Music Education Commons^™

The Identification Of Conductor-Distinguished Functions Of Conducting, Alan J. Gumm, Sharyn L. Battersby, Kathryn L. Simon, Andrew E. Shankles

Research & Issues in Music Education

The purpose of the present study was to identify whether conductors distinguish functions of conducting similarly to functions implied in previous research. A sample of 84 conductors with a full range of experience levels (M = 9.8) and of a full range of large ensemble types and ensemble age levels rated how much they pay attention to 82 research-derived conducting considerations as they conduct. The subject-to-variable ratio was smaller than advisable for factor analysis, yet the representatively diverse sample provided reliable ratings (a = .95) and factor results that corroborate traditional music-related functions—Mechanical Precision Function and Expressive Function—and …

The Effects Of Orchestration On Musicians’ And Nonmusicians’ Perception Of Musical Tension, Brian A. Silvey

Research & Issues in Music Education

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of orchestration on musicians’ and nonmusicians’ (N = 40) perception of musical tension. Participants were asked to register their perceptions of tension using the Continuous Response Digital Interface dial while listening to three orchestrations (full orchestra, brass quintet, and solo piano) of the movement Bydlo from Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition. The full orchestra and brass quintet stimuli were digitally altered to have the same amplitude, frequency, and duration as the orchestration for solo piano. Pearson product-moment correlations between the participant groups were statistically significant at the p …

Identity Negotiation: An Intergenerational Examination Of Lesbian And Gay Band Directors, Donald M. Taylor

Research & Issues in Music Education

The purpose of this qualitative study was to examine the experiences of lesbian and gay band directors at varying stages of career development to discern how they have negotiated identity within their personal and professional lives. Ten band directors (8 males and 2 females) residing in Texas (n = 8), Florida (n = 1), and Illinois (n = 1) provided data through individual interviews, a focus group interview, and optional journaling. Findings were grouped into two broad themes: Negotiating Disclosure and Negotiating Success. Results indicated that most chose to disclose their sexual orientation to immediate colleagues (i.e., …

Backgrounds, Teaching Responsibilities, And Motivations Of Music Education Candidates Enrolled In Alternative Certification Music Education Programs, Daniel Hellman, Carol Mcdowell

Research & Issues in Music Education

The purpose of this study was to examine the factors associated with enrolling, continuing, and completing alternative certification programs in music education. Data were collected via surveys and semi-structured interviews of music teacher candidates from 43 program completers from seven alternative certification programs in three states. In general, participants were attracted by program efficiency, program feasibility, personal support and employment potential. Few disadvantages of alternative certification were indicated, but participants considered balancing a personal life with a new career, and the certification requirements to be a huge challenge. Participants most valued courses in certification programs that were immediately relevant to …

Achievement Motivation And The Adolescent Musician: A Synthesis Of The Literature, Matthew D. Schatt

Research & Issues in Music Education

Motivation plays a role in nearly all human decision-making processes. Regardless of the situation, little may be achieved without the appropriate harnessing of motivation. The same is true in the music classroom. Research appears to indicate that motivation plays a crucial role in human development and achievement. The achievement motivation paradigm seeks to explain human behavior as a striving for excellence regardless of external rewards. By focusing on student effort, rather than personal ability or comparison with others, the educator may help students gain a mastery goal-oriented perspective of their musical tasks leading to increased use of cognitive strategies, persistence …

Exploration, Language And Application: An Approach To Teaching Beginning Instrumental Jazz Improvisation, Jeremy Todd Pownall

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to provide preservice and inservice teachers with an alternative approach to teaching beginning jazz improvisation to instrumentalists in a classroom setting. It was determined that there exists a need for an accessible (to both teacher and student) method for teaching beginning jazz improvisation to instrumentalists. This is due to the lack of emphasis on jazz improvisation at both the public school and university level, as well as the inclusion of improvisation in both the national and Georgia state standards for music performance. The teaching method presented in this study is based on previous research, …

An Examination Of College Flute Professors' Approaches To Improving Students' Intonation Skills, Kelly Theresa Cato

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine what methods college flute professors use to improve their students intonation skills and to highlight resources to aid future practices on the subject of intonation. The research questions guiding this study were (a) Do college flute professors teach students how to improve intonation skills? (b) What methods do college flute professors use to improve students' intonation skills? (c) What resources do college flute professors use in conjunction with teaching intonation? Research was conducted using a researcher-created online survey that was distributed to college flute professors throughout the United States. Findings suggested a …

Personal Therapy For Undergraduate Music Therapy Students: A Survey Of Amta Program Coordinators, Susan Gardstrom, Nancy A. Jackson

Department of Music Faculty Publications

The primary purpose of this study was to gather information in order to understand if and how various modalities of personal therapy are employed with undergraduate music therapy students in the United States, AMTA degree program coordinators were asked about 3 therapy modalities, in particular: verbal therapy, music therapy, and expressive arts therapy (excluding music therapy).

It was predicted that less than a quarter of the respondents would indicate that personal therapy of any modality was required in their undergraduate curricula, but that a larger percentage would indicate that it was encouraged. Both hypotheses were supported, with just over 14% …

Teaching Traditional Music Theory With Popular Songs: Pitch Concepts, Heather Maclachlan

Books and Book Chapters by University of Dayton Faculty

Chapter 5 in Biamonte, Nicole. 2011. Pop-Culture Pedagogy in the Music Classroom : Teaching Tools from American Idol to YouTube. Scarecrow Press.

Preservice Elementary Classroom Teachers’ Attitudes Toward Music In The School Curriculum And Teaching Music, Christopher J. Della Pietra, Sara Bidner, Thomas A. Devaney

Research & Issues in Music Education

The purpose of this study was to determine the attitudes of preservice elementary education classroom teachers toward teaching music and the importance of music in the school curriculum as they prepare to enter the field in an era of high stakes testing, state standards, and accountability. More specifically, responses to twenty-nine statements were used to determine attitudes toward the following three constructs: (a) academic and social benefits of music education, (b) inclusion of music in the curriculum, and (c) comfort in teaching and leading music in the classroom. The survey instrument was a modified version of that used by Lewis …

Adult Motivations In Community Orchestra Participation: A Pilot Case Study Of The Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra (New Jersey), Carol Shansky

Research & Issues in Music Education

The purpose of this study was to explore the motivations of adults in choosing to participate in community orchestras. This paper identifies many of those motivations and examines the reasons and implications of why the adults in the study chose to continue to play in community orchestras. The investigation was conducted in 2007 via a case study of the Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra, a community orchestra located in Northern New Jersey. The adults selected for interview were members of the orchestra. The responses were uniform: love of playing one’s instrument, desire for musical challenge, inspiration for practice and commitment to the …

Notes From The Editor, Bruce Gleason

Research & Issues in Music Education

These written documents remind me that Dr. Turrentine’s scholarship led to strong teaching. He had a keen ability to combine his knowledge of general and music history, music education pedagogy, research techniques and “real life” in each of his courses. These last two elements were especially evident in his graduate bibliography course, taught before the advent of the Internet, and are among the chief memories held by several generations of his former students.

Church Musicians’ Participation Perceptions: Applications To Community Music, Debbie Rohwer

Research & Issues in Music Education

The purpose of the study was to describe the participation perceptions of church choir musicians. Twenty-two choral musicians in 3 churches were interviewed. The results align with past research on community music ensembles in terms of musical and social perceptions of the participants, including concepts of recruitment, attendance, and diverse musicianship levels. There was, however, a notable difference with past studies in that worship was an interwoven, integral component of the members’ perceptions. Because of this worship component, church music may have a different feel than other community groups, with an emphasis on an external, unifying force making the activity …

Rhythmic Characteristics Of Improvisational Drumming Among Preschool Children, Rachel Whitcomb

Research & Issues in Music Education

A call-and-response drumming activity was carried out to determine the rhythmic characteristics of improvised patterns created by preschool children. Specific goals of the study were to: (1) determine the durations, start and stop times, and rhythmic patterns of improvised responses to a simple given call using drums; (2) determine the presence or absence of steady beat in improvised responses; and (3) describe the social factors that may affect the improvisational choices of young children. Six 4- and 5-year-old children participated in the activity over five weeks. Each week, the researcher played a four-beat rhythmic call and invited each student to …

Shifting Slides: The Effect Of John Cage's "Solo For Sliding Trombone" (1957-58) On Modern Trombone Literature And Pedagogy, Andrew Michael Shelton

Theses and Dissertations

The trombone has a limited history concerning literature and technique development. A turning point for the literature of the trombone was with John Cage's Solo for Sliding Trombone. This composition brought about new techniques that would permeate throughout subsequent literature. These new techniques would also impact trombone pedagogy and accepted technique. This paper explains the impact Solo for Sliding Trombone had on the development of the instrument including literature and pedagogy.

Interdisciplinary Teaching And Learning, Adonna Clark

Theses and Dissertations

In the early 1600's, the Pilgrims and the Puritans brought their musical traditions with them to establish a new life. The survival of their families depended upon their ability to provide food, shelter and clothing. Despite the challenges they faced, the colonists recognized the importance of educating their children. In 1642, the Massachusetts School Law was passed. It required town leaders to require parents to provide their children with an elementary education. Music training was not part of this newly required education. Due to the demands of life, the colonists were unable to nurture their musical abilities. Those who had …

A Comparative Analysis Of Roman Palester's Concertino Pour Saxophone Alto Et Orchestre A Cordes, Brian Donald Kauth

Dissertations

The music of Roman Palester (1907-1989) is little known outside his native Poland. Before World War II, he experienced a great deal of musical success, with many of his compositions being performed at prestigious music festivals throughout Europe. Palester completed his one solo work for the saxophone, the Concertino pour Saxophone Alto et Orchestre a Cordes, in 1938, but its scheduled premiere in 1939 never took place due to political tensions on the eve of World War II.

In 1978, Palester revised the work for saxophonist David Pituch, who premiered and recorded this version. A comparison of the original and …

Notes From The Editor, Bruce Gleason

Research & Issues in Music Education

This issue of RIME is dedicated simply to this arena of artistic teaching and learning.

Cultural Translation In Two Directions: The Suzuki Method In Japan And Germany, Margaret Mehl

Research & Issues in Music Education

Cultural Translation in Two Directions: The Suzuki Method in Japan and Germany The Suzuki Method represents a significant contribution by a Japanese, Suzuki Shin'ichi (1898-1998), to the teaching of musical instruments worldwide. Western observers often represent the method as "Japanese," although it could be called "Western" with equal justification. Suzuki left no detailed description of his method. Consequently, it is open to multiple interpretations. Its application, whether in Japan or elsewhere, represents an act of translation with its adaptation to local conditions involving creative processes rather than mere deviations from a supposedly fixed original.

To illustrate the importance of historical …

A Principled Approach To Teaching Music Composition To Children, Michele Kaschub, Janice P. Smith

Research & Issues in Music Education

Building on an apposition of the theories of neurobiologist Antonio Damasio and music theorist Heinrich Schenker, we posit a new model for developing composition instruction based upon the organic connections between humans and music. Parallels are drawn between Damasio’s theory of consciousness in which meaning arises from the relationships between body, emotion, and feeling; and Schenker’s theory of musical structure in which opportunities for meaning making are revealed between the ursatz (background), mittelgrund (middleground), and vordergrund (foreground) layers of a musical work. The resulting principles-based approach to instruction reprioritizes the roles of elements and compositional techniques to foster greater expressivity …

Leaders Of The Pack: Responsibilities And Experiences Of Collegiate Drum Majors, Wesley D. Brewer

Research & Issues in Music Education

This study explored the responsibilities and experiences of three collegiate drum majors as student leaders of a marching band at a major university. Marching band continues to be a prevalent and highly visible aspect of music education in the United States. The preparation and utilization of student leaders in music remains common, but little research examining the actual experiences of student leaders in music has been conducted. As we continue to recruit student leaders for these positions, it may be of use to understand, from the student leader perspective, the challenges and perceived responsibilities associated with these positions. The participants …

Assessing Individual Performance In The College Band, Mark U. Reimer

Research & Issues in Music Education

Semester assessment of college wind band members is an issue that conductors would probably agree falls within their academic freedom. Institutions may award as little as no credit or even a percentage of a credit for ensemble participation, although the time and effort required of the students and their conductor is undoubtedly equivalent to, or exceeds, that of a three-credit course. If an academic administrator, seeing a large percentage of A’s in an ensemble, were to question the assessment process of the conductor and/or the rigor of the course, could that conductor produce tangible evidence, such as grades or numeric …

Directors' Attitudes Regarding Parental Involvement In The Middle School Choral Setting, Jeff Rapp

Research & Issues in Music Education

Educational research strongly suggests that parental involvement is beneficial for academic achievement and scholarly studies have pointed to parents’ seminal role in the education of young children as well as the need for continued nurture. Researchers indicate that parental involvement, however, tends to diminish over time and in many cases nearly disappears altogether during the middle-school years. This decline in parent-child connection, as Rutherford and Billig (1995) suggest, occurs at a most inopportune time in that the early teen years are crucial in making personal, relational, and educational decisions that have both immediate and lasting impact. In their study of …

Engaging Music And Media: Technology As A Universal Language, Glen Carruthers

Research & Issues in Music Education

The ambiguity in the first half of the paper’s title – “Engaging music and media” – is intentional. Music is engaging in the sense that it implicates our hearts and minds. Music can also be engaged by and with media. And, of course, engagement is core to effective learning.

The role of music education is always in flux. Aesthetic aims sometimes take primacy, while at other times music is taught as a means to some other end. As in ancient times, today music is taught largely for its ancillary benefits so that, in a curious twist, ancillary aims have become …

A Constructivist Application For Online Learning In Music, Dan A. Keast

Research & Issues in Music Education

The purpose of this article is to extend the published knowledge and practices of distance learning in music to include constructivism. Dan Keast describes his techniques for the implementation of constructivism to an online two-course series of Music History. The courses’ structure, activities, assessments, and other key functionality components are shown as an example of current practices. Keast discusses the process for developing the two courses, in conjunction with copy editors, course design specialists, and technology reviewers. The courses highlight the need for additional improvements such as new software and legal clarification for the use of sound recordings. Keast’s suggestion …

Piano Study And Gender Associations: A Query Into The Perceptions Of Children Ages Five To Fourteen, Richard C. Winfree

Music Theses & Dissertations

From its inception, male composers and performers such as Bach, Mozart, Beethoven, Brahms, Rachmaninoff, Cliburn, and Kempffhad dominated piano performance. Recent research suggests, however, that the piano has been designated with a feminine gender stereotype. The purpose of this study was to examine the perceptions of public school children ages five to fourteen years old relative to gender association and piano study to determine if a gender stereotype existed and at what age, if any, the stereotype stabilized.

To achieve this purpose, two surveys were created and implemented by the researcher. The first survey was administered to 879 students in …

The Efficacy Of Smartmusic® Assessment As A Teaching And Learning Tool, Michael William Buck

Dissertations

This study examined the effects of SmartMusic® assessment on student music performance while integrating research-based teaching and learning components. Over approximately three weeks, 46 high school band students (N=46) received five 15-minute teacher-led music lessons, totaling 75 minutes of instruction. Two groups, teacher-led instruction or teacher-led instruction using SmartMusic® assessment, were determined by randomly splitting pairs of matched-subjects within woodwind, brass, or mallet percussion families. Constant for both groups, instruction and evaluation materials included teaching and learning practice rubrics, a criterion-referenced performance evaluation form, and short lyrical and technical etudes complemented with respective skill development exercises. Pre- and post-test measures …

An Analytical And Educational Survey Of Kenneth Hesketh's Vranjanka, Alisha Marie Wooley

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis will explore Kenneth Hesketh's "Vranjanka" in both analytical and educational domains. Timothy and Hilary Reynish commissioned this piece in 2005 in memory of their son William. Tim Reynish is the former conductor of the Royal Northern College of Music's Wind Ensemble. He has also been deeply involved with the Commissioning Project of the Royal Northern College of Music (1982-2002), which produced over seventy compositions for wind band, and the William Reynish Commissioning Project (2002-2007) that has commissioned over twenty works for wind band. The piece is based on the Serbian Folksong Sano Duso. Vranjanka, literally translated, means "from …

An Introduction To Baroque Ornamentation For Solo Trumpet Literature (1638-1709): A Preliminary Guide For Applied Trumpet Teachers, Adam Seth Mitchell

Theses and Dissertations

This graduate music project is designed to be a pedagogical supplement for high school trumpet teachers who wish to incorporate baroque music into their curriculum. This document addresses the interpretation and execution of select ornaments during the years 1638-1709. The chosen ornaments include the appoggiatura. mordent, inverted mordent, and trill. These notated ornaments were selected based on their relative frequent use in Italian Baroque music. These ornaments are defined via prose and supplemented with musical examples that illustrate their original notation and execution. In addition, musical excerpts from composers such as Jan Krutel Jiri Neruda and Dominico Gabrielli will be …

Reducing Attrition Rates In The Middle School Band Program: A Study Of Motivating Factors That Encourage Students To Be Successful In Playing An Instrument And Continuing In Middle School Band., Daphne Guill

Theses & Honors Papers

By discovering musical and non-musical factors that motivate middle school students to become successful in playing an instrument and continuing in band, directors will be able to reduce the attrition rates in their programs. Factors explored in this project included student motivation, improvement in skills, performance preference and social aspects. Pre-term and post-term surveys were created for students and their parents in grades sixth, seventh and eighth. Pre-term survey information contributed to the development and implementation of lesson plans, performance opportunities, and classroom activities. Post-term survey information was used to evaluate the extent to which student's needs and expectations for …