May 2, 2014
Music education professors publish in Update: Applications of Research in Music Education
Submitted by Frederick Burrack
Frederick Burrack, professor, and Phillip Payne, assistant professor, both in the music education program in the School of Music, Theatre, and Dance, recently had a paper accepted for publication in Update: Applications of Research in Music Education, a journal by the National Association for Music Education.
Burrack and Payne worked with authors Daniel Hellman from the Missouri State University and Dale Bazan from the University of Nebraska, Lincoln in writing the paper "The Impact of Budget Cutbacks on Music Teaching Positions and District Funding in Three Midwestern States."
Burrack and Payne's research efforts were part of a continuing effort to advocate for music education and supported by Kansas Music Educators Association.
"Over the past few years, the budget has negatively impacted all education in Kansas, but in many schools when there were only two music teachers and now there is one, the teacher's responsibilities have doubled," Burrack said. "We found a similar impact in our surrounding states, which is beginning to impact job satisfaction."
Burrack and Payne's paper has led to further additional research recently published in Kansas Music Review demonstrating a 23 percent decrease in job satisfaction this past year. Limited contact time and increased scheduling conflicts contribute to challenges in providing music education to Kansas' students.