This study applied the Social Cognitive Theory (SCT) to explore the sources of self-efficacy and professional development activities that are most predictive of PreK-6 music teachers’ efficacious beliefs. This study also compared teacher efficacy levels across different groups. The target population for this study was PreK-6 music teachers in the state of Arizona. The survey was disseminated through the National Association for Music Education (NAfME), the Arizona chapters of the American Orff-Schulwerk Association (AOSA), the Organization of American Kodály Educators (OAKE), and snowball sampling via a Facebook message. Of the 660 teachers invited to participate, 92 (13.94%) voluntarily completed the survey. Results from simultaneous multiple regression analyses indicated that teacher efficacy for instructional strategies was best predicted by their mastery experience, followed by vicarious experience, while mastery experience was the strongest predictor of teacher efficacy for student engagement. Additionally, the acquisition of method certification and watching teaching resources via YouTube were significant predictors of teacher efficacy for instructional strategies, while observation hours per year was the only predictor of teacher efficacy for student engagement. Results from factorial between-subjects ANOVAs indicated that teaching experience had a significant main effect on teacher efficacy for instructional strategies and student engagement. However, neither main teaching areas nor the combined effects of main teaching areas and teaching experience had a significant effect on teacher efficacy for instructional strategies and student engagement. Results from independent-samples t-test analyses showed that school types had a significant effect on teacher efficacy for student engagement, while no differences were found between school types regarding teacher efficacy for instructional strategies. The analysis of open-ended comments identified themes related to factors that strengthen or weaken participant teacher efficacy, the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on teacher efficacy, the types of professional development activities that they engaged during the year, the most effective professional development activities for enhancing teacher efficacy. Findings of this study have theoretical and practical implications for school principals, school administrators, policy makers, music teacher educators, and music teachers to promote and support music teachers’ self-efficacy.

A huge block in the road for prospective music students may reach them when they are looking forward to the next step in their music education: the application and selection process for higher institutions of music education differs significantly from the application process that most students go through to attend college. Without the proper guidance from teachers, counselors, and other mentors in their high school education, students may find themselves completely lost in a discipline that can tend to make assumptions about student goals and cost lots of money in the process. Throughout this thesis, undergraduate music students will offer insight about the paths that they took to receiving their degrees alongside advice from college professionals that devote their professional lives to helping ensure that these students are successful. In addition, the culture and accepted curricula of collegiate music will be analyzed with a close lens to try and answer questions of what universities and other institutions of higher learning tend to value in the music discipline. In concluding remarks, this information will be synthesized to offer specific advice to help future college music students find their way.