Music Commons^™

Hidden Meanings In Elementary Instrumental Music Method Books: A Multimodal Critical Discourse Analysis, Mara Hope Thompson

Education Doctorate Dissertations

Textbooks serve as the primary resource utilized to deliver curriculum in a variety of subject areas and educational contexts. However, much previous research has found that texts often convey concealed meanings in the form of hidden and null curricula. This Multimodal Critical Discourse Analysis (MCDA) explored the musical discourses and cultural contexts of musical examples in two elementary instrumental music textbook series to investigate whose values, cultures, perspectives, and knowledge are conveyed by the texts and whose are excluded or misrepresented. Framed by the social theory of Postcolonialism, the research revealed binary ideologies of exoticism embedded in many aspects of …

Women Guitar Orchestra Conductors, 1885 To Present, Part 1, Mariette Stephenson

Music Faculty Publications

Passion, innovation, musicianship: these are reflected in the careers and offerings of women and the guitar. As I continue my research on women’s contributions to guitar orchestras, I became interested in discovering how many women have led guitar orchestras since they began in the 1800’s and learn what women today are experiencing in this role. Guitar orchestras have played an important role in many musicians’ development throughout its history, but unfortunately women have been often unacknowledged and under-represented in this ensemble format’s leadership roles.

This article includes a list I have compiled of women guitar orchestra conductors (past/present), will discuss …

Music Performance Anxiety: Should It Be Addressed In Music Curricula And By Whom?, Kaitlynn Kamer

Honors Projects

Music performance anxiety (MPA) impacts musicians of all skill levels, as demonstrated by existing research on both student and professional musicians. Although most musicians experience MPA, it is not formally addressed in music curriculum. This study seeks to evaluate the views and discourse around MPA in the collegiate music community through a survey of 66 college music students, 17 faculty members, and a series of secondary interviews. Through the results of the surveys and interviews, the thoughts on MPA from both the faculty and student perspective will be discussed. Upon reviewing the results of study, possible avenues for addressing MPA …

Teachers’ Perceptions Of The Factors That Challenge And Advance Music Education In K-12 Schools: A Qualitative Study In Lebanon, Khaldoun Abou Dargham

Theses and Dissertations

Music education plays a crucial role in developing students on the individual level and societies on the communal level. Despite its benefits on the human brain, student learning, physical and mental health, and its contribution to culture and the creative economy, music education still faces challenges that prevent it from fulfilling its potential. Due to scant research on the factors that impact music education in Lebanon, this phenomenological study explored the perceptions of six K-12 music teachers in Mount Lebanon through in-depth interviews regarding the issue. Drawing upon the constructivist and humanistic learning theories, the research investigated how the Lebanese …

Somali Students In The American Elementary General Music Classroom, Alice L. Charland

Masters Theses

Education must be cognizant of the Somali culture’s inclination to classify music as a morally charged entity. It must also be careful not to forget American cultural values that have defined the music classroom. The purpose of this research was to identify Somali cultural expressions that occur in the American elementary general music classroom and to identify underlying concepts that contribute to these cultural expressions. Additionally, the research sought to bring light to the relationship between the two, so that future music educators might be inspired to create assessments and activities that better suit the needs of all learners.

Choral Educators’ Perspectives On Block Scheduling In Middle Schools, Heather Anderson Perryman

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this study is to identify how common the practice of block scheduling is currently among American public middle schools. This study also determines the perspectives of choral music educators working in public middle schools with existing block schedules. More extant literature is needed to examine block scheduling practices at the middle school level and the possible effects of block scheduling on middle school choral programs. Such an examination is essential for ascertaining curriculum needs, staffing issues, scheduling challenges, and choral music education advocacy initiatives. A qualitative design and case study approach are utilized to infer connections between …

An Assessment Of The Utilization Of The National Opportunity To Learn Standards In Middle-Level Music Education, Taylor Brooke Browning

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

The purpose of this research was to gain the music educators’ perspectives on the implementation of the 2020 National Opportunity to Learn Standards in West Virginia’s public middle school general music programs. A qualitative phenomenological approach was utilized to gather music educators’ perceptions of whether music programs in West Virginia are providing curricula aligned with the National Opportunity to Learn Standards. Through a combination of convenience and snowball sampling, 20 West Virginia public middle school general music educators were identified, and one-on-one, semi-structured interviews were conducted. Findings indicate a majority of the music programs were somewhat aligned with the National …

An Examination Of The Strategies And Limitations For Engaging Parents In Urban Music Programs, Cory Spencer Robinson

Graduate Research Showcase

Urban music educators face unique challenges not encountered by their suburban and rural counterparts. A challenge that many urban music educators face is that of consistent and meaningful parent engagement. Urban music educators face issues engaging parents such as a lack of communication, cultural barriers and a lack of action that is ultimately out of the educator’s control. This can lead to low retention of students in the urban music program, difficulties managing negative student behavior, and overall poor program outcomes. Some possible solutions that may assist the urban music educator in engaging parents are engaging the community of the …

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.

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 …

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 …

The Relationship Between Music Educators And Stress, Sarah Plain

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

The goal of this project is to gather information from currently practicing music educators in a range of specialties about the relationship between their working lives and personal lives. Does their working life affect them at a level where they cannot decompress? Do they have a healthy relationship with their career and manage their workload well? Information will be gathered about the conditions surrounding educators to gather context for why they have the work-life balance they have described. After measuring and reporting how music educators are balancing their careers against their personal lives, potential solutions will be described to help …

Microeconomic Social And Resource Barriers To Music Education Expansion In Impoverished South Carolina Areas, Anna Susanne Holley

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Despite much information in outreach in impoverished areas, research has yet to fully show the barriers to music education expansion in poverty-level South Carolina. This qualitative study is conducted using previous data for correlation through research analysis of social attitudes and resource-based barriers to participation rates and expansion of music education throughout South Carolina. Research discovered that impoverished students are much less likely to participate in music education and less than 25% of United States seniors, whether public or privately educated, are actively participating in music education programs. Lastly, statistics shows less than half of students with access to music …

The Influences Of Music On The Confidence And Sense Of Belonging Of Children, Melinda Sue Mertz

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Human emotion is greatly affected by music. Both listening to and creating music influence a person’s emotions. Despite the research supporting this finding, there is a lack of research detailing how music influences the confidence and sense of belonging for the early childhood student. This issue is important because educators are concerned about the mental wellbeing of their students. The observation of how music effects the confidence and sense of belonging of a child may assist educators to improve the issue of mental health among the students in their schools. This qualitative case study, which takes place in South Africa, …

The Thrill Is Here: An Instrumental Case Study Of The Pinetop Perkins Foundation Workshop Experience, Spencer Lewis Byrd

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This instrumental case study aimed to discover blues music education's pedagogy, content, and teaching strategies. This was accomplished by examining authentic blues teaching through the lenses of music learning theory, the Danielson framework for teaching, and the spiral curriculum. The study built on literature relating to the historical, musical, and extra-musical contexts of the blues, popular music, community music, and workshop settings. The Pinetop Perkins Foundation’s Workshop Experience served as the single case for investigating authentic blues music education. Nine instructors, two students, two interns, and two board members participated. Data was collected through semi-structured interviews, live observations, and video …

Choral Repertoire: Promising New Directions For Music Theory Teaching, Meghan Hatfield

Music Student Research

Choirs are an integral part of music departments and schools, particularly at institutions with large choral education programs. In its standards for music education, the 2022 NASM handbook states that “Teachers should be prepared to relate their understanding of music… both in general and as related to their area(s) of specialization.” Yet despite the large number of students participating and/or specializing in choir, choral music is nearly absent from music theory textbooks. Perhaps as a result, research has shown that high school choir directors struggle with harmonic score study (Rowher et al. 2014) and, anecdotally, choir students and teachers are …

Orff: How His Pedagogy In Early Music Education Came To Be And What Influences Projected His Philosophy Into Popularity Amongst Music Educators, Zachary Gnall

Musicology and Ethnomusicology: Student Scholarship

Carl Orff, a profound music educator, composer, and musician of his time, developed his methodology of teaching early music to young students in the 1920’s. This pedagogy, known as Orff-Schulwerk or simply the Orff Approach, encompasses a student’s ability to use movement, drama, and speech within the context of music to create an engaging and cognitively engaged environment for the students, similar to that of their typical play times. Orff, alongside his colleague Gunild Keetman, developed this approach with through scrutiny over his involvement with the Nazi party, albeit indirect, just after The Great War ended.

Influences On General Music Teachers' Mental Health During The Collective Trauma Of Covid-19, Abigail Van Klompenberg

Visions of Research in Music Education

The purpose of this collective case study was to examine elementary music teachers’ mental health and well-being during the COVID-19 pandemic. The research questions were: 1) What factors influenced music teachers’ mental health and well-being during COVID-19?; 2) How did music teachers support their own mental health and well-being during COVID-19?; 3) How might stakeholders (such as schools, administrators, and community members) better support educators during challenging times? Data included semi-structured interviews, informal observations, and a researcher journal. Participants were three elementary music educators teaching K­­–5 music in geographically and demographically diverse public schools throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. Through “data …

Classroom Management And Student Behavior After The Covid-19 Pandemic: Perspectives From Five Elementary General Music Teachers, Jennifer Gee

Visions of Research in Music Education

The purpose of this study was to examine elementary general music teachers’ experiences and perspectives with classroom management within the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. Participants consisted of five practicing elementary general music teachers in Southern California who participated in three individual interviews, one focus group, and two classroom observations during the fall of 2022. I analyzed data through axial coding (Creswell, 2012), yielding four themes: positive classroom management, social and emotional learning, support from classroom teachers and administrators, and challenges. The findings of this study highlighted participants’ positive perceptions of classroom management, the importance of building relationships, students’ social …

A Hermeneutic Phenomenological Study Of American And British Military Bandmasters’ Experiences And The Influence On The Development Of The American Public School Band Movement, Michael L. Burrage

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This study investigates the history of British and American Military Bandmasters’ lived experiences through a Phenomenological Hermeneutic Analysis construct to the development of the Public-School Band movement. This thesis aims to provide insight through transcribed interviews, historical documentation, and pre-recorded transcriptions of the thoughts and practical influences of developing the effectiveness of band teacher preparation in American public school band programs. A better understanding of these advances warrants a comprehensive overview of military band history and a sense of how the curriculum process, formation, and growth in British and American Military Bands influenced approaches and philosophical thought through experiences of …

"Being Able To Play For A Wider Audience": Student Musician Perspectives On Performing In The Library, Gisele Schierhorst, Christine Fena

Library Faculty Publications

In the United States, the library-as-concert-space has a substantial history and has been a way for libraries of all types to build partnerships and create community, while providing free, educational, and shared experiences for patrons. Less discussed, however, is the impact that informal concerts have on student musicians who perform in academic library spaces. Conventionally, student musicians perform well-rehearsed repertoire in recital halls for an audience that consists of their peers, teachers, family, and friends. These formal performances are often part of the required academic curriculum for music majors. There is little opportunity, however, for them to experience what it …

Music Education And At-Risk Students: A Home For Everyone, Sherry L. Francis

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Despite positive efforts toward inclusion, learners with special needs are progressively increasing in the United States today especially “at-risk” students; therefore, it is imperative music educators prepare to meet the needs of a diverse population. At-risk most commonly refers to students who struggle academically and have a higher probability of dropping out of school, ultimately, leading to an unstable life. Any student can be at-risk, regardless of background or ability level. Fortunately, music education plays an important role in reaching and retaining at-risk students, particularly, in high school. Music is a reinforcing, valuable tool that creatively encourages student achievement which …

The Benefits Of The Suzuki Method For Children’S Cognitive And Physical Development: A Descriptive Phenomenological Study Of Suzuki Specialists, Hyeyeon Kim

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This descriptive phenomenological study aimed to explore the experiences and perceptions of Suzuki specialists regarding the cognitive and physical development of children participating in the Suzuki method of music instruction. Music educators recognize the Suzuki method as a successful approach for delivering content and meeting music students’ needs. This study may provide a roadmap for conducting the Suzuki method with young students aged five to twelve. The lived experiences of Suzuki teachers provided a unique perspective for understanding how Suzuki instruction contributes to children’s physical and cognitive development. This study explored the following central research question: How do Suzuki specialists …

What A Way To Spend The Day: A Curated Multiple-Case Study Of College Counselors And Their Guidance Of Prospective Music Majors, Stephen Campbell

Higher Education: Doctoral Research Projects

In the increasingly complex world of college choice, high school counselors are an important resource for college-bound students, yet the environment these counselors find themselves in is one that focuses on questions of value and return on investment, resulting in the elevation of some academic disciplines over others. Using a multiple-case study design and Eisner’s criticism and connoisseurship method, this qualitative study seek to describe how college counselors at Arizona School for the Arts guide prospective music major through college and major choice by exploring how counselors’ backgrounds predisposed them to guiding students through college and major choice, their perception …

Change Through Learning: Observing The Need And Benefits Of A Multicultural Music Education Through Applying Coursework About The Korean And Korean American Musical Diaspora, Austin Eamnarangkool

Masters Theses

Music education is often synonymous with Western Music education, or more specifically, Classical music education. Music theory and analysis surrounding the styles of Bach, Mozart, and Beethoven have been central to the pedagogy of a collegiate musical background, while expertise in Carnatic, Gamelan, or African drumming—to name a few—is seen as nonessential. This research project aims to uncover the reasons why (higher) music education is so narrowly focused and provides the skeletal framework for a practical method to begin constructing diverse, holistic curricula. While the overarching goal is to diversify music education in all cultures, the project focuses on the …

Lessons From The Stairwell: Celebrating And Sustaining The Pedagogical Legacy Of Lee Pogonowski, Shane Bordeau

Visions of Research in Music Education

As a teacher and researcher of music education for more than forty years, Lee Pogonowski was an early voice in disrupting traditional approaches to teaching and learning, inviting student-centered approaches that emphasized music as an aesthetic experience (Biasini & Pogonowski, 1969; Pogonowski, 2001). The influence of her work continues to reverberate throughout the field of music education, through the legacy of her impact on her students (Allsup, & Baxter, 2004; Greher, 2004; Robinson et al., 2011). Reflections on this legacy, through stories and memories of experiences in her classroom serve as a reminder and challenge to continue and expand the …

The Extraordinary Legacy Of Lee Pogonowski, Richard Carr

Visions of Research in Music Education

This article is a memoir of the author’s experience studying music education at Teachers College Columbia University with Professor Lenore Pogonowski in the mid 1990s. The author completed four years of study at that institution earning an MA. Ed.M., and an Ed.D. He was also a teaching artist for the Creative Arts Laboratory, a US government funded program headed by Dr. Pogonowski, during that time. Professor Pogonowski had a profound impact on the author’s teaching practice during the ensuing decades. In his interactions with other music educators, he was surprised to learn how many of them were trained in a …

Iñupiaq Culture And Wind Band: An Analysis Of Culturally Responsive Pedagogy And Access To Music Education On Alaska's North Slope, Christian Eugene Roseboro

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Iñupiaq Culture and Wind Band: An Analysis of Culturally Responsive Pedagogy and Access to Music Education on Alaska’s North Slope is an observational ethnography examining implications for incorporating the Iñupiaq culture into the instrumental music education curriculum for the North Slope Borough School District. The North Slope Borough School District is the geographically largest and northernmost school district in the United States. The majority of the student population it serves are Iñupiaq Native Alaskans. The research interprets the Iñupiaq Iłitqusiat (cultural values), the North Slope Borough School District pedagogical frameworks, and the Alaska Standards for Culturally Responsive Schools to answer …

The Significance Of Teaching Music To Urban African-American Underprivileged Students, Tyreese L. Pleasanton

Masters Theses

This study delves into the significance of providing music education to African American students living in urban areas. By utilizing differentiated instructional techniques and reflective questioning, this study advocates for academic excellence and societal growth in music. The inquiry highlights the undeniable correlation between music education, cultural identity, and student prosperity. Thus, underscoring the critical importance of music for low-income students. Band directors can effectively support academic and musical success through diverse teaching approaches, such as method books and collaborative opportunities. The investigation carefully evaluated key factors, including the participants’ socioeconomic status, music development, and academic accomplishments. The research emphasized …

Song Text And Song Structure: With An Emphasis On Oral/Aural Tradition, Hannah Joy Petrick

Masters Theses

This study highlights the different aspects of song texts and song structures while also establishing the impacts of an oral/aural tradition. Emphasis was placed on the relationship between linguistics and music, and how one may alter the teaching/learning process of new song materials for students (especially young adolescents). Song texts and song structures were also looked at in relation to culture, and how culture is affected by oral/aural tradition. Specifically, the outcomes of students learning song texts in their native language/tongue versus songs of a different culture was explored. The differences and commonalities of learning music in various styles were …