Music Education Commons^™

Documenting Fifth-Grade Band Students’ Experiences In A Kodály-Centered Beginning Band Curriculum, Elisabeth Henderson Dhillon

Masters Theses, 2010-2019

ABSTRACT

Based on the work of Hungarian composer and educator Zoltán Kodály, the Kodály method, a sound-to-symbol approach to music-making and literacy stemming from an aural and auditory entry point, forms an integral aspect of many elementary level general music curricula in the United States. In this process-oriented, experiential approach, students hear and explore music kinesthetically, aurally and through folk and art song before visual concepts in the form of notes in formal notation are introduced.

In contrast, traditional beginning band methodologies tend not to incorporate a sound-to-symbol approach, teaching the intricacies of a complex new instrument in conjunction with …

Participation In Winter Guard International As Experienced By Ten Stakeholders: A Phenomenological Study, Jeremy Morgan

Dissertations

The purpose of this phenomenological study was to describe the essence of Winter Guard International (WGI) as lived by ten stakeholders, invested individuals currently serving in leadership roles within the percussion and winds divisions of the WGI organization. Through the lens of a social constructivist theoretical framework, and the use of individual interviews to obtain data, this study considered what participants have experienced and the contexts in which these experiences have taken place. Grounded theory concepts were used initially to clarify the perspective and scope of the study. Analysis of the data involved the identification of significant statements from participant …

Investigating The Attitudes Of Adolescent Male Singers In Gender Choirs, Heidi Joy Williamson

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the use of gender choirs within a middle school choral classroom to investigate (a) attitudes about singing, (b) confidence and self-efficacy of their own voices, and (c) peer perceptions of adolescent males’ participation in choir. Data were obtained from 40 students, in Grades 7 or 8, who were enrolled in a male gender choir at one of the five participating middle schools. Most participants enrolled in choir because they thought choir was fun, and they were good singers. Most participants did not think that choir was “better” when the genders were separated. …

Music Rehabilitation Programs In California State Prisons, Sarah Hanson

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

With 2.3 million people in the United States prison system, reducing recidivism rates in prison is crucial. One of the most prevalent ways California has been able to reduce recidivism and encourage less punitive measure on prisoners is through music rehabilitation programs. This research explores the current prison population, history of music rehabilitation in prisons, positive and negative psychological effects music can have on inmates, an active music rehabilitation program (Dance Kaiso), and how inmates have been utilizing these programs. By exploring the current prison population and how music rehabilitation began in the United States and California, there’s a clearer …

An Overview Of A Failed Thesis, Avery Lewis

Undergraduate Honors Theses

An overview of a project based thesis that did not have the support or funding to be carried out to completion. The project was based around starting up a summer recruitment program for the East Tennessee State University Music Department. The program would consist of various summer events for high school students used to recruit for the department as well as encourage music and fine arts degrees.

Senior Recital, Jaron Kirshenbaum

Honors Theses

This recital, although it featured works learned over the last six months, is really a culmination of all the work I have put in over the last three and a half years here at the Western Michigan University School of Music. It is a program that brought together friends and colleagues, and featured solo works that show just how far I have come since I arrived here as a freshman clarinet player in the Fall of 2015. Although the diverse music selection and the decision to do mainly single movements from larger works is not what you would typically see …

Field Experiences In Elementary Music Education Mus 376, Jim Kinnie

Library Impact Statements

No abstract provided.

School Of Rock: The Relationship Between Music Training And Academic Academic Achievement, Clayton Hadlock

Intuition: The BYU Undergraduate Journal of Psychology

Music education has been a key part of human culture for thousands of years (Cartwright, 2013). As children often begin to receive musical education during grade school, many researchers have begun to investigate whether musical training may benefit other areas of academics. This literature review evaluates the overall effectiveness of musical training on academic performance for three different age groups: pre- and elementary school children under 12 years old; middle and high school-age adolescents between 12 and 18 years old; and college and university students over 18 years old. Musical training here includes instrumental and vocal training, as well as …

A Brain-Friendly Approach To Music Literacy, Taylor Davis

Posters-at-the-Capitol

The purpose of this study was to explore how the brain processes information, stores it in long-term memory and then applies that knowledge to teaching music in a classroom/rehearsal setting. We observed how the working memory, the system responsible for processing information from short-term and long-term memory can function with greater efficiency. We observed how the number of items available for processing in the working memory may be increased through a process identified as “chunking.” Chunking is when short patterns, or bits of information, are combined to form longer sequences. When applying these brain-friendly learning concepts to music, the instructor …

Editor’S Essay, Michael E. Ruhling

HAYDN: Online Journal of the Haydn Society of North America

No abstract provided.

Music Therapy: Effects On Children Diagnosed With Asd, Jennifer Lynn Mahr

Masters Theses

This study was conducted to focus on the use of music therapy as a treatment to serve people of special needs, including individuals with ASD. The research seeks to inform parents/students of children with ASD that music therapy could be the avenue in which their children/students are treated in certain areas. The information in this research can assist parents with the knowledge and understanding they need relating to music therapy in order for their child to overcome weaknesses associated with ASD. Similarly, music teachers can gain further insight into the world of music therapy to encourage students who struggle in …

Tasman Connections Through Song: Engaging In Classrooms And In Community, Dawn Joseph Dr, Robyn Trinick Mrs

The Qualitative Report

Community is an overarching word that encompasses people in formal and informal settings covering a broad range of activities. Engaging through sound “in community” and “as community” provides the opportunity for participants to come together making and sharing music through song. This paper focuses on voice (singing) across the Tasman within formal and informal locations. Author One draws on interview data within an “informal” space with three community choirs in regional Victoria (Australia) from her wider study Spirituality and Wellbeing: Music in the Community. The data shows that choir members use voice to connect with their local community around issues …

Misha Dichter - Pianist: Piano Master Class - Program, Celia

Misha Dichter Piano Master Class

A poster advertising the Piano Master Class taught by the Dayton Performing Arts Alliance present Distinguished Visiting Artist in Residence Misha Dichter.

Misha Dichter - Pianist: Piano Master Class - Flyer, Celia

Misha Dichter Piano Master Class

A poster advertising the Piano Master Class taught by the Dayton Performing Arts Alliance present Distinguished Visiting Artist in Residence Misha Dichter.

Acrl Framework Assignments For Music Information Literacy, Taylor Greene

Library Presentations, Posters, and Audiovisual Materials

Though the ACRL Framework was adopted two and a half years ago, music librarians continue to wonder how to integrate the six frames described by this guiding document into our information literacy instruction while also covering the necessities of music information literacy. In this presentation, I will discuss the approach that I used to incorporate the six frames into my instruction for the Music Information Literacy course I teach at Chapman University while still retaining essential music instruction, such as searching for music, navigating particular resources like Grove Music Online, and citation formatting. Specifically, I will focus on the in-class …

Wilberta Naden Pickett, Wilberta Naden Pickett '50

All oral histories

Bachelor of Music, IWU, 1950. According to the 1950 Wesleyana, she was a member of the Indee Women, Egas, Alpha Lambda Delta, Women's Chorus, Colleqiate Choir, University Chorus, Episcopoi, Sunday Evening Fellowship, Vesper Chairman, Vesper Organist, Park Hall President, and was in productions of "Faust" and "Of Thee I Sing."

Mrs. Pickett later attained the following additional accomplishments:

• Master of Sacred Music, Union Theological Seminary, 1952
• Choir Master degree, American Guild of Organists, 1956
• Certified Church Musician, Presbyterian Association of Musicians, 1978

Agents Of Change: A Multi-Layered Approach To Violin Learning And Teaching, Leslie-Gail Ellis [Thesis]

Doctoral

This enquiry is an action research project that investigates how changes to learning environments might assist young violinists in developing greater awareness and understanding of their participatory role in instrumental learning. It is also an enquiry aimed at improving teaching practice through encouraging a heightened pupil-centred approach that places the teacher in a more facilitatory role. Positioned during the four months prior to their end of year performance assessments in a school of music, the study involved ten young violinists between the ages of 9-13 who were presented with weekly opportunities to engage in a multi-layered approach to learning that …

Instrumental Music Learning In An Irish Bimusical Context, Mary Nugent

Doctoral

This study focuses on bimusical instrumental learning, exploring the perceptions, beliefs and musical practices of students who are simultaneously engaged in learning classical and Irish traditional musics. The literature on bimusicality addresses how it has evolved in various social and educational contexts. This research focuses on the bimusical learning processes and practices of students, aged sixteen to twenty years, as they cross between the different learning modes associated with these two musical traditions in an Irish context. This qualitative study adopts a collective case study approach, using a purposive sampling strategy. Data collected include: videotaped lessons, recorded practice/playing sessions, observations …

Where Time And Eternity Intersect: The Integration Of The Liturgical Calendar Into The Worship Practices Of The Evangelical Church, Leah Woods

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The liturgical calendar is a historic practice of the Christian church which provides a structure for worship based on the life and teachings of Jesus. This project will examine the historical developments of the use of the liturgical calendar and the value of introducing it to the evangelical church setting. The project will be a case study of several evangelical churches in the Southern Maryland area through analysis of a one year sample of song canon. The song canons will be analyzed for balance in offices of Christ, story focus, and Trinitarian language.

A Phenomenological Study Of The Professional Learning Experiences Of Music Educators, Allison Bonn-Savage

Doctor of Education (EdD)

This qualitative phenomenological study sought to discover the lived experiences of six music educators in their professional learning. Each of the music educators in this study taught in an Oregon public school and had taken on a leadership role in the 2018 Oregon Music Educators Association (OMEA) conference. This study utilized personal interviews to gather rich descriptions of the unique stories and journeys through professional learning these music educators had experienced. Three significant themes were identified in the analysis process in this study: (a) Participants felt confident in knowing their learning needs for professional growth and were apathetic or resistant …

Superdiversity In Music Education, Brent C. Talbot

Sunderman Conservatory of Music Faculty Publications

Globalization has changed the social, cultural, and linguistic diversity in societies all over the world (Blommaert, J & Rampton, B. Diversities, 13(2), 1–22 (2011)). As new technologies have rapidly developed alongside increased forms of transnational flow, so have new forms of language, art, music, communication, and expression. This rapid and varied blending of cultures, ideas, and modes of communication is what Vertovec (2007) describes as super-diversity—diversity within diversity. In this narrative, I explore the theoretical and methodological pluralism that has aided my research in diverse settings, drawing from post-structuralism, critical theory, sociolinguistics, complexity theory, and discourse analysis—specifically Scollon and Scollon’s …

A Content Analysis Of Flow And Music: Teaching, Performance, And Consumption, Lindsey Keay

Dissertations

Positive psychologist Csikszentmihalyi (2008) describes flow as a state of heightened concentration and arousal where a balance of skill and challenge cause someone to be so absorbed in a task that everything else seems to disappear. The result of the experience can be one of immense enjoyment and satisfaction. Musical activities lend themselves well to the flow experience due to the multifaceted tasks of listening, practicing, performing, or teaching music. With flow being an ideal creator of intrinsic motivation, music teachers and performers should consider flow and its implications for music making and music instruction.

The purpose of this study …

Best Practices For The Changing Male Voice In Secondary Choir Classrooms, Emily Deyton

Honors College Theses

This research looks at the application strategies for addressing the changing male voice in secondary choir classrooms. The goal is to determine if the best practices described by scholarly literature on the changing male voice are being put into practice in secondary choir classrooms in Georgia and their perceived effectiveness. The research was conducted through a survey sent to all middle school choir directors in the state of Georgia with contact information listed through GMEA. Upon examination of the survey results, it is clear that choir directors are putting many of these strategies into effect in their classrooms and that …

Teaching Music To Immigrant And Refugee Students In American Music Classrooms, Sameerah Jabrhamdan

Music Education Theses

The purpose of this study is to explore what music teachers of refugee and immigrant students in the Western New York area are doing to include this population within their music classrooms. This is a qualitative multiple case study, with the purpose of finding out as much information possible from three participants who teach music to immigrant and refugee students. The three participants teach across different musical contexts, including middle school general music in an urban setting, elementary general music in a suburban setting, and elementary through high school strings in an afterschool urban setting. This study sought to find …

Marching Percussion Techniques For Prospective Band Directors: A Course Designed For Instrumental Music Education Majors, William K. Garrett

Masters Theses

Instrumental Techniques courses are imperative to prospective instrumental music educators. After all, it is not practical or possible to major in every instrument in a band or orchestra. These classes provide students with a chance to get a basic understanding of the fundamentals covered on each instrument. For wind instruments, these fundamentals include foundations such as embouchure placement and breathing/articulation techniques. Most of these lessons are covered in a limited course of study. Although the instruments are different, many of the techniques, like tonguing and articulation, are consistent. With regards to technical percussion techniques however, things like instrumentation, notation, and …

Arvo Pärt's "Berliner Messe": An Approach To Understanding And Instructing Serial Techniques In A Minimalist Framework, Jesse Miller

Masters Theses

The music of Estonian composer Arvo Pärt is something of a phenomenon. Pärt’s music has made a profound connection with audiences, granting Pärt immense popularity and making him the most performed living composer in the world.1 Equally a phenomenon is his own unique tintinnabuli technique that lies at the heart of Pärt’s music and draws as much upon serialism as it does Gregorian chant. While much has been written on Pärt and his original tintinnabuli technique, this qualitative case study focuses on a major work ostensibly overlooked in scholarship, Arvo Pärt’s “Berliner Messe.” The study focuses on the serial aspects …

Music Is The "Noise Of Remembering" Tracing The Origins, Influences, And Connectivities Of West African Music, Adam Friedman

Lawrence University Honors Projects

The popularity and universal reach of music genres such as Jazz and Hip Hop attest to the idea that these forms have been long established as a vital part of global musical culture. For people who are familiar with Afrocentric music, it is clear that styles such as Jazz and Hip Hop are rooted in, and inextricably linked with, African culture and history. What is more difficult to make sense of, however, is how and why transplanted African culture came to have such wide reaching impact in the new contexts in which it was taken up – because the stories …

Santería In A Globalized World: A Study In Afro-Cuban Folkloric Music, Nathan Montgomery

Lawrence University Honors Projects

The Yoruban people of modern-day Nigeria worship many deities called orichas by means of singing, drumming, and dancing. Their aurally preserved artistic traditions are intrinsically connected to both religious ceremony and everyday life. These forms of worship traveled to the Americas during the colonial era through the brutal transatlantic slave trade and continued to evolve beneath racist societal hierarchies implemented by western European nations. Despite severe oppression, Yoruban slaves in Cuba were able to disguise orichas behind Catholic saints so that they could still actively worship in public. This initial guise led to a synthesis of religious practice, language, and …

The Effect Of Visual Performance On Music Performance Evaluation In High School Marching Band, Kathryn D. Brimhall

Senior Theses

At marching band contests, bands are usually judged on both their music performance (ensemble, individual, and general effect) and visual performance (ensemble, individual, and general effect). Phenomena such as the McGurk effect (McGurk & MacDonald, 1976) indicate that people often prioritize visual information over aural information; however, until now there have not been empirical investigations of how this phenomenon might affect high school marching band evaluation. The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of visual performance on the music performance evaluation of high school marching bands. To study this effect, I recruited college students who were randomly …

Girls Rock Camp, Erica Lashley

Senior Honors Projects, 2010-2019

The objective of this creative honors project was to create, plan, fund, and spearhead a week-long day camp for girls ages 8-18 to learn the basics of a rock instrument and collaborate with other girls to form bands and perform. This paper synthesizes my experience organizing, fundraising for, and counseling Harrisonburg’s first Girls Rock Camp, which took place August 14-19, 2017. In this paper, I outline the purpose and importance of Girls Rock Camp, the research and planning conducted to design the project, and the camp experience. I aim to provide insight, words of wisdom, and inspiration for future projects …