The figure of the last Viennese classic is associated most of all—and not without reason—with instrumental music.

The purpose of this study is to create a curriculum for beginning instrumentalists who have no background in music and are young students not yet capable of deciphering highly technical and academic sentences, phrases, and terms. This method is designed to give the student a foundation in theory without taking undue time from the instrumental phase of the curriculum and at the same time to increase the tempo of training in both phases.

The purpose of this study was to determine the differences in growth on the reading and mathematics FCAT 2.0 across varying levels of instrumental music participation by both low- and high-socioeconomic status (SES) middle school students, and to determine whether or not there is a relationship between instrumental music participation and socioeconomic status. The differences between instrumental music participation groups were not found to be statistically significant for both the reading and mathematics FCAT 2.0 growth by high-SES status students, and for reading FCAT 2.0 growth by low-SES status students. The differences between groups were found to be significant for mathematics FCAT 2.0 growth by low-SES students, but a Tukey HSD post-hoc test found no significant differences between the individual groups. The study also found that high-SES students had a higher rate of instrumental music participation in sixth grade, and a lower attrition rate between sixth and seventh grade than the low-SES students.

Students with disabilities represent a group of the population subject to “othering” (Kalymon et al., 2010); that is, being set apart from neurotypical students because of their disabilities. Within the realm of instrumental music, this treatment has followed the pattern of prejudice noted by Allport (1954). Band directors have resisted inclusion (Haywood, 2006; Hourigan, 2007a; McKee, 2011) and used tactics designed to discourage students with disabilities from continuing in band programs (Hammel & Hourigan, 2017). Lack of preparation to teach students with disabilities in a musical setting has been noted in the research as one factor inhibiting inclusion (Heller, 1994; Linsenmeier, 2004; McCord & Watts, 2010; VanWeelden & Whipple, 2014b). Viewed through the lens of Allport’s (1954) work on prejudice, though, the patterns of inconsistent inclusion in the music room may be explained by a subconscious mentality in which the instructor is “othering” a student with special needs, rendering them less teachable than students who present as typical musicians. Allport’s contact theory is used to provide a deeper understanding of the possible reasons behind these educational inequalities. This study used the Attitudes Towards Intellectual Disabilities (Morin et al., 2019a) protocol to assess the attitudes of Texan band directors (N = 49) towards people with intellectual disabilities. Allport’s (1954) contact theory was then used as a lens to investigate the formation of these attitudes. In open-ended interviews, six band directors shared their stories about their teaching, their preparation, and the people in their lives who shaped their attitudes about people with intellectual disabilities. Contact with people with intellectual disabilities was noted as a factor in the formation of their attitudes towards their own students with disabilities. These music educators discussed creating inclusive environments and fostering equity among all students in their programs. Four university professors shared their own stories, and how they have built programs to not only prepare future music educators, but to provide them the opportunity to experience contact with students with disabilities before graduation. Looking to close the gaps in education noted in the research, these professors have sought to change the nature of music education by changing the perception of who can learn music. Incorporating direct instruction and meaningful contact with students with disabilities, these professors have found success in increasing a positive attitude towards people with intellectual disabilities in their graduating students.

Dans ce mémoire, j'ai étudié les techniques de composition et d'orchestration à la disposition d'un compositeur pour écrire des pièces ou des sections d'une grande rapidité. Les techniques abordées sont adjointes d'exemples venant du répertoire classique, contemporain et de mes propres compositions. À travers ces exemples, l'objectif est de gagner une meilleure compréhension de ce qui constitue l'impression de vitesse dans la musique instrumentale. / In this thesis, I explore many of the techniques of composition and orchestration a composer can use to write a piece or a section with a great sense of speed. The techniques are illustrated by examples from the classical and contemporary repertory but also from my own compositions. By analyzing theses examples, the objective is to gain a better understanding of what can contribute to the sense of speed in instrumental music.

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The purpose of this research was to examine the potential relationship between students’ degree of familiarity with repertoire common to beginning band method books and aural-based music achievement after one year of study. Three research questions guided this study: (1) Which songs from the Familiar Repertoire Survey (FRS) are reported as being the most and least familiar to the sample? (2) For a familiar song, “Lightly Row,” can FRS scores predict (a) Familiar Music Achievement Singing Test (FMAST) scores, (b) Familiar Music Achievement Playing Test (FMAPT) scores, (c) Familiar Music Achievement Improvisation Singing Test (FMAIST) scores, and (d) Familiar Music Achievement Improvisation Playing Test (FMAIPT) scores? (3) For an unfamiliar song, “Finish Line,” can FRS scores predict (a) Unfamiliar Music Achievement Singing Test (UMAST) scores, (b) Unfamiliar Music Achievement Playing Test (UMAPT) scores, (c) Unfamiliar Music Achievement Improvisation Singing Test (UMAIST) scores, and (d) Unfamiliar Music Achievement Improvisation Playing Test (UMAIPT) scores? Participants (N = 17) were fifth and sixth grade students enrolled in their second year of beginning band in a New Jersey elementary school. I created two measurement instruments: FRS, designed to gauge the breadth and depth of students’ familiarity with songs common to beginning band method books, and the Music Achievement Test (MAT) designed to measure aural-based music achievement in singing, playing by ear, and improvising on a familiar and unfamiliar song. In the first session, participants completed FRS by listening to songs common to beginning band books and completing a Likert-type survey on their familiarity with each song. Later, participants watched MAT through an interactive video which prompted them to complete eight musical subtests. I recorded all performances. Judges rated each performance with two rating scales. I analyzed the frequency of responses for each song and found “Hot Cross Buns,” “Jingle Bells,” “Pierrot,” “Lightly Row,” and “London Bridge” to be the most familiar songs. Through linear regressions, I analyzed the ability of FRS to predict MAT scores. I found a significant regression equation between FRS and its ability to predict FMAST scores and UMAIST scores. The current exploratory study contained many limitations which restricts its generalizability to other beginning band populations; however, six conclusions can be made. Familiarity with common beginning band repertoire as represented by a selection of 24 songs common to beginning band method books does not predict students’ achievement (a) singing an unfamiliar song, (b) demonstrating through singing improvisation based on a familiar song, (c) playing by ear a familiar or unfamiliar song, and (d) improvising on an instrument, whether improvising within the context of a familiar or unfamiliar song. Familiarity with common beginning band repertoire does predict students’ achievement (a) singing a familiar song and (b) demonstrating through singing improvisation based on an unfamiliar song. / Music Education / Accompanied by one .mp3 file and one .xlsx file (Microsoft Excel 2007).

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For several decades since the rise of extensive instrumental music instruction, various music periodicals have devoted a certain amount of space to printing comments, suggestions, and other pedagogical material to aid the student in playing a particular instrument. The writer, in his belief in the value of this material, has chosen to make a survey of various periodicals and to catalog certain items as a reference guide to the location of significant articles.