The purpose of this comparative phenomenological study was to investigate whether code-switching happened among music educators and if so, whether they used code-switching in their teaching. The secondary purpose of the study was to learn how music educators with varied musical experiences differentiated and / or code-switched between settings, if at all. As there was little existent literature in the area of code-switching and musicians, it was hoped this study would fill a gap in the literature about music educators and code-switching.

This dissertation employed qualitative methodology including comparative phenomenology. The goal was to understand the lived experiences of the five participants as they reflected on their experiences code-switching. The data consisted primarily of in-depth interviews and analysis using NVIVO(TM) coding software to develop in vivo data, sub-themes and themes. Thick description, identifying research bias, and member checks were used to establish trustworthiness.

Five themes emerged: Teacher identity as code-switching, early exposure to oral learning and notation affects code-switching, professional "gigging" as code-switching, musical instruments as code-switching and finally, code-switching and 21st century learning and teaching. Recommendations were provided for educators and future research.