The purpose of the study was to review educational objectives for conducting classes for the undergraduate through the doctoral degree. This included one hundred and seventy-three behavioral objectives and three basic methods of evaluation.Specific conducting textbooks were reviewed as were the conclusions from related research. Articles relating to the preparation of the conductor and conducting curricula were also reviewed. The survey instrument designed for this dissertation was mailed to teachers of conducting at the eighteen selected schools where programs were commensurate with this study.FindingsConducting textbooks are used most frequently at the undergraduate level.Equipment most frequently used for evaluation are the tape recorder and videotape (VTR).Compositions of Bach are most frequently used in conducting classes followed by Mozart, Beethoven, Haydn and Handel. Music of Schubert, Tschaikovsky, Brahms, Holst, and Stravinsky are also used frequently.Most teachers provide practical conducting experiences daily or weekly but opportunities to conduct live ensembles are still relatively scarce for undergraduates.All teachers teach conducting techniques and score analysis and memory. Seventy-six percent of the respondents also teach rehearsal techniques.Visual observation of conducting students is the most frequently used method of evaluation.Teachers feel there should be more classes, more class meetings, and a greater variety of conducting classes required--especially at the undergraduate level.ConclusionsEducational objectives should be clearly stated for conducting courses at all levels.Evaluation of conducting students should be provided in a variety of forms that are clear and meaningful to the student and be based on stated educational objectives.Conducting courses should be developed for opera, ballet, theater, oratorios, and jazz ensembles.The number of conducting courses, class meetings, and credit should be increased.More conducting classes should be required for the music education major and conducting major, especially at the undergraduate level.Ensembles should be frequently and consistently available to conducting students.

The ideas of Hideo Saito regarding conducting and conducting pedagogy are a valuable addition to the field, an addition that English-speaking people are likely to be unfamiliar with. Besides devising a unique collection of terms for talking about conducting, and assembling a set of exercises designed to facilitate the practice of a variety of gestures, Saito develops and operates from a framework which allows for the description and evaluation of almost any conceivable rhythmic gesture. While he pays attention to time, space, direction, size, and expectations, he often explores the ways velocity and changes in velocity can be employed to elicit desired sounds from players and singers. He is certainly not the first teacher to focus on the role of velocity in conducting gestures. However, the level of sophistication and thoroughness of his examination of velocity, and changes in velocity, is unique. His diagrams are noteworthy as well.Saito's conducting method is very popular in Japan. Seiji Ozawa, the Music Director/Conductor of the Boston Symphony Orchestra for more than 25 years, is just one of Saito's students who have had very successful conducting careers.This dissertation, in combination with accompanying videotaped examples of Morihiro Okabe teaching in the authentic Saito tradition, will provide the reader with an introduction to and an evaluation of the Saito conducting method. The reader will learn how to interpret Saito's diagrams of conducting motions, discover who the key people are, and view a Saito teacher instructing students. The reader will be introduced to the core teachings of Professor Saito, see what Saito's primary musical exercises are, and see how these exercises are used to promote musical and technical competence in conducting. This dissertation seeks to give the reader a foundation for further investigation of Saito's ideas and practices.This dissertation proposes, and employs English names for many gestures Saito labeled in Japanese. The Japanese terms are very descriptive of the motions. Providing equally descriptive English terms should be helpful to readers who are not fluent in Japanese. / School of Music

The purpose of this study was to analyze the characteristics of teacher directed modeling evidenced in the practices of three experienced high school choral directors. Research questions were: 1. What modeling activities were exhibited in each teacher's rehearsals? 2. When viewing a 45-minute composite tape of each teacher's instructional activities representative of all rehearsals, what instructional behaviors did each choral director recognize and identify as modeling? 3. What instructional episodes on the composite tape not identified by the teachers contained elements of modeling? 4. What other episodes from the remainder of each choral director's rehearsal practice contributed to an understanding of modeling? Videotapes of three high school choral directors were recorded over the course of one semester. Excerpts from rehearsals were combined to form a 45-minute composite tape of each choral director. A text transcription was made of the composite tape. Participant directors viewed their tape and identified instructional episodes that they recognized as examples of modeling. Identifications were analyzed, and descriptive categories of modeling behaviors were established. Modeling was found to be a teacher generated or delegated act of demonstration. Demonstrations were musical or non-musical and belonging to either of three distinct categories: audible, visible, or process modeling. Subdivisions of each category were found further describing modeling in the high school choral rehearsal. In addition, types of modeling were noted in increasing cognitive complexity required on the part of students beginning with simple imitation and concluding with models as tools for musical problem solving. Research is recommended on a larger sample of participants, including junior high/middle school directors to confirm categories and levels and to develop an observation tool based on results for describing, assessing, and modifying instructional techniques of practicing and pre-service music educators.