. This report concludes with discussion of themes across populations, challenges and limitations, and suggestions for practice and future research.

Our discussion focuses around themes that emerged across populations: (a) problemsolving brings people together, (b) music contributes to relationship building and community building, and (c) everyone is musical. We describe challenges and limitations related to (a) space constraints; (b) time constraints; (c) indirectly addressing race, equity, and incarceration; and (d) disciplinary labels and boundaries. Implications for practice concern (a) working with diverse populations, (b) interdisciplinary work in preprofessional education, and (c) fostering dialogue among study populations. We conclude with suggestions for further research exploring: (a) performers’ meanings of experiences sharing songs generated in this project, (b) longitudinal studies of impact, (c) institutional pathways for interdisciplinary collaboration, and (d) artmaking as an educative tool for social justice.

Papers by Jesse Rathgeber

This chapter investigates uses of social media by disabled musicians/musicians with disabilities ... more This chapter investigates uses of social media by disabled musicians/musicians with disabilities (DM/MwD). It first frames social media as assistive technology, examining how the platforms SingSnap, Bandhub, and Facebook are used by disabled musicians/musicians with disabilities to connect with others and create content. The discussion proceeds with an examination of how this content is perceived and may be (mis)represented and (mis)appropriated by nondisabled audiences. Using a viral video of Julia Maritza Ceja Medina as a critical case study, the analysis applies disability studies literature by examining how content generated by disabled musicians/musicians with disabilities can become inspiration pornography. The authors conclude by noting both the positive and problematic potentials of social media in the music learning and music making of disabled musicians/musicians with disabilities.

Music Education Research, Dec 3, 2014

Music Educators Journal

Feedback plays an essential role in music education, helping individuals learn to consider creati... more Feedback plays an essential role in music education, helping individuals learn to consider creative works from multiple perspectives. In this article, we explore the Critical Response Process, a four-step process for engaging with artistic works in progress. Founded on the principle that both artists and responders play active roles in feedback, this process is designed to promote discovery and help students learn how to engage in a responsive feedback dialogue with others. In addition to outlining the process, we also offer narratives from our own practice, examples of how the process might be implemented in various settings, and ideas for adaptations.

The Oxford handbook of special music education and music therapy: Research to Practice , 2024

The Sage handbook of school music education, 2024

The music technology cookbook: Ready-made recipes for the classroom, 2020

Creative music making at your fingertips: A mobile technology guide for music educators , 2021

Oxford Handbook of Social Media and Music Learning , 2020

Routledge Research Companion to Popular Music Education, 2017

Wisconsin School Musician, 2024

11/25, 2021

Journal of Music, Health, and Wellbeing, 2021

Qualitative Research in Music Education, 2019

Bulletin of the Council for Research in Music Education, 2019

The Modern Band Handbook: Practical Perspectives and Lessons for Music Educators.

Music Educators Journal, 2023

The Places and Purposes of Popular Music Education, 2022

Music Education Research, Dec 3, 2014

Music Educators Journal

Feedback plays an essential role in music education, helping individuals learn to consider creati... more Feedback plays an essential role in music education, helping individuals learn to consider creative works from multiple perspectives. In this article, we explore the Critical Response Process, a four-step process for engaging with artistic works in progress. Founded on the principle that both artists and responders play active roles in feedback, this process is designed to promote discovery and help students learn how to engage in a responsive feedback dialogue with others. In addition to outlining the process, we also offer narratives from our own practice, examples of how the process might be implemented in various settings, and ideas for adaptations.

Intellect Books, Nov 11, 2022

abstract: The purpose of this study was to trouble existing conceptions of disability that ground... more abstract: The purpose of this study was to trouble existing conceptions of disability that ground music education literature and practice. I sought plausible insights into how disability is experienced in, through, and/or around music by participants who are disabled persons/persons with disabilities (DP/PwD). Insights gained might allow readers to complexify and trouble taken-for-granted assumptions about disability. Questions included: (a) How do participants experience disability in, through, and around music? (b) What plausible insights related to disability can be gained by attending to participants’ experiences of disability in, through, and around music? (c) What plausible insights related to inclusion can be gained by attending to participants’ experiences of disability in, through, and around music? The inquiry approach was grounded in Buberian relational ontology, phenomenology, interactional theories of disability, and narrative. Seven DP/PwD participated in this study: (...

Journal of Popular Music Education, 2021

This article is based on the lived experiences of the authors engaging with modern band and the o... more This article is based on the lived experiences of the authors engaging with modern band and the organization Little Kids Rock (LKR). We approach this research as critical storytelling to highlight the importance of critique of music curriculum and pedagogy. We identify moments of cognitive dissonance we experienced with LKR and modern band and unpack them through theory. Data included review of LKR materials, journals, text messages, reflective writing and discussion around participation in LKR-sponsored events. We share our critical story through text messages and narration, through which we note issues such as neo-liberalism and indoctrination; language (mis)use through educational buzzwords; identity reformation and the manner in which teachers feel a need to cling to methodolatry or act as change agents. We illustrate the central role critique plays in music teaching discourses and practices to guide music teachers to accept vigilance of curricular resources and pedagogical appr...

Creative Music Making at Your Fingertips

Music Education Research, 2014