Rathgeber, J., Bernard, C. F. (2022). When I say “modern,” you say, “bands: A critical narrative of modern band and Little Kids Rock as music education curriculum. Journal of Popular Music Education, 5(3), 337-358(22),

Abstract: 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

Stringham, D. A., & Rathgeber, J. (2021). Becoming music teachers In the time of COVID-19: A mixed-method investigation of music teachers’ professional visions. Journal of Music, Heath, and Wellbeing, Autumn, 1-26.

Abstract: 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.

Rathgeber, J. (2019). Troubling disability: Experiences of disability in, through, and around music. Unpublished doctoral dissertation. Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ. 

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, 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. …View full abstract