Music Commons^™

The Comparison Of Novice And Master Instrumental Music Educators’ Use Of Figurative Language And Their Attitudes Concerning It As A Tool For Effective Teaching, Matthew H. Spieker

Research & Issues in Music Education

The purpose of this study was to compare the use of figurative language between master and novice instrumental music teachers and to investigate their attitudes toward figurative language as a teaching tool. Figurative language is defined as any creative verbal instruction intended to teach a concept. Sixteen (N = 16) secondary school, instrumental directors were selected as participants. These were divided into two groups of novice and master teachers. Novice teachers were student teachers or first-year teachers, and master teachers had a minimum of eight years of experience, were selected as master teachers by professors at state universities and …

Notes From The Editor, Bruce Gleason

Research & Issues in Music Education

Welcome to the 2016-2017 issue of Research and Issues in Music Education (RIME). In this issue, Wendy Matthews of Wayne State University and Karen Koner of California State University, Stanislaus report on professional attributes and job satisfaction of music educators; Jonathan Bolduc and Melanie Évrard of Université Laval examine music teaching practices at the early childhood level; Elizabeth Bucura of Eastman School of Music and JulieAnn Weissberg of the Kyrene School District in Tempe, Arizona investigate elementary students’ creating processes and perspectives through composition; Matthew Spieker of Ball State University investigates instrumental music educators’ use of figurative language; and Phillip …

A Survey Of Elementary And Secondary Music Educators’ Professional Background, Teaching Responsibilities And Job Satisfaction In The United States, Wendy K. Matthews, Karen Koner

Research & Issues in Music Education

The focus of this exploratory study was to examine the current trends of K – 12 music educators in the United States regarding their (a) professional background, (b) classroom teaching responsibilities, and (c) job satisfaction. Participants included seven thousand four hundred and sixty-three (N = 7,463) currently employed music teachers who were members of the National Association for Music Education (NAfME) during the 2015 – 2016 academic year. To assess the variables, participants responded to a researcher created 49-item Music Educator Survey for K – 12 Teachers. Results indicate that overall, K – 12 music educators were predominately Caucasian …

2017 School Of Music News, Wmu School Of Music

School of Music News

• PEN Trio to present new works for oboe, clarinet, bassoon and electronics
• Renowned trombonist to perform at WMU
• Stulberg silver medalist to perform with University Symphony Orchestra
• WMU baritone presents free recital of operatic excerpts
• Capitol Quartet to perform standard works, new music and jazz
• Technology-based music performance featured at WMU
• Accomplished trombonist Brad Edwards to perform in free recital at WMU
• Vocal supergroup MOSS to perform with WMU jazz ensembles
• Trio performs with WMU emerita in free concert
• Prism Quartet to perform free recital and with Symphonic Band
• Electric guitarists take the Dalton Center Recital Hall stage
• MacArthur Genius …

Music Education From Birth To Five: An Examination Of Early Childhood Educators’ Music Teaching Practices, Jonathan Bolduc, Melanie Evrard

Research & Issues in Music Education

Children from birth to five are generally enthusiastic about music. However, because many early-childhood educators (ECEs) feel that they have insufficient knowledge to foster musical development, music education practices are not equivalent across ECEs. This study aimed to identify and determine the frequency of music activities used by ECEs. In all, 108 French Canadian ECEs (N = 108 women) from mixed areas (urban and rural) participated in the study. All participants completed an online questionnaire addressing their music education practices. The data analysis considered three profiles: 1) ECEs with little musical knowledge, 2) ECEs with good musical knowledge, and …

Predictive Ability From Eportfolios Of Student Achievement Associated With Professional Teaching Standards: An Exploratory Case Study, Phillip Payne, Frederick Burrack

Research & Issues in Music Education

This exploratory case study, focused on a music teacher preparation program, examined the coursework ePortfolios of pre-service music teachers to determine if any parts of the ePortfolio process predicted teaching effectiveness in the classroom during the student teaching semester. Sixty-five undergraduate pre-service music teachers made up the sample of the study. Data collected for each student consisted of coursework ePortfolios, summative student teaching assessments from both elementary and secondary placements, and selected licensure-related requirements as mandated by the state board of education. Multiple regression analyses revealed significant relationships between ePortfolio performance and student teaching assessments. Specifically, student teacher reflections (as …

Children’S Musical Empowerment In Two Composition Task Designs, Elizabeth Bucura, Julieanne Weissberg

Research & Issues in Music Education

The purpose of this study was to investigate elementary students’ creating processes and perspectives through composition. Two fourth-grade classes took part in this action research, which consisted of creating four compositions—two with acoustic instruments and two with computer software. For each of the two sound sources, the first composition was written with specified constraints and the second with freedom. Research questions included: 1) how do students respond to composition tasks with differing levels of freedom and constraint; and 2) how does composing in different group sizes impact composition? Data included field notes, recordings, student interviews, and response forms. Major themes …

Treble In The Environment: Incorporating Music Into Environmental Education, Shinara Sunderlal

Pitzer Senior Theses

In this era where global sustainability is challenged, environmental education plays a vital role in building environmental awareness. Other roles of environmental education include the promotion of responsible citizenship and the fostering of environmental advocacy in children. As a way to strengthen these goals of environmental education, this thesis explores the dynamic uses of music to compound on the fields impact. I argue that the benefits of music outlined suggest music’s power to heighten environmental sensitivity from a young age. I use narratives from the environmental education, music, education, and psychology discourses to demonstrate the theoretical advantages of music in …

Towards A More Inclusive Music Education: Experiences Of Lgbtqqiaa Students In Music Teacher Education Programs Across Pennsylvania, Edward J. Holmes, Brent C. Talbot

Sunderman Conservatory of Music Faculty Publications

During the past decade, the field of music education has seen an increase in the amount of scholarship surrounding LGBTQ studies in music teaching and learning. For example, the University of Illinois hosted three symposia for the field of music education dedicated to LGBTQ studies (2010, 2012, 2016), and proceedings from these symposia were published in three separate issues of the of the Bulletin of the Council for Research in Music Education (2011, 2014, 2016). Other notable scholarship has been published in Action, Criticism, and Theory for Music Education (Gould 2005); the Music Educators Journal (Bergonzi, 2009; Carter, 2011; McBride, …

Philosophy Of Music Education, Mary Elizabeth Barba

Honors Theses and Capstones

A philosophy of music education refers to the value of music, the value of teaching music, and how to practically utilize those values in the music classroom. This thesis explores the philosophies of Emile Jacques-Dalcroze, Carl Orff, Zoltan Kodaly, Bennett Reimer, and David Elliott, and suggests practical applications or their philosophies in the orchestral classroom, especially in the context of ear training and improvisation. From these philosophies, the author develops their own personal philosophy of music education, most broadly defined by the claim that music is key to experiencing and understanding feelingful experiences.

The Effects Of Participation In Band On Band Music Preference, Benny Ratliff

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study focuses on band music preference, and specifically, how this preference is affected by participation in band. With this knowledge I argue that band directors can select repertoire that both challenges and engages students while still being enjoyable to perform. Despite the existence of studies that consider the many factors that affect music preference, no study has focused exclusively on band music, which remains a vital part of music education in the United States. Students from three high schools rated ten 30-second examples of concert music on a Likert-type scale. I placed these musical examples into five self-defined categories: …

The Effect Of A Researcher Composed Mouthpiece Buzzing Routine On The Intonation And Tone Quality Of Beginning Band Brass Students, Jason William Beghtol

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The present study is an investigation of the effect of an author composed mouthpiece buzzing routine modeled by the teacher on beginning band brass students’ intonation and tone quality. The subjects (N = 43) were sixth grade beginning band brass students from a large band program in the northeast region of Mississippi. The experimental group (n = 27) buzzed a daily routine modeled by their instructor at the beginning of each class period. The control group (n = 16) received no treatment and proceeded through normal classroom activities. The duration of the instructional period was ten weeks. This study utilized …

Redefining The Performance Degree Curriculum For The Crossover Saxophonist, Ian M. Cruz

Theses and Dissertations--Music

Many collegiate saxophone performance degree programs are overwhelmingly classical, adopting from other performance programs in the Western music tradition. However, there is a growing number of saxophone compositions that are “crossover” in nature. Crossover is a term used to describe the fusion of popular music styles in a classical setting. There is also evidence that collegiate music education as a whole is moving towards a more diverse curriculum, which emphasizes ethnomusicology. Due to this trend in composition and education, it is becoming increasingly important that saxophonists have the training of both classical and jazz disciplines.

The problem is that while …

Singing Portuguese Nasal Vowels: Practical Strategies For Managing Nasality In Brazilian Art Songs, André Campelo

Theses and Dissertations--Music

The articulation of Portuguese nasalized vowels poses some articulatory problems accompanied by negative acoustic effects for the performance of Brazilian art songs. The main objective was to find strategies that permit the singer to conciliate an idiomatic pronunciation of these vowels with a well-balanced resonance, a desirable quality in classical singing. In order to devise these strategies, the author examined sources dealing with nasalized vowels from varied perspectives: acoustic properties of vowel nasalization, phonetic and phonological aspects ofBrazilian Portuguese (BP), historical views on nasality in singing, and recent vocal pedagogy research. In addition to the overall loss of sonority, the …

A Case Study Of The Cellists And Treatise Authors: Johann Georg Christoph Schetky (1737-1824), Joseph Reinagle (1752-1825) And John Gunn (C.1765-1823): The Development Of The Cello In Provincial Britain, Margaret Doris

Doctoral

This dissertation provides an investigation of British provincial cello playing in the lateeighteenth and early-nineteenth centuries through a comprehensive examination of the biographical histories and the pedagogical outputs of the cellists and cello treatise authors, Johann Georg Christoph Schetky (1737–1824), Joseph Reinagle (1752–1825) and John Gunn (c.1765–1823). Through re-evaluation and analysis of the biographical profiles of Schetky, Reinagle and Gunn, in combination with a contextual review of their cello treatises, a provincial trend in British cello treatise authorship has been revealed. Schetky was principal cellist with the Edinburgh Musical Society [EMS], whilst Reinagle was principal cellist of the Oxford Musical …

Experience In Action: Incorporating Somatic Education Into The General Music Classroom, Amy N. Melton

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis seeks to introduce principles of somatic education to children grades kindergarten through grade five in order to prevent future music-related injury and to promote free, wholebody movement. To do so, the principals of somatic education, specifically those of the Alexander Technique and Body Mapping, were combined with the current general music pedagogies by altering pre-existing lesson plans. Alterations include a variety of methods of integration, including, but not limited to: teaching about and exploring the different parts of the body, understanding the relationships between seemingly unrelated body parts, and engaging in student-led constructive rest in the semi-supine position. …

Teaching Tuba Students To Be Complete Musicians, Brandon E. Cummings

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

The goal of music educators is to develop complete musicians who successfully learn and perform all musical concepts. One of the limitations of the band classroom is that performers are required to play a part that is specifically written with the needs of the ensemble in mind, and not the needs of the developing musician. These limitations can be seen in the bass instruments of a band which typically play the harmony or bass-line. While the bass-line and harmony are integral portions of the music, they do not often progress as far as other instrumental parts with respect to the …

Virginia-Gene Rittenhouse: The History And Organization Of The New England Youth Ensemble, Valencia Collins Thevenin

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study focuses on Virginia-Gene Rittenhouse and the history and organization of the New England Youth Ensemble (NEYE). Born in Lacombe, Canada in 1922, Virginia-Gene Rittenhouse was a violinist, pianist, composer, and notable music educator in the Seventh-day Adventist Church who established the New England Youth Ensemble in 1969. The ensemble has toured internationally since the early 1970s and it is the resident orchestra at Washington Adventist University in Takoma Park, Maryland. The youth orchestra has played numerous times under the baton of John Rutter and has performed frequently in Carnegie Hall under the auspices of MidAmerica Productions. The author …

Notes Of Hope: Experiential Learning In Music Education, Eden A. Dunning, Jordan Wessel

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

The arts unite vision, hearing, touch, movement, speech, and emotion. Music strengthens spatial and conditional reasoning, problem solving, and creative thinking. For students, it can positively affect academic areas such as mathematics and creative scientific processes. Benefiting urban students in new ways, this project, a two semester after-school music program in inner-city Cleveland, was completed as part of our Honors degrees. Our purpose was to provide students with musical experiences, developing a foundation of basic musical skills that would allow them to be “tuneful, beatful, and artful” throughout their lives. Each weekly class gave students the opportunity to make music …

The Classification Of The Finger Frames Method In Violin Playing, Brittany Williams

Theses : Honours

From the first stage of learning new repertoire, string pedagogy aims to present violinists with effective strategies to achieve accurate intonation in performance. The search for new teaching and learning strategies, whilst running the risk of being seen as unconventional compared to more tried and tested methods (i.e. Suzuki), can on the other hand provide the tutor with new tools for enhancing their teaching practice. Western Australian violinist Fleur Challen has developed a method titled Finger Frames; a learning strategy that uses a colour coding system to prepare a violinist for changes in left hand position, reducing the cognitive load …

Finding Home: Creating A Video Game Soundtrack, Samantha Chase

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this lecture recital was to reflect on the characteristics of video game music, how those characteristics were shaped through technological advancements in the industry, and how to apply them to composition. Due to the limitations of early video game technology and memory space, video game composers were extremely limited. Composers worked through these limitations by composing with limited range and timbres, looping, and extensive use of ostinato. Even though modern day composers are not faced with this challenge, many still rely heavily on these techniques as they have become iconic of video game music. Video game composers …

Examining The Effects Of Student-Centered, Project Based Teaching On Students With And Without Special Needs In An Elementary General Music Classroom, Charity J. Ozier

Masters Theses

The purpose of this action research is to study the effects of student-centered learning as compared to teacher-led instruction in an elementary general music classroom. This research study is framed by the conjunction of the lenses of sociology, specifically constructivism, in a music classroom with special learners. Students in fifth and sixth grade general music classes study the musical concepts of composition and reading notation in one of two manners. One group of students is instructed in a traditional format of teacher-led lectures and discussions, with guided practice following. The other group is instructed using a student-centered approach, in which …

Research Practices Of Music Educators: A Review Of The Journal Of Research In Music Education, Clifton Brent Mcreynolds

Dissertations

Music Education researchers face the same challenge of producing valid, reliable, and thorough work as any field in education. A content analysis was conducted on the Journal of Research in Music Education from 2011-2016 to determine what research trends were occurring and whether or not those trends are continuations of existing literature. Investigation included distributions of research designs as well as the four components Crotty recommended for quality research. Findings supported previous research indicating more qualitative studies within the journal. Also, for those articles having three or four of Crotty’s components, qualitative coding of these components were categorized into constructive-where …

Links Between School Music Clubs And Student Attendance, Katherine Brizuela

EWU Masters Thesis Collection

The aim of this study was to examine the association of before-school music clubs with school attendance in third- to fifth-grade at one public elementary school in the Pacific Northwest of the United States of America. At the time of the study, this school had a total student population of 516, an approximately 65% free and reduced lunch rate, and one of the lowest reported attendance rates in the district. The before-school music clubs included one 28-member world music Drumming Club that would meet two days a week (Mondays and Tuesdays), as well as one Thursday Choir and one Friday …

An Investigation Of The Assessment Practices Of Elementary General Music Teachers In Iowa, Michelle Linn Hyde Swanson

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Assessment, leading to informed decisions, is an integral part of music education and may be a means to justify the importance of music as a valued content subject (Brophy, 2000). The purpose of this study was to describe the elementary general music assessment practices in Iowa. The study was framed using Stiggins’ (2005) categorical definition of assessment as gathering, organizing, summarizing, and reporting data. Mixed methodologies were utilized to gather data regarding these four categories through survey questions (N=211) and two focus group discussions. The participants were from a variety of school district sizes as well as teachers with varying …

Bonding Theatre And Chemistry: An Educational Exploration, Matthew Gurniak

Senior Honors Projects, 2010-2019

This paper analyzes the educational aspects of theatre and music and the impact that they have on an audience. The goal was to begin a new conversation about science and theatre and how the two can learn and gain unique insight from each other. To examine how these two antithetical fields can interact, I composed a new, innovative musical that tells the love story between two professors through the use of concepts from general chemistry. The results and responses from the performance of the play were overwhelmingly positive from members of both disciplines. They have inspired continued interest in this …

A Historical Study Of The Vboda Marching Festival And Its Comparison To The National Band Contests Of The 1920s And 1930s, Benjamin J. Frenchak

Masters Theses, 2010-2019

The 1920s National School Band Contests and the 1980s Virginia Band and Orchestra Directors Association’s state marching competition followed parallel paths as music educators involved in each event wrestled with the value of competition and its implications in education. Various tensions over the competitive aspects of the events led to revisions that ultimately changed their purpose to assessment-oriented festivals. The purpose of this historical study was to investigate the events surrounding the National School Band Contest of the 1920s and 1930s; document the creation, administration, and evolution of the Virginia Band and Orchestra Directors’ Association (VBODA) statewide marching assessment from …

Music And Words: Connecting The Love Of Music With Language, Eileen P. Kennedy, Raymond Torres- Santos

Publications and Research

Children from different cultures have a natural affinity for rhymes, rhythm and music. Imagine if students were able, from the beginning of their education and experiences with academic writing and literacy, to access their unconscious and original selves from which to create their writing. The study of music can help to access this aware, inventive side that can enhance anyone’s writing. As an early childhood writing teacher and a composition teacher, we draw on our experiences with young children with words and music. We examine the relationship between music and words in an effort to bring the primitive drive of …

Curious, Collaborative Creativity: Applying Student-Centered Principles To Performing Ensembles, Danni Gilbert

Glenn Korff School of Music: Faculty Publications

This article explores a comprehensive, student-centered alternative to traditional ensemble instruction with the goal of promoting better opportunities for musical independence and lifelong musicianship. Developed by Caron Collins from the Crane School of Music at the State University of New York–Potsdam, the Curious, Collaborative Creativity (CCC) concept fosters student-centered learning and the promotion of 21st-century skills by encouraging students to select, arrange, and compose the repertoire to be studied; to work together in teams to equally contribute to the learning/understanding of music; and to share their work through informances to engage and enlighten community members. Examples from a current ensemble …

Characteristics Of Lifelong Musicians, Austin Lamon Farnam

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate causes for lifelong musicianship through examining the life experiences and influences of ten lifelong musicians. The participants in this study have played music starting in their childhood and into adulthood. Ages of participants range between 35 and 60 years of age. All participants have separate careers in conjunction with being active musicians.

Data collection was attained through a three phase process of an observation, interview, and collection of artifacts. Data was coded using open, focused, and axial coding and further analyzed for the purpose of identifying emerging themes. From the analysis, the …