Music teachers' lateral knowledge

Music teachers' curricular knowledge has been studied in disciplinary contexts but not in relation to the ways teachers utilize knowledge of disciplines outside of their primary specializations to form valid interdisciplinary connections (lateral knowledge), or how this knowledge is constructed in contexts of practice. The purpose of this study was to examine the dimensions of music teachers' lateral knowledge and to describe how teachers draw on this knowledge to plan interdisciplinary experiences for students. Participants in the study were five urban elementary and middle school music teachers, ranging in experience from 2 through 36 years, involved in a summer professional development institute. Semi-structured interviews and artifact elicitation were used to probe teachers' curricular practices, belief about the validity of interdisciplinary curriculum, and lateral knowledge of subjects outside of music. Portraits of two music teachers' lateral knowledge are provided, followed by a discussion of themes drawn from interviews with all five participants.