The purpose of this study was to understand the social networks of three instrumental music teachers in a midwestern school district. Research questions were (1) How do instrumental music teachers describe their formal/instructional networks? and (2) How do instrumental music teachers’ social networks differ by career stage? I used a qualitative ego network design to map social networks of information sharing with a focus on the flow of social capital. Data sources included a name-generating questionnaire to construct networks and two semistructured interviews focusing on the nature and significance of teachers’ ties. Findings suggest that social networks showed particularities in terms of number of ties and tie strength. On matters of instruction, participants sought out music teachers whom they respected or who possessed specialized knowledge. Participants spoke of the importance of forging micropolitical ties to secure needs related to resources and scheduling, using ties strategically. Finally, participants felt that networks differed by career stage with advice seeking decreasing over time and networks becoming more close-knit. Implications are offered for music teachers and music teacher educators.

中文翻译：

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教学专长和微观政治：器乐教师的社交网络

本研究的目的是了解中西部学区三位器乐教师的社交网络。研究问题是 (1) 器乐教师如何描述他们的正式/教学网络？(2) 器乐教师的社交网络在不同职业阶段有何不同？我使用定性的自我网络设计来绘制信息共享的社交网络，重点是社会资本的流动。数据来源包括用于构建网络的姓名生成问卷和两个侧重于教师关系的性质和重要性的半结构化访谈。研究结果表明，社交网络在联系数量和联系强度方面表现出特殊性。在教学方面，参与者寻找他们尊重或拥有专业知识的音乐教师。与会者谈到了建立微观政治联系以确保与资源和日程安排相关的需求的重要性，战略性地使用联系。最后，参与者认为网络因职业阶段而异，寻求建议的次数随着时间的推移而减少，网络变得更加紧密。为音乐教师和音乐教师教育工作者提供了启示。