Music Education Commons^™

Evaluation Of Music Education Implementation Under The Merdeka Curriculum At The Junior Secondary School Level In Tanggamus Regency, Andrean Pramudyo, Kun Setyaning Astuti

Jurnal Pendidikan: Teori, Penelitian, dan Pengembangan

Music education in Indonesian junior high schools often faces persistent structural challenges, particularly in regions where the implementation of Kurikulum Merdeka remains uneven and under-evaluated. This study evaluates the implementation of Music Education under Kurikulum Merdeka at state junior high schools in Tanggamus Regency, Lampung Province. Stufflebeam's (1966) CIPP evaluation model, encompassing Context, Input, Process, and Product components, was employed within a quantitative descriptive-evaluative design. Data were collected simultaneously using three instruments: a primary questionnaire and two supplementary instruments comprising structured observation sheets and documentation analysis sheets. Respondents included 6 school principals and curriculum vice-principals, 10 Music Education teachers, and …

A Unified Approach: Culturally Responsive Teaching And Afrocentricity In Music Education, James H. Lyle Jr.

Visions of Research in Music Education

I

In contemporary society, students from ethnically diverse backgrounds are frequently confronted with racial barriers and disenfranchisement even in music education. To provide these students with the best environment for learning, researchers suggest that it is imperative that educators ensure an all-inclusive and impartial education system for these learners. Students of the African diaspora and students of color frequently experience societal injustices and harm in the U.S. education system, thereby resulting in discrepancies in academic accomplishments. This literature review critically evaluates the methods, approaches, and pedagogical practices of music educators and theorists, aiming to specify how teacher training programs can …

Tracking Toward Engagement: Examining The Influence Of A Competitive Participation Tracker On Middle School Students, Lauren Graves

Masters of Education in Teaching and Learning

This study examined the implementation of a competition tracker in a middle school band program. It aimed to discover the potential increase in turn-in/participation rates in a Concert Band compared to a Symphonic Band, as well as student perceptions of the competition tracker. These classes were skill-based ensembles of seventh- and eighth-grade students, with Symphonic Band being the more advanced ensemble. Collected data included surveys, focus groups, field notes, and turn-in data. This study took place over a four-week time period. Data was coded using the constant comparative method, grouping together similar themes in the data to create 15 level …

Shadows And Stars: How To Bring Student Compositions To Life, Dylan K. Ahrens

SPARK Symposium Presentations

Student composer Dylan Ahrens will present a session titled 'Shadows and Stars: a Symphony for Band,' premiered by the Belmont University Wind Ensemble on April 17, 2026. The composer will provide an analysis of the piece, discuss compositional processes, and outline the experience of learning to conduct one's own work with a collegiate ensemble. This presentation will include audio and video sample of rehearsal and performance, as well as images from the score.

A Survey Of Disability-Inclusive K-12 Public School Music Programs In The United States Where Best Buddies Friendship Programs Have Been Established, Geena Louise Jeffries Mattox

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This study examines the presence and structural characteristics of disability-inclusive band, orchestra, and choir programs serving students with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDDs) in K-12 public schools across the United States that implement the Best Buddies School Friendship Program. Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities is defined as group of chronic, lifelong conditions that originate before age 22, affecting physical, learning, language, or behavior areas. Despite federal legislation, peer reviewed scholarship specifically addressing access to performance-based music ensembles for students with IDDs remain comparatively limited. Employing a survey distributed nationwide within a defined population of schools implementing Best Buddies Programs, administered via …

Visualizing The Fretboard: Arpeggiated Patterns, Muscle Memory, And Neurocognitive Strategies For The 5-String Electric Bass, Matthew Alexander Woisin

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Proficient navigation of the 5-string electric bass requires a comprehensive mastery of various techniques and a solid understanding of music theory. This includes a detailed grasp of arpeggios, chord extensions, and the development of deeply ingrained muscle memory for precise execution. This thesis introduces a structured methodology that refines existing fretboard visualization techniques and applies a unique manner of fretboard mapping, offering a more precise framework for comprehending and unlocking the full range of the instrument. By drawing insights from music theory, music education, cognitive science, neuroscience, and technology this approach is achieved by synthesizing research on visual pattern recognition, …

Examining Stress And Anxiety Levels Among Undergraduate Music Majors At The University Of South Carolina, Elise F. Halbig

Senior Theses

The purpose of this study was to examine the stress and anxiety levels among undergraduate music majors at the University of South Carolina (USC) and identify potential stressors that might be unique or more prevalent among that specific population. To evaluate this, a questionnaire consisting of 42 questions was administered to participants. Most of the questions were carefully developed by the researcher; however, the Perceived Stress Scale (Cohen et al, 1983) was used to examine participants' stress levels, and 13 selected questions from the Burns Anxiety Inventory (Burns, 1989) were used to examine their anxiety levels. A total of 45 …

Creating With Industry: Integrating Industry Projects Within A Tertiary Music Curriculum, Sean Foran, Patrick Carroll

Staff Scholarship - Australia & Dubai

Australian tertiary contemporary music courses often feature a curriculum that includes aspects of songwriting, music production, music industry, cultural studies, collaborative entrepreneurship and individual creative practice. Research shows that graduates from these programs commonly move into the often-cited 'portfolio career', which integrates diverse aspects of musical practice such as performance, recording, teaching, community engagement, and a digital creative presence.
At SAE University College, the institution is driven by structures and frameworks to ensure that student learning is authentic, collaborative, feedback-focused, and future-oriented. Learning opportunities include real-world tasks, projects and simulations that enable growth through experiential and experimental activities. Learning happens …

Perceptions Of Ai Chatbots In Music Education, Lauren Beauchamp

Music Education Theses

Recent advancements in Artificial Intelligence (AI), particularly generative AI chatbots like the Chat Generative Pre-Trained Transformer (ChatGPT), have impacted education, yet their specific implications for music education remain underexplored. This study explores general music educators’ perceptions of information provided by ChatGPT, focusing on their ability to distinguish AI-generated content, its perceived accuracy, and the perceived influence of professional experience. A qualitative multiple case methodology including six general music educators located in the state of New York was utilized. Participants were purposively sampled to ensure maximum variation in age, gender, service years, and teaching levels. During interviews, they were asked to …

The Application Of Syncopated Rhythms In The Development Of Sight-Reading Skills For Non-Keyboard Music Majors, Ronald David Rodriguez Herrera

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This study investigates the impact of integrating syncopated rhythms into the group piano curriculum for undergraduate music students with varied levels of piano proficiency. Participants (N=76) enrolled in Group Piano II and IV were assigned control and experimental groups across multiple class sections. Three research questions guided the study: (1) How does the introduction of syncopated rhythm patterns affect group piano students’ sight-reading performance? (2) How does consistent practice of syncopated rhythms influence students' ability to sustain a steady pulse? (3) Do students consider exposure to syncopated rhythms a valuable component in their future careers as music educators …

Uses And Perceptions Of Student Leadership Roles In A Secondary Choral Program, Jenna M. Rickerhauser

Masters of Education in Teaching and Learning

This study examined student leadership structure in a high school choral program, including data from a junior high director in the district. It aimed to evaluate the role and influence of a designated student leader in a secondary choral program through perceptions from student leaders, student members, and directors. Collected data included surveys, focus groups, individual interviews, field notes, and observation notes. The researcher analyzed the data using the constant comparative method. The resulting data fit into four level 2 codes: program structure, roles of student leaders, influence/impact on the choir, and personal impact of leadership on student leaders. The …

How Is Music History Important And How Can Music History Be Included Into Our Regular Music Curriculum?, Abby Michalak

Honors Projects

From a music education major's perspective, music history is rarely taught in high school and middle schools today. Music history can teach so much to students, including context, style, and even why pieces were written. Through this paper, we explore why music history is an important topic to be taught in schools and how music programs across the country can include it into their curriculums through smaller sized lesson plans. This paper includes a sample curriculum that goes through the different period of music and a unit for "spotlights" for countries that are rarely represented in high school and middle …

A Content Analysis Of Graduate Degrees In Music Education In Nasm Accredited Institutions, Karen Koner

Visions of Research in Music Education

The purpose of this study was to examine graduate degree programs in music education in NASM accredited institutions with the specific areas of degree and institution information, admissions, and curricula. For this content analysis, I collected data through the websites of NASM accredited institutions that offered graduate degrees in music education, including master’s degrees (N = 203) and doctoral degrees (n = 53). The institution and degree information for these graduate degree programs included types of degrees offered, format of degrees (e.g., summers only, distance learning), location where the programs were located, and Carnegie Classifications (American Council on Education, 2023). …

Music Isn’T Just A Special: Amplifying Music's Power In Fostering Social-Emotional Skills In Students, Angelina Davis

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

For this Capstone Project, the researcher investigated how Dream Academy and Little Foot Elementary educators view music's impacts on social-emotional learning and what they thought could be done to improve it. Based on an analysis of the data and the relevant research literature, the researcher used what they have learned to formulate an action that responds to the impact of music on social-emotional learning in a way that inspires, informs, or involves a particular audience. This is an important issue for students and teachers because music education allows educators to teach social-emotional skills. It is argued that music fosters social-emotional …

Sequencing Orchestral Repertoire For Collegiate Orchestras: Addressing The Educational Needs Of Students In Various Stages Of Development, Cheuk Nok Francis Ku

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Sequencing is a fundamental aspect of music education, not only in individual instrumental teaching but also in large-ensemble instruction. Collegiate orchestras, like other educational ensembles, experience turnover of students each academic year, and face unique challenges in repertoire selection due to the diverse skill levels and experience of their members. This document presents a case study of the LSU Symphony Orchestra program spanning from 2021 to 2024, and complements a performance featuring works by Amy Beach, Ludwig van Beethoven, Joseph Haydn, and José Pablo Moncayo. The document also delved into the study of performance practice during the Classical period and …

Purpose Makes Practice: Testing The Efficacy Of A Proposed Framework For Teaching Self-Regulation Skills In The Violin Lesson, Hannah Kabrick

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

Development of self-regulatory (SR) skills in musicians is crucial for the self- examination necessary for successful practice. Teaching methods that facilitate SR skills can help musicians become independent in the practice room. The first aim of this study was to design a framework for teaching that includes a five-step thinking-action sequence that will allow participants to evaluate their own playing during practice and equips them to enact necessary changes to their technique to bring their playing closer to a more proficient result. The second aim of this study was to use microanalysis with a cross-case comparative design to test the …

Facilitating Children’S Musical Development, Andrew Aprile

Open Educational Resources

In this course, early childhood teacher candidates will explore significant issues and current research regarding the musical development of young children, as related to emotional, cognitive and physical musical growth. Observations of natural music-making behaviors, interactive music making experiences, as well as integrative pedagogy focused on children’s engagement with music and movement will be salient to teacher candidates’ learning process.

Choir Teacher Agency And Culturally Sustaining Pedagogy, Kaitlyn Schramm

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Culturally sustaining pedagogy (CSP) (Paris, 2012) is an educational framework that nurtures and sustains students’ cultural competencies and identities. Scholars have recognized the need for practices that sustain and nurture cultural identities and ways of knowing music in the music classroom (Abril, 2009; Bond, 2014; Good Perkins, 2018; Salvador & Culp, 2022; Shaw, 2016). Culturally sustaining teachers reimagine curriculum entirely and place students' cultural assets at the center “as targets of learning to be sustained” (Lee, 2017, p. 262), explored, honored, extended, and critically problematized (Lee, 2017; Paris, 2012; Samy Alim et al., 2020). In choral classrooms, this often involves …

Psychological Well-Being And Music Among Children, Elle Chrampanis

Honors Theses

The purpose of this instrumental case study was to explore how music supports kindergarteners’ well-being in an elementary music classroom through the lens of PERMA, a framework for well-being developed by Martin Seligman. PERMA stands for positive emotions, engagement, relationships, meaning, and accomplishment. An additional goal was to see how applicable this framework was to kindergarteners. Accordingly, a five-week music program was developed and taught at a local elementary school. A typical elementary music curriculum was developed consisting of lessons that included a welcome song, a rhythm activity, a musical storybook, the sequential learning of a song, and a goodbye …

Barriers And Pathways To Music Teacher Professional Agency, David Dockan

Theses and Dissertations--Music

Teacher agency has been a burgeoning topic of research in education and music education. In education research, professional agency has been associated with the influence of policy, teacher demographics, teacher beliefs, professional developments, and teaching environments. In music education, music teacher professional agency is a music teacher’s perception of their capacity to exert power, act, or cause change in their curriculum. Although many researchers and scholars assume that music teachers have agency in their classroom regarding their curriculum, the landscape is shifting due to recent policy changes in the United States, specifically concerning Divisive Concept Laws. Since recent Divisive Concept …

Evaluating The Perceived Preparedness Of Pre-Service Music Educators To Teach Students With Disabilities, Emily Jarvis

Honors Projects

This study evaluated the perceived preparedness of pre-service music educators to teach students with disabilities based on their university’s curriculum. Ten participants responded to a survey that asked questions on their feelings of preparedness in classroom management, teaching students with disabilities, university education, and personal perspectives. Overall, participants indicated they felt comfortable with teaching students with disabilities, but felt unprepared to teach specific components of disability education based on their program studies alone. Suggestions to improve university programs are based on implementing Universal Design Learning (UDL) practices.

Effects Of Covid-19 On Elementary And Secondary Music Education, Colette Stefaniak

Student Theses

This paper will highlight several key effects the COVID-19 pandemic had on elementary and secondary music education. The 2020 COVID-19 Pandemic drastically changed music education for both elementary and secondary institutions. Changes made to music curriculums to adapt to an online teaching environment have had both positive and negative effects on post-pandemic music education. This paper will discuss how the 2020 pandemic has created a different learning environment for elementary music classrooms, music ensembles, and private lessons.

Humor In Western European Instrumental Music: How Humor Works, Its Usage Over Time, And Accessible Teaching Strategies, Hunter K. Thompson

Senior Theses

This research’s purpose was to examine the perception of humor, both generally and musically, and to provide an overview of how humor has been incorporated into Western European instrumental music from the Medieval Age to the 20th century. In order to evaluate this, the researcher conducted a listening survey to gauge how well college music majors perceive humor in instrumental music. The survey consisted of eleven total listening excerpts approved by the Music History faculty at the University of South Carolina School of Music. Nine excerpts were coded humorous, and two excerpts were coded non-humorous for control. There was a …

Preservice And Beginning Teachers’ Perceptions Of Healthy Musicianship, Carla Salas-Ruiz, Ann Marie Stanley, Joshua Burgos

Visions of Research in Music Education

Research on instrumental music majors is an important subset of performance injury literature (Barton, et al., 2008, Brandfonbrener, 2009). Musculoskeletal problems, physical and mental stress, and performance anxiety are common (Bernhard, 2005, 2020; Guptil, et al., 2005; Steinmetz, et al., 2012). Consequently, “healthy musicianship” (Taylor, 2016) is a growing area of interest within schools of music. Preservice music teachers need tools to maintain mental and physical wellness. They also need to learn to guide future students in healthy practices. Understanding how preservice teachers acquire pedagogical content knowledge in healthy musicianship is important: their approach to musical performance issues will influence …

A History Of Educational Concerts Of The Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, Sean Radermacher

Theses and Dissertations--Music

This project illuminates the history of educational concerts of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra (PSO) and reveals a legacy of performances for young audiences, today’s educational innovations, and the orchestra’s evolving mission to serve young people. Concerts for young people are an important facet of the history of American orchestras. Today, these concerts and other educational programs are essential to increase the accessibility of orchestral music.

The PSO’s history highlights the close relationship of American orchestras with an educational mission from their early years to the present. After an overview of the origins of permanent orchestras and the national context of …

Applications Of Video Game Music Theory For The Highschool/College Theory Curriculum, Daniel L. Thompson

Honors Theses and Capstones

This paper covers the origins of video game audio and the technical limitations that effected what composers could write. Several audio excerpts have been transcribed with roman numeral analysis. The goal of this project was to determine if musical excerpts from video games could supplement an existing highschool/college theory curriculum. Theory techniques ranging from simple cadences to secondary function chords are present throughout the pieces. The pieces are from a variety of games and composers from 1983 - 2014. Overall, many of the compositions contain excellent examples of theory techniques. These excerpts would best be utilized alongside existing theory material. …

Secondary Traumatic Stress And Women Music Educators: A Phenomenological Study, Abigail Van Klompenberg

Theses and Dissertations--Music

Secondary traumatic stress (STS) is a phenomenon that affects individuals in helping professions, including educators. STS is a trauma disorder and results from one’s exposure to others experiencing trauma or who have experienced trauma. STS can affect physical health, well-being, and professional performance. Due to the profound effects of STS, there is a need for continued research to clarify this phenomenon in educators, specifically music educators. Furthermore, there is a need for research on STS in women due to women’s unique interactions with trauma and the potential for them to develop trauma disorders. At the time of this study, there …

Social Emotional Learning In The Choral Classroom, Courtney A. Hulsey

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Middle school is a pivotal time for many students as they navigate through mental, emotional, and hormonal changes which affect various aspects of their personal and educational well-being. A teacher’s care balancing social and emotional aspects of learning can be catalyst that makes a profound difference for students. Social-emotional learning (SEL) under this title is still in its infancy as a tool for classroom engagement and management. Additionally, there is very little research in the way of SEL specific to the middle school choral classroom. The hope is that in a content analysis of the benefits of SEL through the …

The Status Of Technology Integration In Music Classrooms And Implications For Technology Training: A Survey Of K-12 Music Educators In Four Southeastern States, Lynn M. Holliman

Journal of the Association for Technology in Music Instruction

This study investigated the status of technology integration in K-12 music classrooms after the onset of Covid-19 across Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana, and Mississippi. Participants completed an online survey concerning their technology use, comfort levels with technology, training since the onset of Covid-19, and barriers to technology integration. Previous studies in this area showed a slow increase in technology use. Other studies revealed a need for further training of pre-service and in-service educators to integrate technology into their instruction successfully.

Results of this survey revealed an increase in technology use and comfort levels with technology specific to distance learning such as …

Two Marching Band Directors’ Insights About Their Bands’ Musical Achievement And Satisfaction In The American Deep South: A Qualitative Analysis, John Klee

Honors Theses

High School marching band is an intricate facet of music education that operates in several varieties across the United States. Depending on the style as well as many external and internal factors of a marching band, marching bands can have goals and definitions of musical achievement that can vary drastically. This qualitative study aims to assist those in the world of marching music education to better understand these distinct types of marching bands on a deeper level. The study gathered detailed perspectives of two directors in juxtaposed marching programs to a view of what drives these bands and directors to …