Preparing to Teach with Music: Elementary Preservice Teachers’ Comfort and Perceptions in a Music Integration Course

The purpose of this study was to investigate elementary preservice teachers’ comfort and perceptions of teaching music throughout their participation in a music integration course. Utilizing a repeated measures design, participants ( N = 112) completed three surveys measuring their conceptual understanding of music integration, anticipated classroom use, and comfort with specific musical and instructional activities. Results indicated statistically significant increases in participants’ comfort with singing alone, singing in small groups, integrating music into classroom instruction, and teaching other subjects. While initial perceptions of music integration often emphasized its subservient use, most participants reported strong intentions to integrate music regularly in future teaching. These findings reinforce the value of hands-on coursework in building preservice teacher comfort and emphasize the importance of equitable access to arts instruction. The study highlights the importance of embedding music integration into teacher preparation programs and suggests that reflective, experience-based instruction can build both pedagogical competence and commitment to music in the elementary classroom.