Much scientific research has been conducted to examine the effects of music on the brain and abilities of people. The results have shown a positive correlation between music used in various ways and the abilities and skills of people, especially children. However, the use of music in the general intermediate classroom is lacking. After reviewing scientific research to provide a foundation for the study and synthesizing the five Music Integration Practices, two teachers were interviewed and observed on their use of music in their general intermediate classrooms. The interviews, observation checklists, and anecdotal notes taken by the researcher provide music activities and rationales for the use of music in the classroom, as explained by the participating teachers.

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This study was concerned with the effectiveness of Nordoff-Robbins Music Therapy (NRMT) carried out within a Developmental, Individual-Difference, Relationship-based (DIR®)/Floortime Framework in addressing the individual needs of children with autism. In NRMT, the child is an active participant in the music making process, playing various instruments that require no formal training. The therapist's task is to improvise music built around the child's musical responses, reactions, responses, and/or movements to engage him or her in a musical experience that will facilitate musical relatedness, communication, socialization, and awareness. The DIR® model provides a comprehensive framework for assessing, understanding, and treating the child. It centers on helping the child master the building blocks of relating, communicating, and thinking through the formulation of relationships via interactive play, using Floortime (a systematic way of working with the children to help them reach their developmental potential). This study sought to determine the effectiveness of NRMT in meeting musical goals specifically established for each individual child, and to conclude if progress in musical goals paralleled progress in non-musical (DIR®) goals. / Music Therapy

The purpose of this research was to explore how music student teachers make sense of classroom events during the student teaching internship using a required Video Reflection Assignment. Three questions guided this study: 1) How did student teachers use aspects of three-dimensional narrative space (temporality, sociality, and space) to story classroom events? 2) What aspects of Reflective Practice did student teachers illustrate in their Video Reflection Assignments? 3) How did student teachers reveal their identities as musicians and teachers through their reflections? Data were Video Reflection Worksheets (VRW), video-recorded teaching episodes (videos), and participant questionnaires. Analysis combined narrative, case study, and grounded theory techniques. Participants' answers on VRWs revealed aspects of their musician and teacher identities, dilemmas of practice caused by classroom events and conflicting stories with cooperating teachers, and provided insight into the ways participants either rationalized or reflected on classroom events. Results of the study contribute to the profession's understanding of the interplay of musician and teacher identities, and point to the importance of attending to narratives of identity revealed in student teachers' reflections through language use, as well as the alignment of student teachers' and cooperating teachers' storied identities when assigning internship placements. Additionally, results raise important questions concerning student teachers' abilities to use reflective assignments like the one in this study to self-reflect, and point to the usefulness of three-dimensional narrative space and MacKinnon's clues to detecting reflective activity for reframing teacher-educator's evaluations of student teachers' reflections. / Music Education

Acoustic Voice Placement has been in use in the United States choral ensembles since the mid-twentieth century, yet research on the topic is limited. Beyond the techniques of Weston Noble (1922-2016), who championed the practice in the United States from 1948 until his death in 2016, there is little known about methods of Acoustic Voice Placement. The purpose of this research is not only to deepen the information available for the reader, but to create a pathway for future research and debate which expands the knowledge about and the practices within the field of Acoustic Voice Placement. Drawn from multiple source types, an empirical analysis of the approaches, methods, and techniques of Acoustic Voice Placement used by three prominent North American choral conductors was conducted. The methods of Weston Noble, James Bass, and Joe Miller were observed and analyzed intent on capturing exemplary practices and detailed methodologies. When compared to Weston Noble's foundational techniques, modern Acoustic Voice Placement techniques showed both convergent and divergent trends.

This dissertation examines the skill of adaptable playing essential for collaborative pianists by looking closely at the sonata's many challenges for ensemble playing, using musical examples from the sonata to study balance between instruments, tone and articulation, choice of voicing, and use of pedal to ensure a successful performance.

The purpose of this research is to explore the benefits of chant music and its pedagogical applications for the individual trombonist or ensemble member. Several common method books are examined and categorized as either musical exercise or lyrical etude. Through this analysis I highlight a gap between the two method types that can be bridged through practice of chant. I support this claim through an analysis of chant characteristics that make it an ideal candidate to encourage pure sound production and connection in a performable work. Practice of chant in trombone chamber or choir ensembles will also encourage the development of skills necessary to play as a member of a group. I propose regular practice of this music will aid the ensemble in blend and balance, intonation, articulation, and slide coordination. The final chapter of the research provides the reader with a brief summary of the works refenced to promote further study as one chooses.

The purpose of this study was to examine if the implementation of a technology-based music class in public high schools in the northeastern United States had any significant impact on the overall music department enrollment and on enrollment in traditional performance ensemble courses, such as band and chorus, as they are the courses most offered in high schools in the United States. The two phases of the study included identifying eligible schools and collecting data from schools. A six-year history of music department and school enrollment data was collected from participating schools (n = 12). Individual music classes in each school were categorized as Band, Chorus, Orchestra, Technology-based, or Other Music Classes. Results found a statistically significant increase in overall Music Department enrollment and no statistically significant change in enrollment in Band or Chorus after the implementation of a technology-based music class. Reductions in enrollment did occur in Other Music classes. No significant change to the number of teachers in music departments was found. This study suggests that implementing a technology-based music classes may help increase overall music department enrollment without negatively impacting enrollment in traditional performance ensembles and may not necessitate funding for additional faculty.