Viewing the Parent-Teacher Relationship in Music Education Through the Lens of Role Theory: A Literature Review

The relationship between a parent and a teacher can be fraught with difficulties because of role conflicts that may result from the negotiations that occur between them. We synthesized recent perspectives drawn from the research literature on parent-teacher relationships with that of role theory, and aim to demonstrate how the current research literature can be used to describe the roles of parents and teachers and their relationship to one another in music lessons. Our findings indicate that parents often play multiple roles such as home supervisors, supporters, providers, role models, partners in education, and consumers, whereas teachers may play the roles of professional musicians, educators, partners in education, and role models. We argue that roles should be understood as resulting from interaction and negotiation between parties in a relationship, and suggest that concepts from role theory are helpful tools for the reconceptualization of parents’ and teachers’ roles.