Talent management is seen as a critical factor and strategic priority in successful businesses, and it is just as critical a factor for schools (Davies & Davies, 2010).  In recent years, the number of private and charter schools has increased because demand for them has increased (National Center for Education Statistics, 2017). These schools claim to offer more with their extracurricular activities or varied subjects than regular public schools.

As varied subjects gained popularity and their importance turned out to be more obvious, talent management has become a hot topic for private and charter school leaders. Talent management can be described as to “ensure the person is in the right job at the right time” (Jackson & Schuler, 1990, p. 235), or it is the systematic effort to recruit, develop and retain highly productive and promotable people (Rothwell and Kazanas, 2004). Talent management is a success factor for human resources and school leaders because it includes hiring a right person, training personnel according to their interests, and benefiting teachers’ talents from (in a case of school).

It is important for anybody to be guided for their careers as it is also important for them to make informed decisions about developing their skills. Whether this individual is a student or a working adult, school leaders’ critique or evaluation plays a key role in talent management. Individual differences in talent can take music education to a place where it is more effective and successful. Music teachers go through lengthy training processes in terms of both education and performing arts. However, they need guidance the most when they start teaching. Therefore, an administration that can effectively manage teachers’ talents can be the most influential in reaching goals set in schools.

Talent management has so many dimensions. Desired talent management activities can vary based on school levels or different types of schools. Budget cuts or pressure to prepare students for standardized tests might impede talent management efforts. Increased competition, shifting markets for private schools, and unforeseen events make it more difficult than ever to attract, develop, and retain the skilled teachers schools need (McCauley & Wakefield, 2006), so leadership and management responsibilities play a vital part in schools' talent-management processes. Therefore, this study aimed to explore and understand talent management of music teachers at K-12 schools from the perspectives of school leaders and teachers.

Research Questions

Talent management is used in various institutions such as private companies, nonprofit organizations, and governmental agencies. In most cases, human resources departments are responsible for talent management, but in educational institutions, it is unclear that talent management is properly operated. This research study aimed to seek answers to the following questions:

• Can talent management be applied in educational institutions?
• How is talent management related to music subject at schools?
• What affects talent management of music teachers?

The design of this research study was a qualitative case study. The most distinctive characteristic of case study research is the ability to understand a complex social phenomenon by asking how and why questions and delimiting the object of study (Yin, 2008). Case studies also get as close to the subject of interest as they possibly can (Bromley, 1986). The case in this study is teachers and other administrative personnel who in some way shape or direct music education. Participants (22) in this study were music teachers, instrument educators, school department heads, school administrators, and other teachers who are related to talent management. Music teachers were chosen as participants because, first of all, music requires talent. Being an educator and a musician is only possible by developing skills in the right direction and with a rigorous planned process. This systemic approach as a whole must further be supported by talent management. Private and charter schools (no participants from a charter school yet) were chosen because, as mentioned before, they offer more with their extracurricular activities or varied subjects than regular public schools. To understand talent management of music teachers in-depth, semi-structured interviews and field notes were used. Case studies, often, cannot be generalized. However, they might present valuable information with its discovery mode and the findings might shed light on other cases. Transcripts from the interviews and field notes were analyzed in an emergent thematic format by two raters with NVIVO qualitative data analysis software.

Findings have shown that teachers appreciate and are motivated when they are observed, and their efforts are acknowledged. For instance, Ms. Thomas said that “a good leader’s first job is to make sure that the team members get personalized professional development. This would create a climate where teachers show loyalty and perform better.” She also said that she would be “honored” if her principal knows of her “knowledge capacity, skills, and tools” A school administration that knows teachers’ talents is a step ahead in organizational awareness. Using teachers’ talents wisely keep teachers happy, active and innovative. This, in return, helps the organization. Especially for private schools, it means human capital is well managed. Subject-specific teachers are basically more knowledgeable about their own subjects than others in a given school but offering teachers various tasks might help them identify their strengths and weaknesses in different areas. Identifying teachers’ talents when hiring and even after being hired promotes organizational justice, trust, and effectiveness in personnel. Subjects that are related to talent should be carefully evaluated in terms of their organization and management because it is directly associated with raising the standards and creating a hospitable climate in schools. “We should never forget that talents such as music, speaking a foreign language, or painting might disappear in time if not used. With the help of talent management activities, we can identify those who are looking forward to maintaining their talents or interested in exploring their possibilities” (Ms. Ocean). Based on the preliminary findings we can conclude that: a) Talent management is often piled under managerial tasks. b) Some small private schools manage to survive with a small number of personnel with the help of talent management. c) Most challenges or opportunities in regards to musical talents are applicable to other subjects of talents.

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