Motivating Factors for Teaching and Studying Music at Two-Year Colleges: A Survey of Faculty and Students.

Author Note: The authors wish to acknowledge that John R. Stewart served as primary facilitator and administrator in guiding this project to fruition; as a result, his name is listed as first author. All other authors contributed equally to the project and, therefore, are listed in reverse alphabetical order. We would like to express our appreciation to Akosua O. Addo, Keitha Lucas Hamann, Scott D. Lipscomb, and Laura K. Sindberg for their guidance, support, and mentorship throughout this project. This study is the result of a collaborative process between doctoral music education majors enrolled in a doctoral seminar at the University of Minnesota and music education faculty members. Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Scott D. Lipscomb, School of Music, University of Minnesota.IntroductionTwo-year colleges play an important role in American higher education, enrolling 3.4 million students, which constitutes nearly 12% of the undergraduate population (Frye, 2009). President Obama called two-year colleges "one of the great undervalued assets in our education system" (Fuller, 2010, para. 6) and described them as primary to the nation's economic recovery. For example, the Minnesota Department of Education reported that 130,715 students were enrolled in Minnesota's 24 community and technical colleges (Connolly, 2009). 1 Busch (2006) acknowledged the value of music in community college settings:The community college is an ideal, alternative, educational setting in which formal, non-formal, and informal music learning activities can be situated and promoted. It also directly serves the needs of its community, while also servicing a demographically diverse group of individuals, (p. 247)2The extant literature on two-year colleges consists of a variety of terms: community college, technical college, junior college, and two-year college. For the present study, the research team made a conscious decision to use the phrase two-year college throughout the document for consistency. While each institution type (community college, junior college, technical college) may have unique attributes, the two-year college in the present study is defined as an institution that awards degrees that are equivalent to the first two years of study towards an undergraduate degree. The research team also acknowledges that while two-year colleges are degree-granting institutions, they also serve a wide population of students who may be enrolling in classes for the purpose of the acquisition of personal knowledge or professional development. It is also recognized that students enrolled in two-year colleges may not enroll in classes for the purpose of earning a degree.Limited information exists on the unique role of two-year college music programs. The purpose of this study was to explore what motivates faculty and student involvement in this educational environment and how student participation in music coursework contributes to current musical endeavors. The following questions guided this research:1. What courses comprise music offerings at two-year colleges? 2. In what ways have music offerings been adapted to meet current demands, as well as the future music-related or other academic needs of enrolled students? 3. How do faculty and students create an environment that is both motivational and satisfying? Related LiteratureA review of related literature revealed that two primary categories of students enroll in music courses at two-year colleges across the United States: traditional and nontraditional. Traditional students attend college directly after completing high school, are 18-22 years old, and are full-time students (Kim, Sax, Lee, & Hagedorn, 2010). Nontraditional students, defined by Kim et ah, are adults 25 years of age or older returning to school for continuing education and are not necessarily seeking a degree.3 The American Association of Community Colleges (2012) reported that "the average age of a community college student is 29 years old, and two thirds [sic] of nontraditional students attend part-time" (para. …