“Like having all your wings clipped, but still trying to teach”: A Phenomenological Study of Teaching K-12 Music in Arizona during the COVID-19 Pandemic

The purpose of this research was to examine the lived experiences of music teachers during the advent and fallout of the COVID-19 pandemic. I interviewed eight music teachers who taught music in Arizona during 2020 and 2021, then coded their responses to find common themes and understandings among participants. The coded themes were communication, preparation, mode complexities, and what endures. The essence of teaching music during the advent and fallout of COVID-19 was that teaching during the pandemic was like a magnifying glass on the issues and stresses music teachers experienced before COVID-19 forced emergency lockdowns and transitions in instructional modes for these educators. I recommend that pre-service music teachers engage with their communities, that local administrators better support the needs of their teachers during their first years of teaching, and that music teaching training institutions consider initiating mentoring programs for their newly in-service music teachers to help them through their first years of teaching.