Music Education Commons^™

Positive Breathing Techniques For Vocal Health In High School Choral Curriculum, Cynthia C. Breckenridge

Theses & Honors Papers

Breathing is the foundation for all phonation, but the means for achieving the best use of the breath in singing is debatable. Prescribed methods range from Cornelius Reid, who stated that "breathing can be mastered by students of no more than an average intelligence and ability within a very short time,"(Reid Bel Canto 145) to Richard Miller who described the muscles and organs of respiration in great detail and provided pages of detailed exercises to develop the breath support for singing. Samuel H. Nelson reminded his readers that every student is individual and may have differences in the breathing apparatus …

Hume, Archie, 1892-1963 (Sc 1599), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

Manuscript Collection Finding Aids

Finding aid only for Manuscripts Smalll Collection 1599. Pages from the diaries of Archie Hume, Tompkinsville, Kentucky, related to singings and singing schools he was involved with in Kentucky and Tennessee, 1945-1963. Also, 1989 letter from Lynwood Montell concerning Hume's diaries.

Debating Assessment In Music Education, Ryan Fisher

Research & Issues in Music Education

Music education organizations achieved a huge success in Texas several years ago when legislation declared music as a part of the core curriculum. Similarly, more recent national education legislation like No Child Left Behind has recognized music as a core curricular subject. Since that time, little has been done to assess music students to ensure a set of basic skills and knowledge is being achieved. While national and state music standards exist, these standards, in many cases, are not mandatory and merely serve as a guide or recommendations for music educators to follow. Other core subjects endure severe oversight and …

A Study Of The Comparative Perceptions Of Non-Tenured And Tenured Music Teachers And Music Supervisors Regarding The Needs And Concerns Of The Teacher In Music Performance Education, Dale E. Johanson

Research & Issues in Music Education

The purpose of this study was to elicit information through a survey from non-tenured and tenured music performance teachers and their music supervisors concerning their perceived needs and concerns at work. An instrument created for evaluation and assessment was constructed to yield twelve scale areas of needs and concerns. Comparison of responses provided results showing areas of congruence and disagreement among music performance teachers and supervisors.

Teachers placed teaching materials and resources as a high concern while supervisors expressed greatest concern in the area of music-related competence. In terms of assistance, non-tenured music teachers felt that mentor teachers, music conferences, …

Forms Of Graduate Music Education: A Response To Kenneth Phillip, David G. Hebert

Research & Issues in Music Education

It is truly an honor to see a response to my article from Professor Kenneth H. Phillips, in his “Graduate Music Education” within Research and Issues in Music Education, 6(1). Professor Phillips is an outstanding scholar and educator who has made a unique and important contribution to the fields of music education research and practice. His book on choral music is unusually insightful, and his most recent book on music education research is also a highly recommended resource that I use for my own graduate courses, some of which are online (Phillips, 2003; Phillips, 2008). I encourage readers to give …

Notes From The Editor, Bruce Gleason

Research & Issues in Music Education

Teaching people of all ages to make music together is still one of the most satisfying parts of my career, and as I share music making, teaching, and research with my University of St. Thomas graduate students as well as scholar-musicians around the world through RIME, I remember why I do this. Music is simply good for our souls.

Inspiration Plus Performance Equals Success: A Study Of Instrumental Music Participation And Its Effect On Fifth Grade Students In An Inner-City School, Gary E. Jack

Theses & Honors Papers

This thesis examines the academic performance of inner-city elementary school children with the purpose of proving or disproving that exposure to instrumental instruction in addition to general music class enhances learning in the core areas of study, thus improving test scores and overall academic performance. The data collected and the results that come from this experiment are intended to represent only a small neighborhood in a fairly large city.

Graduate Music Education, Kenneth H. Phillips

Research & Issues in Music Education

This essay on graduate music education is in response to an article by David Hebert on challenges and solutions in online music teacher education that appeared in the online journal, Research and Issues in Music Education, 5(1). I found the article stimulating because so little has been written on the topic of music teacher education at the graduate level.

It appears that graduate music education in institutions of higher learning is locked into traditions that online programs are ready to challenge. In this essay I consider this challenge from a traditionalist viewpoint to determine if an online approach is a …

A Comparison Of Mexican Children’S Music Compositions And Contextual Songs, Patricia E. Riley

Research & Issues in Music Education

The purpose of this research was to make observations and comparisons between original music composed by Mexican children, and traditional Mexican songs. Data were obtained through notated music compositions created by the children, and through videotaped interviews during which the children performed their compositions, talked about both their compositions and songs representative of their cultural context, and performed the songs. Subjects were 10 randomly selected fourth-grade children enrolled at the Julian Hinojosa School in Puebla, Mexico. Prior to composing, the children explored the instruments to be used, and the musical elements of pitch, duration, tempo, dynamics, and timbre. Results indicate …

The "Choral-Vocal Conflict": Explorations On An Established Problem With Offerings Of New Means For Improvement, Laura Anne Foster

Theses and Dissertations

Many students are exposed to both solo and ensemble vocal activities throughout their music education opportunities. For many years, there has been an unspoken conflict between vocal ensemble directors and private voice teachers as to the self-proclaimed, perceived importance of one practice over the other. This graduate music project will attempt to explore the ways this conflict materializes. It will outline the players in this conflict, the actions that fuel the conflict, as well as possible solutions to eliminate the "choral-vocal conflict".

A Study Of Charles-Auguste De Beriot And His Contributions To The Violin, Leigh P. Mackintosh

Undergraduate Theses and Capstone Projects

The purpose of this research was to gain information about Charles-Auguste de Beriot (1802-1870) and his contributions to the violin. The specific problems of the study were as follows: 1.) to identify what influenced the compositions of Charles-Auguste de Beriot; 2.) to outline important developments in his writing that contributed to violin technique and Romanticism; and 3.) to analyze Concerto IX in A minor for Violin, Op. 104 in terms of melody, harmony, tonality, texture, and form. The intention of this research is to investigate Beriot’s compositions for violin and examines the Romantic aspects that appear in his Concerto IX. …

Notes From The Editor, Bruce Gleason

Research & Issues in Music Education

Further reflecting on RIME’s development, as I write these notes, I am pleased, and maybe surprised that the hazy initiative that began in uncharted waters in 2000 continues to progress and is now publishing its fifth issue. As I tell my graduate students, history is difficult to assess as it is happening, and I think this may be no more evident than in the world of online publishing and instruction. When I do web searches for RIME, I am pleased to find it in many databases and am reminded that being careful about editorial content is paramount, since I have …

Five Challenges And Solutions In Online Music Teacher Education, David Hebert

Research & Issues in Music Education

“Nearly 600 graduate students?”1 As remarkable as it may sound, that is the projected student population for the online graduate programs in music education at Boston University School of Music by the end of 2007. With the rapid proliferation of online courses among mainstream universities in recent years, it is likely that more online music education programs will continue to emerge in the near future, which begs the question of what effects this new development will have on the profession. Can online education truly be of the same quality as a traditional face-to-face program? How is it possible to effectively …

What Boys And Girls Learn Through Song: A Content Analysis Of Gender Traits And Sex Bias In Two Choral Classroom Textbooks, Patrick J. Hawkins

Research & Issues in Music Education

In an effort to further the understanding of gender traits or sexual bias that high school-aged choral music students might be exposed to in their curricular materials, two choral textbooks Choral Connections Beginning Level 1 Treble Voices and Choral Connections Beginning Level 1 Tenor-Bass Voices published by Glencoe MacGraw-Hill in 1999 were analyzed using a modified Bem Sex Role Inventory Model. The results found that significantly more songs were about men than were about women. The songs selected for the treble voices were more androgynous, while the secular music presented to the boys was significantly more masculine in the traits: …

The Effects Of Technology-Based Conducting Practice On Skill Achievement In Novice Conductors, Diana Hollinger, Dr. Jill M. Sullivan

Research & Issues in Music Education

The purpose of this study was to compare technology-based practice (Radio Baton and Digital Conducting System) to self-practice (recorded music) on the skill achievement of beginning conductors. Participants (N = 33) were undergraduate music majors—education and performance—from two beginning conducting classes randomly assigned to either the technology-based group or the self-practice group. Subjects worked for three, 15-minute sessions on the following skills: staccato conducting, legato conducting, and steadiness of tempo. The experimental design was a pretest-posttest using two conducting etudes to measure six dependent variables: staccato conducting, staccato presence, staccato steadiness of tempo, legato conducting, legato presence, and legato steadiness …

The Effect Of Band Director Leadership Style And Student Leadership Ability On Band Festival Ratings, P. Dru Davison

Research & Issues in Music Education

This study examined the relationship between band director leadership styles and the strength of student leadership within the bands. This study also examined the differences between leadership styles, student leadership strength, and band festival ratings (marching and concert). Subjects (N = 42) were band directors from Texas and Arkansas who participated in marching and concert band festivals. The Leadership Measurement Instrument (LMI) was designed to ascertain the strength of student leadership within the band programs, the type of leadership practiced by the directors (autocratic/facilitative), and the marching and concert festival band scores attained by the participants of this study. The …

An Exploration Of Personality Traits In Older Adult Amateur Musicians, Don Coffman

Research & Issues in Music Education

The primary research question for the study was, “Will older adult amateur musicians’ personality profiles reflect the traits found in professional musicians?” Participants (N = 58, ages 52 to 79) recruited from a New Horizons Institute “band camp” for older adult amateur musicians completed a musical background questionnaire and the Cattell (1993) Sixteen Personality Factor Questionnaire, Fifth Edition (16PF) on their own time during the five-day camp. Group scores for all the 16PF primary and global factor scores were within expected ranges for a normal population of adults, although Factor B (Reasoning) was noticeably higher and Factors E (Dominance), F …

Teaching Music Theory In The Traditional Wind Band Rehearsal: A Rationale, Survey Of Materials, And Recommendations, Eric Lynn Harris

Dissertations

Band programs in today’s schools are facing pressures unheard of in the early days of the public school band movement. While budget limitations have always been a part of the public school dilemma, never before have directors been forced to fight so hard for the very existence of their programs. School administrators facing district, state, and federal testing pressures are spending more and more of the annual budget in an attempt to raise test scores. This means programs in the arts and even athletics are being greatly reduced (and in some cases eliminated) in school systems across the country. To …

An Overview Of Gerald R. Prescott’S 1935 “The Prescott Technic System” With Recommendations For A Contemporary Edition, Carson Lee Vermillion

Dissertations

Gerald R. Prescott (1902-2005) served as the Director of Bands at Mason City (Iowa) High School from 1927-31. During his tenure, Prescott established himself as an outstanding band director and music educator. While serving as the Director of Bands at the University of Minnesota, Prescott published The Prescott Technic System; a band curriculum employing excerpts from conservatory methods to develop individual technique. The system encompassed fourteen years of study, from beginning band through graduate school.

Due to the performance expectations placed on today’s instrumental music programs, little time remains for a sequenced individual course of study that adequately develops a …

Factors That Predict Participation In Choral Music For High-School Students, Dennis James Siebenaler

Research & Issues in Music Education

Why do so few students continue to participate in choral music through high school? How do home influences, peers, prior music experiences and teachers, self-perceptions of ability, and musical experiences outside of school contribute to decisions concerning participation in school music? This study attempted to identify some of the factors and influences that may predict continued participation in choral music for high school students.

The Politics Of Implementing Local Cultures In Music Education In Taiwan, Wai-Chung Ho

Research & Issues in Music Education

Recent studies of the localization and globalization of Taiwan’s music education cannot explain the complicated interplay between localization and the pursuit of local cultures in national development and policy making in the broader society, and in school education in Taiwan between the late 1980s and 2004. Features of localization in Taiwan’s music education include the highlighting of local artists and musical styles such as Taiwanese opera, puppetry shows, and local folk music in the curriculum. More importantly, music education to support the indigenous core values of peace, the beauty of the homeland, and harmony in society and in everyday life …

Notes From The Editor, Bruce Gleason

Research & Issues in Music Education

When I first began developing the idea for this on-line journal, I envisioned a platform that would not only serve as a venue for disseminating quality research within several different research methodologies, but one that would also provide an arena for thoughtful, well informed discourse—substantive articles based on experience through teaching, formal and informal education, and professional dialogue.

The Paradox Of Assessment: Assessment As Paradox, Doug Orzolek

Research & Issues in Music Education

Like many in the field of education, I follow the path of the assessment paradigm with great interest. Through the efforts of “No Child Left Behind” and the many accountability systems put into place in our states and districts, assessment of student learning is on the minds of many. One would only review a listing of presentations at professional development workshops, any educational journal or the editorial pages of your local paper for support of the notion that assessment has become a part of our country’s educational landscape.

Assessment has become inseparable from formal education--and it’s probably here to stay. …

The Occupational Aspirations And Expectations Of Music Education Majors In Mexico, Karendra Devroop, Beatriz Aguilar

Research & Issues in Music Education

The purpose of this study was to investigate the occupational aspirations and expectations of students majoring in music education in Mexico. Participants (N = 83) included the entire population of music education majors enrolled at the National School of Music at the National Autonomous University of Mexico during the 2002 academic year. Questionnaires were administered by one of the researchers, with a return rate of 92%.

The analysis of occupational aspirations and expectations revealed some disparities in the types of occupations subjects preferred and expected. The majority of students indicated they aspired to a combination of occupations however most students …

Reshaping The Fredericksburg City Public Schools Secondary Choral Music Curriculum, Heidi Ribel

Education 590 Projects

As new music educators enter the work force today, many struggle to find instructional resources that align correctly with the National Standards for music. The purpose of my study is to examine the Fredericksburg City Public School’s secondary choral curriculum to see how it aligns with the Virginia Standards of Learning for Music Education. An updated curriculum is an essential teaching resource for all new music educators; however, the Fredericksburg City School System’s music curriculum was last updated in 1985 (Fredericksburg City Public Schools, 1985). Since then, there has been an adoption of National Standards for music (National Standards, 1994) …

An Investigation Of Secondary School Students' Self-Reported Reasons For Extracurricular Musical And Athletic Activities, Brian D. Ebie

Research & Issues in Music Education

The purpose of this study was to discover the self-reported reasons for involvement in after-school, extracurricular music and athletic activities of high school students. One hundred-sixty high school students participating in either extracurricular athletic or musical activities served as subjects. Extracurricular activities were defined as un-graded activities offered beyond the regular school day. An open-ended, free response questionnaire was used to determine what personal factors students felt contributed most to their reasons for choosing to participate in extracurricular activities. Questionnaires were analyzed for similarities and differences and responses were coded and categorized. Four distinct categories of subject responses emerged from …

Effects Of A Remedial Singing Method On The Vocal Pitch Accuracy Of Inaccurate Elementary Singers, Karen A. Miyamoto

Research & Issues in Music Education

A pretest-posttest experimental design was utilized to determine the efficacy of the Yuba Method on inaccurate elementary singers. Testing of pitch accuracy was analyzed using the Sona-Speech Model 3600 software program. Inaccurate singers (N=168) from a population of 320 fourth, fifth, and sixth grade students, were divided into three subgroups and a random sample of subjects was selected to be in a treatment group (N=30) and a control group (N=30). The Yuba Method, which is meant to target training of the cricothyroid muscle utilizing a series of vocal exercises intended to facilitate maneuverability over the vocal register break, was administered …

Notes From The Editor, Bruce Gleason

Research & Issues in Music Education

This third issue of RIME is dedicated to the memory of Dr. Dorothy McDonald who was a professor of music education at the University of Iowa from 1970 when she was hired to teach music at the University of Iowa Laboratory School until 1994 when she was chairing Iowa's music education department. Dorothy died on September 4, 2005 after having been recently diagnosed with cancer. I have fond memories of her as my initial doctoral advisor before her stroke in 1994, and recollect that along with being a fine teacher, writer, researcher, scholar and musician, she was a wonderful human …

Middle School Band Contest Repertoire In Northern Illinois: Analysis And Recommendations, Phillip M. Hash

Research & Issues in Music Education

The purpose of this study was to provide a description and analysis of repertoire performed at middle school band contests in northern Illinois. Repertoire from 10 Illinois Grade School Music Association—Northern Division district level contests were analyzed in relation to the frequency pieces were performed, dates of publication, publishers represented, and the inclusion of titles on recommended music lists. All contests were held in 2003 and included a mix of urban, suburban, and rural schools. Among the contest programs analyzed, 81 concert bands from 72 schools performed a total of 243 compositions.

Results indicated 1) 46.1% of the selections were …

A Study Of The Musical, Academic, Leadership, And Extracurricular Achievement Massachusetts All-State Participants, R. Nicholas Tobin

Research & Issues in Music Education

Researchers have noted that the personal attributes of high school all-state participants have not been probed and have expressed surprise at this void in the music education literature (Cole, 1986; Fuller, 1989; Welker, 1997). The purpose of this study was to ascertain, through participant self-report data, the activities and accomplishments of Massachusetts all-state musicians in four areas of student endeavor: music, academics, leadership, and extracurricular activities. Massachusetts all-state participants are high achievers not only in music but also in academics, honors, student government, leadership, athletics, service, and extracurricular activities. Suggestions for further research include broadening similar studies to other states …