Rockin' around the Clock: An Exploratory Study of Music Teachers' Personal Listening Choices

This study aimed to explore the personal music listening choices of music teachers. Specifically, in which formats do teachers listen to music for personal pleasure, how do they obtain the music they choose, and how frequently do they choose to listen to certain genres of music. Using an online survey, music teachers answered questions about their listening and purchasing habits. Results were then analyzed using simple statistics and Analyses of Variance (ANOVAs) to discover listening preferences for the group as a whole, as well as what differences may occur with regards to age, teaching situation or other factors. Through this analysis, it was shown that although music teachers chose a variety of music for personal listening, they tended to listen to "Classical" art music with the most frequency. Younger teachers also chose some popular styles more frequently than older teachers and some listening choices tended to align with teachers' job types, such as choral teachers' frequent choice of vocal art music. Music teachers also embraced online technology in their listening, frequently selecting formats such as computer downloads, streaming services, and mp3 players.