Digital Commons Network^™

Five Challenges And Solutions In Online Music Teacher Education, David Hebert

Research & Issues in Music Education

“Nearly 600 graduate students?”1 As remarkable as it may sound, that is the projected student population for the online graduate programs in music education at Boston University School of Music by the end of 2007. With the rapid proliferation of online courses among mainstream universities in recent years, it is likely that more online music education programs will continue to emerge in the near future, which begs the question of what effects this new development will have on the profession. Can online education truly be of the same quality as a traditional face-to-face program? How is it possible to effectively …

The Effect Of Band Director Leadership Style And Student Leadership Ability On Band Festival Ratings, P. Dru Davison

Research & Issues in Music Education

This study examined the relationship between band director leadership styles and the strength of student leadership within the bands. This study also examined the differences between leadership styles, student leadership strength, and band festival ratings (marching and concert). Subjects (N = 42) were band directors from Texas and Arkansas who participated in marching and concert band festivals. The Leadership Measurement Instrument (LMI) was designed to ascertain the strength of student leadership within the band programs, the type of leadership practiced by the directors (autocratic/facilitative), and the marching and concert festival band scores attained by the participants of this study. The …

What Boys And Girls Learn Through Song: A Content Analysis Of Gender Traits And Sex Bias In Two Choral Classroom Textbooks, Patrick J. Hawkins

Research & Issues in Music Education

In an effort to further the understanding of gender traits or sexual bias that high school-aged choral music students might be exposed to in their curricular materials, two choral textbooks Choral Connections Beginning Level 1 Treble Voices and Choral Connections Beginning Level 1 Tenor-Bass Voices published by Glencoe MacGraw-Hill in 1999 were analyzed using a modified Bem Sex Role Inventory Model. The results found that significantly more songs were about men than were about women. The songs selected for the treble voices were more androgynous, while the secular music presented to the boys was significantly more masculine in the traits: …

The Effects Of Technology-Based Conducting Practice On Skill Achievement In Novice Conductors, Diana Hollinger, Dr. Jill M. Sullivan

Research & Issues in Music Education

The purpose of this study was to compare technology-based practice (Radio Baton and Digital Conducting System) to self-practice (recorded music) on the skill achievement of beginning conductors. Participants (N = 33) were undergraduate music majors—education and performance—from two beginning conducting classes randomly assigned to either the technology-based group or the self-practice group. Subjects worked for three, 15-minute sessions on the following skills: staccato conducting, legato conducting, and steadiness of tempo. The experimental design was a pretest-posttest using two conducting etudes to measure six dependent variables: staccato conducting, staccato presence, staccato steadiness of tempo, legato conducting, legato presence, and legato steadiness …

An Exploration Of Personality Traits In Older Adult Amateur Musicians, Don Coffman

Research & Issues in Music Education

The primary research question for the study was, “Will older adult amateur musicians’ personality profiles reflect the traits found in professional musicians?” Participants (N = 58, ages 52 to 79) recruited from a New Horizons Institute “band camp” for older adult amateur musicians completed a musical background questionnaire and the Cattell (1993) Sixteen Personality Factor Questionnaire, Fifth Edition (16PF) on their own time during the five-day camp. Group scores for all the 16PF primary and global factor scores were within expected ranges for a normal population of adults, although Factor B (Reasoning) was noticeably higher and Factors E (Dominance), F …

Factors That Predict Participation In Choral Music For High-School Students, Dennis James Siebenaler

Research & Issues in Music Education

Why do so few students continue to participate in choral music through high school? How do home influences, peers, prior music experiences and teachers, self-perceptions of ability, and musical experiences outside of school contribute to decisions concerning participation in school music? This study attempted to identify some of the factors and influences that may predict continued participation in choral music for high school students.

The Politics Of Implementing Local Cultures In Music Education In Taiwan, Wai-Chung Ho

Research & Issues in Music Education

Recent studies of the localization and globalization of Taiwan’s music education cannot explain the complicated interplay between localization and the pursuit of local cultures in national development and policy making in the broader society, and in school education in Taiwan between the late 1980s and 2004. Features of localization in Taiwan’s music education include the highlighting of local artists and musical styles such as Taiwanese opera, puppetry shows, and local folk music in the curriculum. More importantly, music education to support the indigenous core values of peace, the beauty of the homeland, and harmony in society and in everyday life …

Notes From The Editor, Bruce Gleason

Research & Issues in Music Education

When I first began developing the idea for this on-line journal, I envisioned a platform that would not only serve as a venue for disseminating quality research within several different research methodologies, but one that would also provide an arena for thoughtful, well informed discourse—substantive articles based on experience through teaching, formal and informal education, and professional dialogue.

The Paradox Of Assessment: Assessment As Paradox, Doug Orzolek

Research & Issues in Music Education

Like many in the field of education, I follow the path of the assessment paradigm with great interest. Through the efforts of “No Child Left Behind” and the many accountability systems put into place in our states and districts, assessment of student learning is on the minds of many. One would only review a listing of presentations at professional development workshops, any educational journal or the editorial pages of your local paper for support of the notion that assessment has become a part of our country’s educational landscape.

Assessment has become inseparable from formal education--and it’s probably here to stay. …

The Occupational Aspirations And Expectations Of Music Education Majors In Mexico, Karendra Devroop, Beatriz Aguilar

Research & Issues in Music Education

The purpose of this study was to investigate the occupational aspirations and expectations of students majoring in music education in Mexico. Participants (N = 83) included the entire population of music education majors enrolled at the National School of Music at the National Autonomous University of Mexico during the 2002 academic year. Questionnaires were administered by one of the researchers, with a return rate of 92%.

The analysis of occupational aspirations and expectations revealed some disparities in the types of occupations subjects preferred and expected. The majority of students indicated they aspired to a combination of occupations however most students …

Effects Of A Remedial Singing Method On The Vocal Pitch Accuracy Of Inaccurate Elementary Singers, Karen A. Miyamoto

Research & Issues in Music Education

A pretest-posttest experimental design was utilized to determine the efficacy of the Yuba Method on inaccurate elementary singers. Testing of pitch accuracy was analyzed using the Sona-Speech Model 3600 software program. Inaccurate singers (N=168) from a population of 320 fourth, fifth, and sixth grade students, were divided into three subgroups and a random sample of subjects was selected to be in a treatment group (N=30) and a control group (N=30). The Yuba Method, which is meant to target training of the cricothyroid muscle utilizing a series of vocal exercises intended to facilitate maneuverability over the vocal register break, was administered …

Notes From The Editor, Bruce Gleason

Research & Issues in Music Education

This third issue of RIME is dedicated to the memory of Dr. Dorothy McDonald who was a professor of music education at the University of Iowa from 1970 when she was hired to teach music at the University of Iowa Laboratory School until 1994 when she was chairing Iowa's music education department. Dorothy died on September 4, 2005 after having been recently diagnosed with cancer. I have fond memories of her as my initial doctoral advisor before her stroke in 1994, and recollect that along with being a fine teacher, writer, researcher, scholar and musician, she was a wonderful human …

Middle School Band Contest Repertoire In Northern Illinois: Analysis And Recommendations, Phillip M. Hash

Research & Issues in Music Education

The purpose of this study was to provide a description and analysis of repertoire performed at middle school band contests in northern Illinois. Repertoire from 10 Illinois Grade School Music Association—Northern Division district level contests were analyzed in relation to the frequency pieces were performed, dates of publication, publishers represented, and the inclusion of titles on recommended music lists. All contests were held in 2003 and included a mix of urban, suburban, and rural schools. Among the contest programs analyzed, 81 concert bands from 72 schools performed a total of 243 compositions.

Results indicated 1) 46.1% of the selections were …

A Study Of The Musical, Academic, Leadership, And Extracurricular Achievement Massachusetts All-State Participants, R. Nicholas Tobin

Research & Issues in Music Education

Researchers have noted that the personal attributes of high school all-state participants have not been probed and have expressed surprise at this void in the music education literature (Cole, 1986; Fuller, 1989; Welker, 1997). The purpose of this study was to ascertain, through participant self-report data, the activities and accomplishments of Massachusetts all-state musicians in four areas of student endeavor: music, academics, leadership, and extracurricular activities. Massachusetts all-state participants are high achievers not only in music but also in academics, honors, student government, leadership, athletics, service, and extracurricular activities. Suggestions for further research include broadening similar studies to other states …

An Investigation Of Secondary School Students' Self-Reported Reasons For Extracurricular Musical And Athletic Activities, Brian D. Ebie

Research & Issues in Music Education

The purpose of this study was to discover the self-reported reasons for involvement in after-school, extracurricular music and athletic activities of high school students. One hundred-sixty high school students participating in either extracurricular athletic or musical activities served as subjects. Extracurricular activities were defined as un-graded activities offered beyond the regular school day. An open-ended, free response questionnaire was used to determine what personal factors students felt contributed most to their reasons for choosing to participate in extracurricular activities. Questionnaires were analyzed for similarities and differences and responses were coded and categorized. Four distinct categories of subject responses emerged from …

Notes From The Editor, Bruce Gleason

Research & Issues in Music Education

Along with publishing work of a more traditional vein, one of the goals of RIME is to publish articles that lie somehow outside the parameters of established research—either by research design and approach, or by content and subject matter. I am happy to be presenting the second issue of RIME, and am especially pleased to be publishing four unique articles on diverse aspects of music teaching and learning.

How Composers Compose: In Search Of The Questions, Bernard W. Andrews

Research & Issues in Music Education

The Genesis Project is a multi-phase research project designed for the purpose of developing an in-depth understanding of the nature of musical creativity by investigating how composers compose. In this first phase of the project, an understanding of the four dimensions of musical creativity: 1) the person, 2) the compositional process, 3) the pre-requisite training, emotions and context, and 4) the musical piece itself, provided a theoretical framework for investigating how composers compose new music through expert review. Questions in each of these dimensions were generated from the literature, examined by a panel of composers and educators, and then refined …

Canons In Harmony, Or Canons In Conflict: A Cultural Perspective On The Curriculum And Pedagogy Of Jazz Improvization, Kenneth E. Prouty

Research & Issues in Music Education

This essay examines how jazz educators construct methods for teaching the art of improvisation in institutionalized jazz studies programs. Unlike previous studies of the processes and philosophies of jazz instruction, I examine such processes from a cultural standpoint, to identify why certain methods might be favored over others. Specifically, jazz education is treated as a fusion of two distinct historical and cultural forces: those of musical academia, and of the jazz community. I argue that methods of teaching improvisation reflect a dual identity, in which these two cultural traditions sometimes exert an uneven influence upon the learning environment. Improvisational curricula, …

K-4 Pre-Service Classroom Teachers' Beliefs About Useful Skills, Understandings And Future Practice In Music, Francine Morin

Research & Issues in Music Education

The purpose of this study was to investigate K-4 pre-service classroom teachers’ beliefs about useful skills, understandings, and future practices in music. Questionnaire (N=74) and interview (N=35) data were gathered from teacher candidates enrolled in music methods courses at a large, western Canadian university. Music skills and understandings such as singing, listening, and integrating music across other subject areas were rated as "most useful," indicating a definite valuing of pedagogical content knowledge over content knowledge like music fundamentals, music history, or playing accompaniment instruments. Future music practices discussed by pre-service teachers were closely aligned to the beliefs they hold about …

Comparing Two Approaches For Teaching Rhythm Reading Skills To First-Grade Children: A Pilot Study, Delores Gauthier, Robert E. Dunn

Research & Issues in Music Education

This pilot study compared two approaches for teaching rhythm reading skills to first-grade children. Two intact first-grade classes participated in six lessons focusing on simple rhythms (4 beats using eighth and quarter notes). The lessons were based on the same musical materials; only the approach was varied. After random assignment, Class 1 experienced the “Subdivision Approach” where the quarter note is the beat, and eighth notes are subdivisions of the beat. Class 2 used the “Additive Approach” where, in this case, the eighth note is the “shortest sound” and a quarter note is the equivalent of two short sounds.

Pre- …

Teaching Instrumental Music To Deaf And Hard Of Hearing Students, Phillip M. Hash

Research & Issues in Music Education

Many Deaf/Hard of Hearing (D/HH) individuals have successfully participated in instrumental music programs for over 100 years. In spite of proven success, however, many directors are reluctant to involve students with hearing loss in school bands and orchestras. Reasons may include a lack of knowledge regarding the needs and capabilities of these learners, or the fear that D/HH musicians will negatively impact the performance quality of the ensemble. By becoming familiar with the characteristics and abilities of D/HH students, as well as methods for instructing these individuals, music educators will be better prepared to serve this population. This article provides …

Notes From The Editor, Bruce Gleason

Research & Issues in Music Education

RIME marks another step in the grand experiment of on-line research publishing—an idea that is gaining stature in academic circles with the advent of quality journals. While on-line research reporting formats will probably never subsume print journals (I can detect a future music education historian quoting me here), RIME was founded with the premise that there is indeed room for a quality web-based music education research journal.

Historical Research In Music Education And The Historiography Of Kant, Spengler And Foucault, George N. Heller

Research & Issues in Music Education

This essay examines historical research in music education in connection with historiography and the writing of history, using the works of three exemplary writers recently reviewed in book-length studies. Immanuel Kant (1724-1804) representing classic, enlightenment philosophy as it pertains to historiography was primarily a philosopher who wrote tangentially on history. Oswald Spengler (1880-1936), a modernist German historian and philosopher famous for his pessimistic tome, The Decline of the West (1924-26), was primarily a historian with an interest in philosophy. Michel Foucault (1926-1984), who stated the case for post-modern historiography from a French perspective, seems to have been interested in history …

Cultural Contexts Of Exclusion: Women College Band Directors, Elizabeth S. Gould

Research & Issues in Music Education

Despite gender affirmative employment practices, women constitute little more than 5% of all U.S. college band directors. Researchers have investigated this situation in terms of historical precedent, traditional socialization, discrimination, segregation, professional identity, and lack of role models. They have not, however, addressed the culture of conducting college bands. Cultural analysis is essential because the percentage of women conducting college bands in the U.S. has remained virtually static during the past thirty years. It is appropriate because it provides a multi-layered, broader view of the problem which make possible explanations that may be more appropriately generalized and less subject to …

Effects Of Sequenced Kodaly Literacy-Based Music Instruction On The Spatial Reasoning Skills Of Kindergarten Students, Marlene Hanson

Research & Issues in Music Education

This study was an investigation of the effects of sequenced Kodály literacy-based music instruction on the spatial reasoning skills of kindergarten students. Subjects in the pretest-posttest control group design were 54 kindergarten students who were enrolled in three kindergarten classes in a rural elementary community school. Experimental group one (n = 18) received Kodály music instruction and experimental group two (n = 18) received computer instruction (with no classroom music training) for 30 minutes twice a week. The control group (n = 18) received no classroom music instruction or computer instruction. The instructional-treatment period spanned seven months from October, 2000 …