Music Education Commons^™

Notes From The Editor, Bruce Gleason

Research & Issues in Music Education

In this grouping of articles, a variety of music education topics are addressed: Thomas Kloss writes about teacher turnover among high school band directors; Jihae Shin investigates the idea of how a community of peer interactions functions as a resource to prepare music teacher educators; Patricia E. Riley reports on a case study of curriculum reform in rural China; Sarah McQuarrie and Ronald Sherwin investigate the connections between classroom practice and professional publication topics; and Natalie Steele Royston writes about the connections between collegiate band members’ preferences of teacher interpersonal behavior and perceived self-efficacy.

Call For Papers, Bruce Gleason

Research & Issues in Music Education

St. Augustine Symposium on the History of Music Education

Flagler College, St. Augustine, Florida

May 28 – 31, 2014

CALL FOR PAPERS, PANEL DISCUSSIONS, AND PERFORMANCES

The Relationship Between Collegiate Band Members’ Preferences Of Teacher Interpersonal Behavior And Perceived Self-Efficacy, Natalie Steele Royston

Research & Issues in Music Education

The purposes of this study were to describe collegiate band members’ preferred teacher interpersonal behaviors and perceptions of self-efficacy based on the gender, year in college, instrument, and major and to measure the relationship between preferences of interpersonal teacher behavior and self-efficacy scores. The sample (N = 1,020) was composed of band members at 12 universities from different regions of the United States. Participants completed the Teacher Interaction Preference Questionnaire (TIPQ) and the Self-Efficacy Questionnaire (SEQ). Descriptive statistics were calculated for each of the questionnaires. Results for the TIPQ showed that all sub-groups most preferred the dominant-cooperative behaviors, followed …

A Community Of Peer Interactions As A Resource To Prepare Music Teacher Educators, Jihae Shin

Research & Issues in Music Education

The purpose of this study was to investigate interactions between two doctoral students and their colleagues in a graduate music education program and determine how a community of peer interactions functions as a resource to prepare music teacher educators. Results of this study showed that peer interactions between two participants and other students in graduate classes demonstrated characteristics of communities of practice (Wenger, 1998). The domain was the commonality of working as full-time music educators at the college-level and wanting to be better music teacher educators. While reflecting on this common goal, they developed a shared repertoire including their own …

Curriculum Reform In Rural China: An Exploratory Case Study, Patricia E. Riley

Research & Issues in Music Education

This case study consisted of an examination of the perspectives of students, teachers, and administrators at the Shuangling Primary School, a rural Chinese school in Shaanxi Province, as they relate to themes of China’s most recent curricular reform efforts. The intent was to understand these perspectives and determine how to best assist teachers in rural primary schools in Shaanxi Province, and perhaps more broadly in other rural Chinese primary schools, in implementing the themes outlined in the reform document (Ministry of Education of the Peoples’ Republic of China, 2010). Researcher narrative describes this exploration, and data include student, teacher, and …

High School Band Students’ Perspectives Of Teacher Turnover, Thomas E. Kloss

Research & Issues in Music Education

Teacher turnover remains an important issue in education. The least researched perspectives, though, are those of the students who experience teacher turnover. The purpose of this study was to examine how high school band students experience teacher turnover. A total of twelve students were interviewed, representing three schools that experienced a teacher turnover that year. Students were asked to give advice to teachers leaving a program, teachers coming to a new program, and for students who learn that their teacher is leaving. The study shows that reactions to teacher change vary, and that there is more to the turnover process …

Assessment In Music Education: Relationships Between Classroom Practice And Professional Publication Topics, Sarah H. Mcquarrie, Ronald G. Sherwin

Research & Issues in Music Education

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between actual current assessment practices of elementary music teachers and the assessment topics as published in the literature aimed at those teachers. Specifically, this study sought to: 1) identify the current assessment techniques utilized by elementary music teachers; 2) identify the types of assessment techniques included in the current music teacher literature, and 3) identify any relationships between the assessment techniques that are most frequently utilized by teachers and those that are most frequently included in teacher-focused music education publications.

The researchers first examined data collected from the 100 elementary …

Preferences Of And Attitudes Toward Treble Choral Ensembles, Jill M. Wilson

Research & Issues in Music Education

In choral ensembles, a pursuit where females far outnumber males, concern exists that females are being devalued. Attitudes of female choral singers may be negatively affected by the gender imbalance that exists in mixed choirs and by the placement of the mixed choir as the most select ensemble in a program. The purpose of this research was to determine student and choral educator perceptions of and attitudes toward treble clef choral ensembles.

Results support the existence of a stigma toward treble clef choirs as second-place ensembles. A majority of students who were surveyed and interviewed chose the mixed choir as …

How Participants Envision Community Music In Welsh Men’S Choirs, Debbie Rohwer, Mark Rohwer

Research & Issues in Music Education

The purpose of this study was to describe choristers’ perceptions of Welsh men’s choir participation. Four choirs were observed in concert and rehearsal settings across Wales. Focus group interviews were conducted with between 4 and 10 members in each of the 4 choral settings for a total of 24 total interview respondents. The interviewees had a spread of years of male choir participation, from 4 months to 47 years, and a spread of ages, with members ranging in age from 32 to 89. The interview questions were designed to be flexible, yet focused. An interview guide was organized with a …

Composition Instruction And Cognitive Performance: Results Of A Pilot Study, Jennifer Bugos, Edward Jacobs

Research & Issues in Music Education

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of a composition program, Composers in Public Schools (CiPS), on cognitive skills essential for academic success. The underlying hypothesis is that composition instruction will promote creative expression and increase performance on music-specific skills such as music reading, as well as foster general analytical/aural skill development associated with vocabulary, arithmetic, and processing speed abilities. Two sixth-grade classes assigned to the experimental (n = 15) and control (n = 13) groups completed a series of standardized neuropsychological and cognitive assessments pre and post-instruction. Results of a Repeated Measures ANOVA (Group …

Himie Voxman: His Contributions To Music Education, Bruce Gleason

Research & Issues in Music Education

Himie Voxman is a name few instrumental teachers and students of the past fifty years would fail to recognize. His method books and arrangements are in school districts and private studios across the United States, serving as a testimony to his influence as a teacher, scholar, editor and arranger. His life and career as a prominent U.S. music educator is certainly worthy of the attention of anyone with an interest in the history of American music education.

Spirituality And Synagogue Music: A Case Study Of Two Synagogue Music Ensembles, Carol Shansky

Research & Issues in Music Education

Participation in community music ensembles is an important and popular form of music education—with members of ensembles that perform within religious services having the opportunity of experiencing a possible extra dimension of a spiritual experience. Thus the intent of this study was to survey adult choir and band members at Temple Emeth in Teaneck, New Jersey, USA in terms of connections between music performance, educational experiences and spirituality. Thoughts and reflections of the participants as well as those of the clergy and choir director were gained through qualitative, open-ended interviews. Overall, it was found that participating in a synagogue musical …

Review Of Menc Handbook Of Research On Music Learning (Vols. 1 & 2), Oxford University Press, 2011, Edited By Richard Colwell And Peter Webster., Nathan Buonviri

Research & Issues in Music Education

Music educators and researchers regularly seek new ideas and current information about effective teaching and learning at all levels of instruction. The vast quantity of completed studies, and the time required to review, edit, and publish them, often puts readers at a disadvantage when trying to collect and organize current, relevant literature on a given topic. The MENC Handbook of Research on Music Learning provides excellent syntheses of the most recent research on multiple topics with “a laserlike focus on what is at present known about learning [italics added for emphasis] in music” (p. v).

This handbook provides a thorough, …

Notes From The Editor, Bruce Gleason

Research & Issues in Music Education

I’m having difficulty believing that I’m writing notes for the tenth anniversary issue of Research and Issues in Music Education.  What began as an experiment a dozen plus years ago seems to have caught on, and I’m grateful for our editorial board, web managers, contributors and to our readership—all of whom have made this possible. It’s been quite a decade and I’m looking forward to seeing where the next one takes us.

Notes From The Editor, Bruce Gleason

Research & Issues in Music Education

As the editorial board presents the ninth issue of Research and Issues in Music Education, I’m reminded that teaching and learning have been going on for a very long time, and that there are all kinds of ways to undertake these tasks with new ways of teaching being constantly developed—but that the musical functions with which Merriam challenged us remain as true now as they did when he published them in 1964. An examination of the variety of this issue’s topics indicates that student, teacher, composer, conductor, professor and audience member all have much at stake as we continue …

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 …

The Involvement Of The Special Needs Student In The Competitive Field Of Marching Band In Virginia, John Mark Campbell

Masters Theses, 2010-2019

This study investigated the involvement of special needs students in competitive high school marching bands in Virginia. 159 members of the Virginia Band and Orchestra Directors who taught high school level band were emailed a survey. Fifty-seven directors chose to participate, which yielded a return rate of 35.8%. The survey examined demographics, classification, participation requirements, special needs participation and individual disabilities. The study concluded that the majority of Virginia marching bands include students with special needs. The research discovered that twelve of the thirteen categories of special needs, as defined by IDEA, were represented in Virginia marching bands. Analyses of …

Student Leadership Development In High School Band, Gerald Martin Philp

Masters Theses, 2010-2019

Literature, websites, and research abound with statistics that support the non-musical benefits of a musical education. Among these non-musical benefits are skills and habits that are the subject of a similar number of business management materials, public speakers, and business-centered books devoted to developing and demonstrating personal leadership. Research concerning the process for developing these in the public schools is limited, and in regard to music programs, even more rare. A need for this information is reinforced by professional organizations and agencies that insist upon a society with these skills. The purpose of this study in particular was to describe …

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 …

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 …