Music Education Commons^™

Purpose Makes Practice: Testing The Efficacy Of A Proposed Framework For Teaching Self-Regulation Skills In The Violin Lesson, Hannah Kabrick

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

Development of self-regulatory (SR) skills in musicians is crucial for the self- examination necessary for successful practice. Teaching methods that facilitate SR skills can help musicians become independent in the practice room. The first aim of this study was to design a framework for teaching that includes a five-step thinking-action sequence that will allow participants to evaluate their own playing during practice and equips them to enact necessary changes to their technique to bring their playing closer to a more proficient result. The second aim of this study was to use microanalysis with a cross-case comparative design to test the …

Music As A Time Capsule: Connecting Personal And Cultural History Through Music, Lekha Pattim

ENGS 15.11: Design and Education

In this lesson titled "Music as a Time Capsule: Connecting Personal and Cultural History Through Music," students will explore how music can act as a powerful tool for storytelling, preserving personal and cultural moments in history. By analyzing song lyrics and their contexts, students will understand how music reflects both individual identities and broader societal experiences. The lesson encourages students to engage deeply with music’s emotional and historical significance and challenges them to create their own “musical time capsules” to connect their personal milestones with cultural events. The goal is to bridge personal and shared histories through the universal medium …

Eurhythmic Use For Syncopation In An Instrumental Class, Kristen Flinner

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

The purpose of this study was to investigate how Dalcroze Eurhythmic approaches affect syncopated rhythm integrity in an instrumental class. One graduate and five undergraduate music education majors enrolled in a string methods course took part in this study. A pre-assessment was completed using an etude for cello comprised of syncopated rhythms. Following a sequence of four Dalcroze Eurhythmics-inspired lessons, post-assessment results showed an improvement in the fluidity and rhythmic accuracy of the six participants on the performance of the cello etude.

An Analysis Of Traditional Pedagogical Practices With Innovative Strategies For Beginning Band Students With A Focus On Assessment, Higher-Order Thinking Skills And Differentiation, Cole Woods

Music Theses - Archive

Instrumental education is a field rich in tradition, with a strong foundation of methodology being codified in method books used by band directors around the country. Equally rich is the vibrant research community found within music education, and innovative techniques for teaching band are being presented yearly in both journals and conventions. These new strategies and additions to curriculum supported by recent research could potentially deepen the learning taking place in the instrumental music classroom. Nowhere is this more visible than in the wealth of new research, curricula, and literature that has been published regarding beginner instrumental music instruction in …

Gender Associations Of American Band Instruments: Exploring And Comparing The Perceptions Of Three Age Groups, Kevin R. Merkel

Music Theses - Archive

This collection of three related studies explored the current gender-related perceptions of American band instruments. The first study investigated adults’ perceptions, as they were asked to rank instrument preferences for their hypothetical son and daughter. The second study examined the perceptions of seventh- and eighth-grade band students by allowing them to rate band instruments based on their gender perceptions. The third study investigated the perceptions and experiences of university band students related to gender norms and instruments utilizing a survey and interview process. The results provided evidence that instrument gender perceptions and stereotypes can change, and they suggest that intentional …

Noting Experience: Music Education In Central Spain Told Through Personal Narratives, Evan Strouse

Music Department Honors Papers

No abstract provided.

Investigating The Relationship Between Politics And Education, Alaina M. Winrow

Honors Theses and Capstones

This paper looks into how politics plays a role in the public K-12 education system in the United States, specifically looking at the state of New Hampshire. Federal, state, and local governments provide important resources through funding to schools and create the laws that govern them. However, educational politics can be controversial at times. Within the past several years, there have been more tense school board meetings and divisive laws being passed or considered around the nation. Overall, the divisive political climate has influenced much of the discussion surrounding education and has created more stress for educators, administrators, school staff, …

Surviving Pandemic Practicum: Early Career Music Teachers' Perceived Self-Efficacy Following The Covid-19 Pandemic, Aubree Pacifico Windish

West Chester University Doctoral Projects

This qualitative study examines early career music teachers’ perceived self-efficacy following teacher practicum during a global pandemic. I conducted focus group conversations with undergraduate music education alum (N=16) from Southeastern State University (SSU) at the end of 2023. Participants described the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on their music teacher practicum and overall experiential learning at SSU. The focus group questions, and subsequent deductive coding of their answers, aligned with the four roles of Bandura’s (1977) Self-Efficacy Theory. Participants reported low perceived self-efficacy in their first year of in-service teaching, with variations based on the stages of the COVID-19 pandemic …

Facilitating Children’S Musical Development, Andrew Aprile

Open Educational Resources

In this course, early childhood teacher candidates will explore significant issues and current research regarding the musical development of young children, as related to emotional, cognitive and physical musical growth. Observations of natural music-making behaviors, interactive music making experiences, as well as integrative pedagogy focused on children’s engagement with music and movement will be salient to teacher candidates’ learning process.

Utilizing The Theory Of Planned Behavior And Self-Efficacy Theory To Investigate The Retention Of Band Students In A Rural School District, Jerry Junior Robinson

Doctor of Education Dissertations

Recruitment and retention play a significant role in the success of high school band programs. The purpose of this study was to examine what impacted post high school graduates’ and focus group participants' final decisions about participating in their high school band program. It utilized Ajzen’s (1991) Theory of Planned Behavior and Bandura’s (1977) Self-Efficacy Theory. The participants were asked to answer and discuss questions based on their mastery experiences, vicarious experiences, social/verbal experiences, physiological experiences, self-perception, and other influential factors to determine their future participation. The study was purposefully conducted at two different schools in two different geographical locations …

Experiences Of Women High School Band Directors In Iowa, Karina Kelso

Graduate Research Papers

Women high school band directors in the state of Iowa may experience teaching in secondary band programs differently than men high school band directors. Previous research has shown that women have faced many challenges in music education, particularly in teaching high school band. Four women band directors from different school class sizes and currently teaching in Iowa were interviewed about their teaching experiences to collect data using a qualitative case study design. My findings support the literature reviewed in suggesting that women band directors in secondary band programs in Iowa may be treated differently than men band directors by experiencing …

Music Instruction At The California Labor School, 1942–1957, Phillip Hash

Faculty Publications - Music

The purpose of this study was to examine music instruction at the California Labor School (CLS), located in San Francisco, California. This institution existed from 1942 to 1957 as a center for adult education affiliated with the Communist Party. Although the curriculum focused on Marxism and labor, the institution also offered classes in general subjects, vocational training, life skills, and the arts to enrich the lives of the immigrants, industrial workers, and people of color that it served. The music program included courses in music fundamentals, appreciation, and songwriting; group and individual instruction in voice, guitar, and piano; and ensembles …

Song Analysis - Final Project For The American Musical Experience, Agustina Checa

Open Educational Resources

Assignment designed as a final project for the undergraduate course MSH245: The American Musical Experience at Lehman College. This course surveys different musical expressions that emerged in the United States as well as the historical, social and technological contexts framing their popularization.This assignment asks students to analyze a song of their choosing performed by an American artist and to follow specific requirements in their study of this piece which include: historical and social contextualization, analysis of style, influences and lyrics, as well as the elaboration of a "listening guide" to fully appreciate the composition. Students are given the …

Experience Of Parents Attending A Perinatal Lullaby Program, Emily J. Skeers

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

Previous research performed with mother–infant dyads has demonstrated that infant–directed singing may make significant contributions to mother–infant attachment, may reduce infant stress, reduce maternal stress, assist mothers and babies with emotional regulation, improve mother–infant interactions, prevent colic, and improve infant sleep. Despite these benefit potentials, parents of today are much less likely to sing to their infants than parents of previous generations. Attendance of postnatal lullaby education programs has been associated with increased maternal singing at home and confidence in their parenting role. Perinatal lullaby programs are not represented in the literature. This qualitative study explored the lived experiences of …

Evaluating The Effectiveness Of Using Digital Technologies In Music Education, Flutura Gagica Rexhepi, Rreze Kryeziu Breznica, Burhan Reshat Rexhepi

Journal of Educational Technology Development and Exchange (JETDE)

The relevance of the study of the effectiveness of digital technologies in music education lies in the need to adapt modern music education to the requirements of the digital world. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of digital technologies in music education and to determine their impact on the quality of music education. The methods used in the study were the statistical method, modelling, the method of generalising experience, as well as experimentation and theoretical analysis. The results of the study showed that the use of modern digital technologies in music education could make the learning …

Music Education Within An Autism Support Classroom: Building Community And Educational Skills, Emma Lamberti

Honors Theses

The purpose of this action research study was to explore how music education might provide a sense of community, develop educational skills, and discuss general best practices for teaching students with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) in a middle school autism support classroom. To examine community, educational skills, and best practices, this study completed two cycles of action research. The curriculum in Cycle 1 consisted of typical music lessons for a general music classroom. Interviews with teachers and students, video observations, and researcher reflections after each lesson were used to inform the development of Cycle 2. Cycle 2 retained the overall …

Psychological Well-Being And Music Among Children, Elle Chrampanis

Honors Theses

The purpose of this instrumental case study was to explore how music supports kindergarteners’ well-being in an elementary music classroom through the lens of PERMA, a framework for well-being developed by Martin Seligman. PERMA stands for positive emotions, engagement, relationships, meaning, and accomplishment. An additional goal was to see how applicable this framework was to kindergarteners. Accordingly, a five-week music program was developed and taught at a local elementary school. A typical elementary music curriculum was developed consisting of lessons that included a welcome song, a rhythm activity, a musical storybook, the sequential learning of a song, and a goodbye …

An Analysis And Conductor's Guide To Allen Webber'sThree American Poets, John Wayne Weatherspoon

Theses and Dissertations--Music

Allen Webber’s Three American Poets is a three-movement choral work based on texts by several American poets. This monograph shines light on the compositional style of Webber by means of an in-depth score analysis of this work. Webber’s experience as a written theory and aural skills professor informs his writing style. Frequent correspondence and interviews with the composer informed the study through qualitative data. Though the piece is accessible to advanced high school choruses and beyond, it will at times challenge those choirs with unexpected chromatic movements. This study provides conductors with a guide to develop a creative and scholarly …

Beyond The Score: Interdisciplinary Connections In The High School Choral Ensemble, Kellie Clark

Theses and Dissertations--Music

An interest in interdisciplinary instruction, generally and within the arts, can be traced through numerous progressive educational movements extending back to the earliest philosophers. There has, however, been limited discussion regarding an interdisciplinary approach in high school ensemble classrooms. If a holistic teaching approach, one which examines a musical work from multiple angles while inviting and encouraging student curiosity and agency, can benefit music students in profound ways, why are secondary choral educators hesitant to employ such methods?

This monograph presents a concrete and practical application for the inclusion of interdisciplinary instruction in the high school choral classroom developed through …

Dimitris Kafyris: The Legacy And Pedagogy Of A Trailblazing Greek Trumpeter, Stephen M. Wadsack

Theses and Dissertations--Music

Dimitris Kafyris (Δημήτρης Κάφυρης, 1932–2020) is regarded as one of the most talented trumpeters of the twentieth century, within his native homeland of Greece. From the early 1950s into the mid-1980s, Kafyris performed with the Athens State Orchestra (Greece’s premier orchestral ensemble), the Greek Radio Symphony, and the National Opera. During this period, Kafyris also maintained a teaching position at the Hellenikon Conservatory (Ελληνικόν Ωδείον) in Athens. Following what many would already consider to be a robust career, Kafyris returned home to the Greek island of Corfu, where he assumed the roles of Bandmaster and Director of the Corfu Philharmonic …