This study examines the incorporation of kinesthetic pedagogy in secondary choral rehearsals and its impact on student engagement and learning. Three experienced high school choral teachers and their students from Northern California participated in the study. Each teacher conducted four consecutive rehearsal sessions, recording themselves instructing on two pieces of music using teacher-modeled and student-imitated kinesthetic gestures. Students completed daily surveys assessing their enjoyment and engagement levels, and teachers provided a final reflection on their usual kinesthetic practices. Video footage of twelve rehearsals and teachers’ final reflections were analyzed to identify patterns in kinesthetic usage, revealing that these teachers’ kinesthetic instruction was primarily centered on 1) Rhythmic Pulse/Accuracy, 2) Vowel Shape, and 3) Technical Knowledge. Teachers used almost twice as many kinesthetic prompts when rehearsing with student-imitated kinesthetics compared to kinesthetics modeled only by the teacher. Data from student surveys were analyzed to categorize reasons for enjoyment and identify alignment between students' perceptions of learning and kinesthetic practices. The incorporation of kinesthetic pedagogy in secondary choral rehearsals enhanced student engagement, enjoyment, and learning outcomes.

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The purpose of this study was twofold: (a) Examine successful choral director beliefs about warm-ups and their successful practices in conducting warm-ups, and (b) examine the relationship of musical background, choral training and music teaching style of high school choral directors upon these beliefs and practices. Subjects were 365 high school choral directors from 28 states. Data were analyzed using descriptive analysis, correlation analysis, multivariate analysis of variance and multiple regression. Results indicated choral director's beliefs and practices differ as a function of musical back-ground, demographic characteristics, choral conducting training, and music teaching styles. Specifically, warm-up beliefs were predicted by knowledge of vocal health and variety of warm-ups. Conversely, those who relied on the warm-up time for discipline and focusing attention showed a significant negative relationship with their philosophy. From multiple regression analysis, doing choral warm-ups accounted for one-third of a director's overall success, predicted by 10 variables: (a) experience, (b) education, (c) teaching style teacher-directed performance, (d) teaching style deep-student learning, (e) warm-up literature and procedure, (f) planning warm-ups (g) warm-up content, (h) prior choral experience and piano background, (i) a foundation in music, and (j) a developed philosophy of choral warm-ups. However, having a philosophy about warm-ups did not predict successful teaching practices.

The purpose of this qualitative study was to better understand how five choral music educators’ life experiences, prior knowledge, attitudes, values, beliefs, and understandings surrounding the formation of their musical selves have come to shape their professional practice. A secondary purpose of this research was to examine institutional context and governing ideologies of the choral music discipline. The study involved five choral music educators—including the researcher—of various ages, genders, and cultural backgrounds from Winnipeg, Manitoba. This research is grounded in what Beattie (1995) terms the dialectical and collaborative nature of narrative inquiry, but also looks to reflexive inquiry and life history methodologies (Cole & Knowles, 2000), as well as the practice of collective biography (Davies & Gannon, 2006) to shape its methodological framework. As such, autobiographical forms of self-study research are reconceptualized as collaborative self-study. Data collection methods included journal writing, personal in-depth interviews, and participant observation. In particular, regular focus group sessions, which included peer interviewing, played a central role throughout the research process. This forum allowed participants to share their musical life histories and interrogate each others’ narratives, thereby triggering musical memories and exposing the interconnectivity of musical pasts to current professional practice. Data is re-presented in rich narratives which trace the path of each participant’s musical life history in interaction with theory and relevant literature. Numerous themes, sub-themes, tensions, and epiphanal episodes (Denzin, 1994) are illuminated. Moreover, connections between participants’ experiences and resultant ways of knowing are exposed, and we are confronted with “the unexpectedness of universality” (Hofstadter, 2007, p. 242). Thus, our commonessence is revealed. Participant chapters are followed by a postlude featuring the researcher’s personal narratives, an examination of researcher voice, and questions regarding the practice of choral music education that have surfaced through reflexive analysis of the data. This research strives to be a model for personal professional development among choral music educators, and provides a template for future purposeful discussion in the choral discipline.

The purpose of this qualitative study was to better understand how five choral music educators’ life experiences, prior knowledge, attitudes, values, beliefs, and understandings surrounding the formation of their musical selves have come to shape their professional practice. A secondary purpose of this research was to examine institutional context and governing ideologies of the choral music discipline. The study involved five choral music educators—including the researcher—of various ages, genders, and cultural backgrounds from Winnipeg, Manitoba. This research is grounded in what Beattie (1995) terms the dialectical and collaborative nature of narrative inquiry, but also looks to reflexive inquiry and life history methodologies (Cole & Knowles, 2000), as well as the practice of collective biography (Davies & Gannon, 2006) to shape its methodological framework. As such, autobiographical forms of self-study research are reconceptualized as collaborative self-study. Data collection methods included journal writing, personal in-depth interviews, and participant observation. In particular, regular focus group sessions, which included peer interviewing, played a central role throughout the research process. This forum allowed participants to share their musical life histories and interrogate each others’ narratives, thereby triggering musical memories and exposing the interconnectivity of musical pasts to current professional practice. Data is re-presented in rich narratives which trace the path of each participant’s musical life history in interaction with theory and relevant literature. Numerous themes, sub-themes, tensions, and epiphanal episodes (Denzin, 1994) are illuminated. Moreover, connections between participants’ experiences and resultant ways of knowing are exposed, and we are confronted with “the unexpectedness of universality” (Hofstadter, 2007, p. 242). Thus, our commonessence is revealed. Participant chapters are followed by a postlude featuring the researcher’s personal narratives, an examination of researcher voice, and questions regarding the practice of choral music education that have surfaced through reflexive analysis of the data. This research strives to be a model for personal professional development among choral music educators, and provides a template for future purposeful discussion in the choral discipline.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-12-08T17:06:44Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 115843.pdf: 1029698 bytes, checksum: b17c9ac17c774191d3c06f2d376414ae (MD5) Previous issue date: 2014-03-25 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / This dissertation goal was to investigate teaching strategies used by conductors in three university choirs in the Vale do Itajaí region, in Santa Catarina state, Brazil. Specific objectives were: to discuss the choir practice from the perspective of music education; reflect on the musical education in the choir practice and more specifically in the university choir; identify the main teaching strategies adopted by the conductors for the development of choral practice and; verify musical content covered in the practice of university choirs participating in the research. The work is situated within the qualitative research on the design of a multi case study and the techniques of data collection used semi-structured interviews, systematic observations and interviews by stimulation of remembrance. Data were divided into six categories initial activities, studying a new piece, rehearsing old pieces, preparing a performance, organizing the time, space and use of material resources and analyzed in the light of the literature of the choir area and also in the field of didactics. The results indicate a number of didactic strategies used by conductors in the development of activities in the respective choirs, evidencing the uniqueness and richness of the investigated contexts. / Essa dissertação teve como objetivo geral investigar estratégias didáticas utilizadas pelos regentes em três coros universitários da região do Vale do Itajaí, no estado de Santa Catarina. Os objetivos específicos foram: discutir a prática coral em uma perspectiva de educação musical; refletir sobre o ensino musical na prática do canto coral e mais especificamente no canto coral universitário; identificar as principais estratégias didáticas adotadas pelos regentes para o desenvolvimento da prática musical dos corais e; verificar conteúdos musicais abordados na prática de corais universitários participantes da pesquisa. O trabalho situou-se no âmbito da pesquisa qualitativa sob o desenho de um estudo multicaso e as técnicas de coleta de dados utilizadas foram entrevistas semiestruturadas, observações sistemáticas e entrevista por estimulação de recordação. Os dados coletados foram divididos em seis categorias atividades iniciais, ensaio de música nova, ensaio de música conhecida, ensaio para apresentação, organização do tempo e do espaço e utilização de recursos materiais e foram analisados à luz da literatura específica da área do canto coral e também do campo da didática. Os resultados da pesquisa apontam uma série de estratégias didáticas utilizadas pelos regentes no desenvolvimento de suas atividades, evidenciando a singularidade e riqueza dos contextos investigados.