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No description available.

No description available.

In 2008, the American Academy of Teachers of Singing released a paper in support of further research and training in the teaching of non-classical music or Contemporary Commercial Music (CCM). CCM can be defined as encompassing (but not limited to) the following genres: musical theatre, pop, rock, gospel, R&B, soul, hip-hop, rap, country, folk, and experimental music. Despite the increase in number of musical theatre and CCM degree programs at American universities, and the that national voice pedagogy organizations have begun to include musical theatre competitions and masterclasses, such academic training for future voice teachers has not met the demand. A 2003 survey by LoVetri and Weekly to evaluate the levels of training and experience of voice teachers in CCM styles of singing showed that while 71 schools offered Bachelor’s degrees in Musical Theatre, there were no schools offering CCM voice pedagogy training. In a 2009 follow-up, Weekly and LoVetri found that only 19% of those surveyed had any training to teach Musical Theatre. Additionally, many teachers indicated they were only classically trained and had no idea how to sing in any other style. For this study a three-part survey containing 27 questions was used to survey voice teachers who had been enrolled in or completed graduate-level (MM or DMA) voice programs since the publication of Weekly and LoVetri’s most recent survey. The purpose of the survey was to discover the pedagogical training of recent graduate voice students in CCM. The data is collected from a population in which n=66. While this study did show an increase in pedagogical training in CCM at the graduate university level (26%) as well as an increase in the number of CCM teachers with both graduate-level training and performance experience, this increase was small, and the majority of those who reported having received training did so through private instruction or independent study. / Music Performance

The purpose of this study was to investigate principals’ perceptions of the status of music education in secondary schools in Trinidad and Tobago. The guiding questions were (a) What are secondary school principals’ perceptions of music learning outcomes as they are currently being met and as they should be met under ideal conditions, (b) What are secondary school principals’ perceptions of broad educational goals as they are currently being met and as they should be met under ideal conditions, (c) Is there a difference between principals’ perceptions of current and ideal conditions for the learning outcomes and the educational goals, and (d) What are secondary school principals’ perceptions about the degree to which eleven selected variables impact music education? A descriptive research design was used in which secondary school principals (n = 93) were provided with the survey instrument. The survey is organized into four sections based on the questions that are derived from the research purpose and questions. Cronbach’s alpha was used to test for internal consistency of the survey items. Data, related to the first two guiding questions, was fielded via Likert-type scales where the responses represented the principals’ perceptions of the level of realization of the standards for the music learning outcomes and the broad educational goals. For the third guiding question, data analyses included repeated t-tests and Cohen d value measurements to describe differences between the current and ideal perceived conditions of the realization of the standards for the music learning outcomes and the broad educational goals. A Spearman correlation was used to describe the consistency between the current and ideal perceived conditions of the realization of the standards for the music learning outcomes and the broad educational goals. Chi-squared analyses, on the two open-ended questions presented to the principals, were used to examine the differences in how principals perceive certain factors affect their ability to support music programs. Results from the repeated t-tests showed that principals believe there is a difference between how the music learning outcomes and broad educational goals are currently being met and how they should be met, under ideal conditions. Chi-squared analyses revealed that there were moderately positive associations between the current and ideal conditions, with the music learning outcomes yielding rs = .71 and the broad educational goals yielding rs = .65.; however, results were statistically significant only for the broad educational goals. Chi-squared analyses revealed that there were no significant differences in the ways principals perceived how 11 variables (a) Medium-Term Policy Framework 2011-2014, (b) Students, (c) Parents, (d) Budget/Finances, (e) Scheduling, (f) Standardized tests, (g) School Board, (h) Governing Office/Ministry of Education, (i) Music Teacher, (j) Classroom Teacher, and (k) Educational and Scientific Research were impacting the music programs. Results showed that the principals were mostly inclined to remain neutral about the effects of most of the variables and that they did not consider any of the variables to either strongly positively or strongly negatively affect the music program. / Music Education

There is no abstract in the dissertation / Music Performance

The purpose of this study was to determine Pennsylvania public high school instrumental music teachers' perceptions of changes to instrumental music instruction that may have been the result of a narrowing focus on student performance on standardized tests and sanctions linked to the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (2002). The study used a descriptive design to investigate ways that standardized testing may have influenced student opportunities to participate in school instrumental music, instructional time available for instrumental lessons and performing ensembles, budgetary resources and funding sources, staffing, and instrumental music curricula in Pennsylvania high schools. Data were gathered via an anonymous web-based survey. Of the entire population of 710 full-time high school instrumental music teachers in Pennsylvania, 304 responded. Of those, 247 successfully completed the survey and were appropriate for analysis. Results suggested that across PA high schools, instrumental music opportunities were varied and inconsistent with regard to instructional time, financial resources, access and availability of students, and support for instrumental music within the larger curriculum of the schools. These inconsistencies may have resulted in unequal opportunities to participate in instrumental music programs, partially because of funding and policy priorities at the state and local level that value test-based accountability rather than more comprehensive methods of evaluating child development and learning. Prior research suggested that opportunities to participate in instrumental music were linked to individual and group standardized test performance. Schools in very large urban districts with high percentages of low-income and minority students were the most likely to face reductions in instrumental music opportunities. Implications included the possibility of inequitable reductions to music programs potentially undermining efforts to help reduce or prevent achievement gaps. Reductions in instrumental music opportunities for elementary level students was a particular concern since neurobiological research findings suggest special benefits for early childhood music instruction. Recommendations for further research included replication of the study using identifiable data, case studies of individual high schools, the continuation and expansion of longitudinal studies between neuroscientists and music educators, and a survey of school administrator attitudes toward music education. / Music Education

This work centered on the Creating Creators Cinema Project (CCCP), a for-profit organization that works with K-12 school districts in California to integrate student filmmaking into core subjects. The qualitative case study documented the experiences of CCCP’s founders, the teaching artists who mentor filmmaking youth, and the students participating in year-long projects, providing a “thick description” of the creation, implementation, and impact of the program in a high school setting. The research addressed the dearth of arts programs in urban schools and their connection to representation in arts fields, particularly filmmaking. The study utilized three frameworks: Critical Pedagogy, Constructivism, and Situated Learning Theory to analyze data about pedagogical approaches and impact in the personal and professional lives of those involved in the project. Findings revealed participants in CCCP challenge traditional schooling practices and create a professional identity for students in the program. This study affirmed the importance of arts education in student lives and identifies how arts is a transformative vehicle for students and educators.

The purpose of this study was to find out from Virginia policymakers their feelings toward visual arts education as a required subject at the high school level by answering the following questions: (1) How do policymakers and gatekeepers see the value of visual arts education as a required subject on the high school level? (2) What is the attitude of Virginia policymakers and gatekeepers towards the importance of issues pertaining to the framing of a visual arts education program? (3) What is the importance of placing visual arts education in the high school curriculum as a required subject for the appreciation and understanding of our society? (4) Of what importance do policymakers and gatekeepers feel visual arts education is in the curricula of high school students as far as their academic, social, cultural, and personal development are concerned? A pilot study was conducted in which 17 issues important to visual arts education were addressed. Data for the main study was collected by means of a questionnaire in which a selected panel of supervisors of instruction, assistant superintendents, local school board members, and school system superintendents were surveyed. The study, consisting of a three part questionnaire, was conducted by mail over several weeks with a group of 70 local policymakers and gatekeepers. Findings of this study indicate that about half (54%) of the policymakers surveyed believe that it is very important (16%) and important (38%) to offer visual arts education as a required subject on the high school level. Eighty - six percent feel that standards should be formulated and used in developing a visual arts education framework. Seventy - six percent of the respondents felt that visual arts education is important for the appreciation and understanding of our society. Seventy - one percent of the policymakers surveyed agreed that visual arts education is important for the academic, social, cultural and personal development of high school students. It is quite evident that there is a division among policymakers and gatekeepers regarding the value of visual arts education as a required subject on the high school level. / Ed. D.

The purpose of this study is to investigate the present need of industrial arts for girls in the secondary schools of Texas, and to determine the need, if any, for a change in this program.