Music Education Commons^™

Forward And Up: An Exploration Of Implementations Of The Alexander Technique In Post-Secondary Music Institutions, Mei Lee

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Music performance is a psychophysical affair. Like athletes, musicians need to be physically, mentally, and emotionally fit in order to meet the demands and challenges of training and performing. For over half a century, post-secondary music institutions have been utilizing the Alexander Technique to address young musicians’ psychophysical coordination and playing-related challenges. This unique mind-body method teaches individuals how to move efficiently and carry out activities with freedom and ease by recognizing and changing counterproductive habits. It has noted beneficial effects on posture and coordination, pain relief, and stress management, and its relevance to music performance studies is endorsed by …

Bringing Music Back Into The Classroom And Its Benefits On Elementary School Students, Laura Alcaraz

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

This project brings to light the lack of music education in elementary classrooms despite its benefits to students. There are numerous positive advantages for students learning to play an instrument or participating in a choir, for example. The education system strives to educate its students to the best of their abilities. However, this focus has pushed away music education to math, science, and language arts, and prepared students for standardized testing. This senior capstone research project examines the benefits of bringing back music into the classroom through the use of literature review and anonymous interviews with public and private school …

Ch. 04 - The Pursuit Of Happiness: Music Access In 21st Century America, Carla E. Aguilar

The Road Goes Ever On: Estelle Jorgensen's Legacy in Music Education

This chapter describes policy mechanisms that can be revised to support “music making by all.” Aguilar starts with the normative claim that engagement in music education in elementary, secondary, and post-secondary institutions should encompass opportunities for a range of music-making experiences, especially those experiences that may be ignored or marginalized because of the traditional structure of post-secondary institutions. Broadening choices for musical engagement may provide greater relevance, as well as increased access and participation in learning music by all and for all.

Ch. 06 - Pilgrim And Quest Revisited, Iris Yob

The Road Goes Ever On: Estelle Jorgensen's Legacy in Music Education

In Pictures of Music Education, Estelle Jorgensen extends her analysis of the pilgrimage metaphor and its associated model of quest in music education. The purpose of the present chapter is not to refute or critique Jorgensen’s work with this metaphor but to build on it by exploring even further the possible meanings captured by the metaphor for music educators. While the notion of pilgrimage carries religious overtones from its long association with faith practices, in a secularized world our present understandings continue to be shaped by remnants of meaning from past mythologies. To that end, various notions associated with …

Ch. 09 - The Music Educator As Cultural Worker, David Lines

The Road Goes Ever On: Estelle Jorgensen's Legacy in Music Education

Estelle Jorgensen’s Pictures of Music Education provides an exploration of music education through figural and literal thinking stimulated by a selection of metaphors and models. This chapter takes inspiration from Jorgensen’s approach to music education and explores how the changing idea of culture resonates with thinking about music education. It is suggested that music education and culture can be thought of together through a more politically aware stance or image of thought that music teachers can adopt: the music educator as cultural worker. By adopting this stance, the music educator enacts music and culture together, is critically informed by the …

Ch. 11 - Becoming A Story: Searching For Music Educations, Patrick Schmidt

The Road Goes Ever On: Estelle Jorgensen's Legacy in Music Education

This short philosophical chapter borrows and diverges from Estelle Jorgensen’s In Search of Music Education. It aims to address the pertinent and defiant questions asked over two decades ago, while re-position them in light of current challenges. Following Jorgensen’s style—carefully and tactically—this chapter draws a line of flight between philosophical and policy-oriented ways of thinking, underlining some ways in which the two meet and how pertinent these encounters can be to music educators today. The chapter makes use and highlights the potential of craftly constructed epistemological familiarity and how it can engender practice. Specifically, it reminds and exemplifies to the …

Ch. 16 - Re-Discovering/Facilitating Intimacy In Borderscapes Of Higher Music Education, Eleni Lapidaki

The Road Goes Ever On: Estelle Jorgensen's Legacy in Music Education

The chapter explores intimacy as a critical site of power and resistance. More specifically, intimacy is considered as an arena in which social and political identities are negotiated, while inclusions and exclusions are continually established or disputed. I will argue for the adoption of a politics of intimacy that aims towards a more nuanced and less reductionist higher music education that can help us articulate the complexity of spaces of proximity as greatly as we live it. Such a reflection offers us opportunity to adopt a variable filter that sheds light on certain characteristics of borders, freedom, and the ways …

Ch. 17 - Traditions And The End Of Music Education, William Perrine

The Road Goes Ever On: Estelle Jorgensen's Legacy in Music Education

This chapter considers the question of how music educators determine the musical ends towards which their teaching is directed. Musical traditions, both “great” and “little,” as Estelle Jorgensen describes them, are inseparable from the philosophical traditions through which music educators determine consider their pedagogical ends. This chapter presents a three-part framework to describe how music educators might approach understanding their work as a socially embodied enactment of contrasting traditions. The term tradition is first defined as a means of categorizing philosophical schools of thought from which various musical practices can be understood. The liberal philosophical tradition that grew out of …

Ch. 21 - When I Grow Up, Or Just Another Love Song, Cathy Benedict

The Road Goes Ever On: Estelle Jorgensen's Legacy in Music Education

One’s journey is never made alone. Relationships with the other begins with the desire to live mutually and responsively. Jorgensen’s lives work has been to both broker and live these relationships with others; modeling scholarly and intellectual companionship that will reach beyond time now as it has been experienced. In this essay I frame Jorgensen’s influence through the lens of Martin Buber, the caring relationship and the creation of spaces that embrace plurality.

The Road Goes Ever On: Estelle Jorgensen's Legacy In Music Education

The Road Goes Ever On: Estelle Jorgensen's Legacy in Music Education

A collection of essays celebrating Estelle Jorgensen's legacy in music education, edited by:Randall Everett Allsup & Cathy Benedict

"It's Obvious Who Plays An Instrument And Who Doesn't": Using Doxa And Illusio To Explore Inequities In English School Music Education, Alison Butler

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

This thesis investigates Bourdieu’s concepts of doxa and illusio in English secondary school music education, using data collection from a comparative case study undertaken at two contrasting schools in a rural county, Stonefarm High School and Friars Hall School. Data were gathered over five months in 2018, using lesson observations, student focus groups and teacher interviews. Three classes were invited to participate at each school.

The data were analysed using Bourdieu’s Theory of Practice (1977), especially the field mechanisms of doxa and illusio. Doxa, the unwritten rules of a field, and illusio, belief in the game being played in the …

Bridging The Gap: Self-Efficacy And The Desire To Continue In Music Education, Janet Levine

CUP Ed.D. Dissertations

This study sought to explore the problem of student retention in music, specifically between eighth and ninth grade. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether there is a relationship between eighth-grade band students’ self-efficacy beliefs and their desire to participate in band. Bandura’s (1977) four sources of self-efficacy (mastery experiences, vicarious experiences, verbal/ social persuasions, and students’ physiological state) were the theoretical framework that guided this study. The participants in this study consisted of 68 eighth grade band students who had at least one year of band experience. This quantitative study used the Music Performance Self-Efficacy Scale, specially …

The Use Of Kagan Cooperative Learning Structures In Music Education To Promote Rhythm Skills And Knowledge, Emily Labes

Master's Theses & Capstone Projects

The purpose of this action research was to determine if Kagan Cooperative Learning Structures produced greater achievement in music education than those who did not have the opportunity to engage in Kagan structures. The participants included 114 fourth grade students attending a public school in southern Minnesota. The scores of pre and post-tests determined student growth and achievement for both the control and treatment groups. The specific music skill assessed was rhythm. Results indicated that there was a statistically significant difference on rhythm when assessed by a paper and pencil exam when Kagan Structures were used. Analysis of a performance …

Deaf And Hard-Of-Hearing Students’ Perceptions Of The Kodaly-Inspired Music Class, Katherine Simmons

Masters of Education in Teaching and Learning

This study focused on the perceptions of elementary students who are deaf or hard-of-hearing in a music class. The author was a preservice teacher serving her year-long clinical teaching. The goal of the study was to better understand deaf and hard-of-hearing students’ perceptions of a Kodaly-inspired class, their favorite aspects of music, what they believed would make their musical experience more enjoyable, and what areas of music that they, and their music teacher, believed they could improve. Qualitative data consisted of school records, surveys of the students and their interpreters, interviews of the students and music teacher, and observations of …

A Collective Case Study Of The Personal Practice And Meanings Of Mindfulness To Music Educators, Jennifer M. Hoye

Masters Theses, 2010-2019

The practice of mindfulness, defined as “paying attention in a particular way: on purpose, in the present moment, and nonjudgmentally” (Kabat-Zinn, 1994, p. 4), may be an effective form of self-care for music educators suffering from stress. Stressors that music educators may encounter in their professional lives include such issues as role conflict, role ambiguity, role overload, the underutilization of skills, resource inadequacy, non-participation, professional isolation, and Music Performance Anxiety (Scheib, 2003; Sindberg, 2011; Kenny, Davis, & Oates, 2004; Kenny & Osborne, 2006). The purpose of this collective case study was to explore the personal mindfulness practices of the three …

Music Deserts: How Social Inequality Affects Accessibility To Music Resources Important To Actively Participating In Music, Everardo Francisco Reyes

Ursidae: The Undergraduate Research Journal at the University of Northern Colorado

Recent findings in the cognitive neuroscience of music suggest that active participation in music has benefits such as increasing reading comprehension, soothing babies, and helping increase synapses which are beneficial in differentiating music and speech from noise. However, these benefits are not accessible to all communities. Department of Education (2012) research reveals that elementary and secondary schools with a higher percentage of poverty have fewer music teachers, music courses, dedicated rooms for music, and proper music equipment. In this research I examine how social inequality in the US correlated with a lack of music instrument stores (MIS). These areas can …

For The Culture: The Importance Of A Critical Social Theory Within The Music Education Classroom, Brianna Thomas

Senior Honors Theses

This paper will analyze the history of music education in the United States and discuss how the music classroom can contribute to and dismantle social inequalities including social class, gender, and race. Class effects music education by creating barriers to necessary resources and opportunities as a result of economic positions.[1] Gender is the second focus because music has historically been a male-dominated profession. As a result, many textbooks and curriculum highlight the achievements of men while erasing the contributions of women which has taught women to devalue their own work.[2] The last focus is race. While the arts …

Bel Canto: An Analysis From Birth And Background To Musical Benefaction, Kaitlin Kohler

The Research and Scholarship Symposium (2013-2019)

Since the beginning of time, singing has been celebrated. Although opera itself was not properly established until the seventeenth century, drama and music have existed since the world’s genesis. It is difficult to imagine exactly what singing would have been like in ancient times, but the Bible and other ancient documents describe singing as an important factor in community—singing is meant to be beautiful and enjoyable. As the centuries pass on, a common thread of music history is the quest for beautiful singing. Composers each try to outdo their predecessors, coming up with new ways for vocalists to shine. They …

Going For Broke: A Talk To Music Teachers, Juliet Hess, Brent C. Talbot

Sunderman Conservatory of Music Faculty Publications

In 1963—a racially-charged time in the United States—James Baldwin delivered “A Talk to Teachers,” urging educators to engage youth in difficult conversations about current events. We concur with Giroux (2011, 2019) that political forces influence our educational spaces and that classrooms should not be viewed as apolitical, but instead seen as sites for engagement, where educators and artists alike can “go for broke.” Drawing upon A Tribe Called Quest’s 2017 Grammy performance of “We the People…” as an example of the role of the arts in troubled times, we consider ways to work alongside youth in schools to respond, consider, …

The Influence Of Selected Demographic Factors On The Retention Of Middle School Instrumental Music Students, Evan Hoylman

Honors Theses

Music programs across the country, particularly at the secondary level, are much smaller than should be expected. Large numbers of students (and adults, for that matter) report that they enjoy music and listen to it often for pleasure. Yet, in many high schools, less than a quarter of the school population participates in school music. Why is this so? Students in elementary schools are typically engaged in music study, either through general music classes and/or band or orchestra participation, but retention of students in secondary school music study is a problem. The purpose of this study was to examine the …

The Equal Right To Sing: The American Zeitgeist And Its Implications For Music Education, Youngeun Kim

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

According to music educators and proponents of arts education, music education in U.S. public schools seems to be in jeopardy. This thesis brings attention to several issues in current music education. It is a case study of music education in New York City public elementary schools. First, it shows that music education is not equally distributed to all students in the public-school system and is especially unequal among elementary schools. Next, it investigates possible causes for this inequality, from the current system’s limitations to more fundamental causes including the cultural perception of music among the U.S. public. The consequences of …

Armchair Philology For The Post-Truth Age, James Brooks Kuykendall

Music

In music history classes, interactions with musical notation often take place via printed anthologies including material from many sources with varying editorial principles. Questioning how the music on the page got there likely does not cross students minds. They are presented with a polished text, with all the complications removed, that underscores the fixedness of the work concept. This article outlines an exercise that invites students to think like philologists, exploring a familiar and simple piece with a complicated textual situation: the hymntune generally known as ANTIOCH (usually associated with the text Joy to the World) appears widely in hymnbooks …

Role Of Spatial Ability In Musical Instrument Choice: Implications For Music Education, Tevis L. Tucker

Honors Undergraduate Theses

The intent of this thesis is to explore the relationship between spatial ability and the wide range of musical instruments musicians play. Existing literature has established a link between musicianship and improved spatial ability, but researchers have yet to look at how the spatial makeup of different musical instruments may, in turn, reveal unique levels of spatial proficiency from one instrumentalist to the next. This study was formatted as an online survey that included a music experience scale, a demographics scale, and two measures of spatial ability: the Card Rotations Test (CRT) and the Paper Folding Test (PFT). Participants who …

Measures Of Music Teacher Effectiveness In Three Early Career Levels, Alicia L. Canterbury

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Corroborative findings across instructional targets rehearsal frames and the summative evaluations indicated a general lack of specificity across all levels which improved somewhat during student teaching and peer teaching. Unidentified targets and nonspecific positive feedback were observed less frequently in student teaching and novice teaching. No growth was found across levels in specific positive and negative feedback. Directives were the most frequently observed teacher verbal category in selected rehearsal frames and information and demonstrations were consistently the highest ranked items across all levels in the summative evaluation. However instructional directive scores were inconsistent. Results indicate that new teachers of all …

A Kentucky Pioneer In Music Therapy: An Oral History On The Life And Career Of Lorinda Jones, Emma Powers

Theses and Dissertations--Music

Lorinda Jones, MT-BC, is the longest practicing music therapist in Kentucky. She began her work as a music therapist in 1995 and built a private practice, which expanded over the course of the next 20 years to include services in 16 counties. Ms. Jones’ perspective on the growth of music therapy, both within the state and nationwide, as well as her extensive knowledge of Appalachian folk music, makes her an invaluable resource to Kentucky music therapists. The purpose of this study was to present a historical account of the life and career of Lorinda Jones, to gain her perspective on …