The purpose of this study was to describe 11th- and 12th-grade high school string orchestra students in Texas public schools in terms of their decision to enter the field of string orchestra teaching as a possible career choice or to pursue another field of study. Convenience sampling techniques were used to secure a study population of 1,683 high school string orchestra students. The Junior and Senior High School String Orchestra Student Survey (researcher designed) was used to gather demographic characteristics, students' perceptions on selected intrinsic/extrinsic work values, tangible elements of teaching, intrinsic characteristics of string orchestra teaching, and individuals assisting in students' career choices. Selected elements of teaching cited by students for their lack of interest in string orchestra teaching were also reviewed. Analysis procedures for descriptive statistics included measures of central tendency, crosstabulation, frequencies and percentages. Consistent with prior research, it was found that a larger number of female students over male students were interested in string orchestra teaching. Students interested in fields outside of string orchestra teaching reported higher class grades, more honors and advanced classes and higher SAT/ACT mean scores. Students interested in string orchestra teaching reported a higher percentage of brothers/sisters, mothers and fathers who played instruments and relatives who were teachers. These students also reported a greater importance of a career that was self-rewarding, that would be directly helpful to society and where they could help contribute to the welfare of society. Students interested in string orchestra teaching expressed the great importance of their deep devotion to music and their desire to be a positive role model for children. Students interested in string orchestra teaching reported the great importance of their high school orchestra director as one of the individuals assisting them in their career decisions. Also consistent with prior research, the number one cited reason for a lack of interest in string orchestra teaching was found to be that teacher's salaries were perceived as too low. Examinations of ethnic group differences relative to the characteristics under investigation were also explored.

This study compared a task analytic versus a traditional approach to teaching a musical instrument to emotionally disturbed children. Students' musical performance and attitude toward the instruction were compared between conditions. Six severely emotionally disturbed boys, 8-11 years of age, participated in the study. Each student learned to play a one, two, and three chord song accompaniment on an omnichord under the two experimental conditions. At the end of each condition and two weeks following the termination of the study, each student was asked to perform the three-chord songs. Their performances were videotaped for future analyses by two independent observers. In addition to the performance ratings, the students completed a questionnaire concerning their attitudes toward the instruction. This questionnaire also served as a dependent measure. No statistically significant differences were found among the performance ratings and student attitudes between conditions. Implications for music therapy practice and future research are given.

It was the purpose of this study (1) to present the proposed plans for the music building at the Amos Alonzo Stagg High School, and (2) to show the growth in school population and interest in music which guided the planning of new music buildings over the past ten years (1945-1955) in Stockton that led up to the plans for this school’s music wing.

Choral ensembles often operate as hierarchical institutions where the conductor maintains a position of control over the musical, educational, and social aspects of singing with little or no input from singers. This dissertation reconceptualizes the choral experience as a dialogical process where conventional boundaries between conductor and singers blur. This study was conducted online with a vocal ensemble of ten experienced adult avocational singers and asks how a collaborative spirit may transform the ensemble, individual singers, and the conductor. Using a critical participatory action research approach, we engaged in dialogue and group problem solving as we created collective and individual musical projects over the course of ten rehearsals. The research design emphasized collective reflection and democratic decision making. This research journey is presented through a collection of multimodal data fragments such as musical recordings, practitioner reflections and collated singer reflections, rehearsal transcriptions and narratives, photographs, and poetry. Informed by decolonizing and post-qualitative methodologies, this dissertation highlights the ethical dilemmas, rewards, and uncertainties of both collaborative research and learner-centered approaches to education. In investigating how singers might increase their influence within the ensemble setting, we discovered that singers talking back to the conductor set in motion conditions for a choral paradigm that I describe as back talk choral pedagogy. This pedagogical orientation draws on critical and relational perspectives and is characterized by four interconnected commitments: (a) relational accountability; (b) mutual recognition of knowledge; (c) cultivation of a public square; and (d) responsiveness to input. Singer back talk manifested itself in myriad ways, including the reporting of information or observations, sharing opinions and suggestions, directly contesting the conductor, storytelling, and silence. Singer back talk produced noticeable fruits—a culture of shared vulnerability and trust, unique singer contributions, role fluidity between conductor and singers, and choral communion—which positively impacted the learning environment. This inquiry suggests that by centering relational and ethical aspects of musical collaboration, back talk choral pedagogy has the potential to build flourishing, dynamic musical spaces, increase singer ownership, and challenge conductors to expand their teaching practice.

Literature on stereotypes and implications of stereotype threat has grown considerably over the past decade. While numerous studies examine college major biases, they predominantly focus on STEM and business students. For Music Majors (MMs), some of the conventional musician stereotypes include susceptibility to heavy drinking, drug use, and their nonpecuniary advantages as artists. In this study, Q methodology, which incorporates a combination of quantitative and qualitative properties, was used to identify Non-Music Majors’ (NMMs) shared subjectivity among their opinions of MMs. The primary research questions were as follows: (a) What current stereotypes do Non-Music Majors hold regarding the Music Majors? (b) Which themes emerge based on Non-Music Majors’ detailed descriptions of Music Majors? The researcher additionally sought to explore the impetus behind dominant musician stereotypes, including their portrayals as perpetual starving artists, overly emotional, prone to heavy drinking and drug use, and financially irresponsible. The study had two main objectives: (a) to identify NMMs’ current stereotypes of MMs; and (b) to explore ways in which NMMs and MMs can implement a more close-knit alliance and cross-disciplinary partnerships and collaborations in college settings. The study was conducted in Spring 2023 with 30 NMMs from a large U.S. graduate school of education. The participants comprised only graduate-level students who had formally declared one primary major and participated remotely using an online Q Method Software. The study findings, which utilized Q analyses, thematic analyses of post-Q-sort surveys and interviews, provided a nuanced yet wide-ranging validation of the cross-disciplinary biases in college settings. The research revealed that NMMs viewed MMs as being born with innate talent/gift, who were eclectic, disciplined, and coming from high-income backgrounds. NMMs also perceived MMs as being perfectionists with many hobbies outside of music, who were endlessly curious but more prone to recreational drug use compared to NMMs. All participants shared that musician stereotypes, whether positive or negative, were pervasive in college settings. Stereotypes are universal: however, discussions of lesser-known stereotypes, such as college major biases, are seldom considered. Q methodology, in this respect, facilitates a comprehensive understanding of the diverse perspectives within a social group. When combined with post-Q-sort surveys and interviews, Q can be a powerful tool to help elucidate subjective perspectives—for educators and students alike—in dynamic and evolving educational contexts. The researcher hopes this study will encourage others to explore, analyze, and optimize the use of Q in the field of music and music education.

The purpose of this study was to survey and evaluate the music programs in Seventh-day Adventist academies in the United States during the 19 75-76 school year. Data were collected by means of a survey form sent to all principals and music teachers in the eighty schools and a music achievement test administered to graduating seniors in twenty-eight randomly selected academies. Although most departments judged the music facilities to be adequate, library materials such as scores, filmstrips, and in-service resources were needed in the majority of schools. One-half of the music programs did not have listening facilities available for classroom use. Comparing achievement test results for graduating seniors in Adventist schools with those of the standardization sample revealed no significant differences. The null hypothesis was rejected, however, when comparing size of school, location of school, type of school (boarding or day), sex of the student, and amount of piano and instrumental experience.

his case study seeks to understand how the college experiences of successful professional musicians can be mapped onto their eventual professional success. Three highly accomplished professional musicians were interviewed about their college experience and musical careers. It was found that participants were highly motivated and had college experiences including collaborative learning, experiential learning, and needs-focused instruction. These conditions all resemble a student-centered learning experience that might be used as a model for effective pedagogical practice. Implications for practice and recommendations for future research are offered.

No description available.

This multiple-bounded case study explored charter-school music teacher practitioners’(MTPs’) and instructional leaders’ (ILs’) perceptions of professional development (PD) in four charter management organizations (CMOs). The purpose was to provide a rich description of these practitioners’ professional development, with the goal of spurring policy conversations and further research on music teachers and their experiences in the charter domain. Over two months in the fall of 2023, the researcher conducted one-on-one interviews with eight participants, which focused on ways of making change, methods of delivery, beneficial components of the methods of supporting music literacy, and forms of PD assessment from the perspectives of MTPs and ILs. In addition to holding two focus groups (one with each case), the researcher conducted four classroom and debrief observations. The interviews and observations were analyzed using the participants’ words as first-cycle analysis themes; these were then filtered through the study’s conceptual framework of Desimone’s (2009) core elements of effective professional development: content focus, active learning, coherence, sustained duration, and collective participation. The findings illustrate the participants’ experience with the professional development phenomenon through a series of main themes: instruction is classroom management, except PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT IN CHARTER SCHOOLS when it is not, (b) the many moods of instructional coaching and workshops, (c) content expertise via cycles of inquiry, and (d) reflection is essential. Implications include framing future empirical research in this usually guarded sector as a partnership to identify best and emergent practices for practitioners that directly affect students and families. Framing research in this manner may resonate with charter management organizations that adhere to more formative professional development practices. Additionally, cycles of inquiry in which self-reflection can occur may be a way forward for myriad non-content-expert instructional leaders who support the professional development of music teacher practitioners in charter schools or traditional public schools. Further suggestions for future practice include hosting charter-specific sessions at music education conferences, which could be framed as dialogic sessions to foster collegial inquiry concerning practices at both charter and public schools. Because CMOs’ system structures are different, practitioners there experience some aspects of teaching and professional development differently than their traditional public counterparts. Offering sessions specifically tailored to charter practitioners’ needs could help ensure that their needs, as well as those of the ILs that support them, are met. Keywords: Professional Development, Charter Schools, In-Service Music Teacher Practitioners, Instructional Leaders, Instructional Coaching, Mentors, Workshops.

This trans-disciplinary and [trans-modal] dissertation practices the work of inclusive design that students of music (do or do not) encounter as part of their music education. Using inclusive design practices focused on the domains of the written word, the auditory-aural artifact, and the artistic-visual artifact, this work reflects upon three schools of pedagogy and philosophy within the broader academy, primarily not found in the musical academy. The schools of humanism, liberation, and transformation are considered as objects-subjects of reflection utilizing four authors (James Cone, Paolo Freire, Jack Mezirow, and Bertrand Russell); this work is rooted in the practice of critical reflection as understood through the lens of the author Stephen Brookfield. The authors’ assets were collected through analog and digital booksellers and analog and digital library available databases; the author consumed accessibility and accommodative digital programs to aid the researcher. Three themes emerged as follows: one, humanity has largely been excluded from the study of music education, resulting in an intensely human invention often resulting in inhumane practices and theories; two, transformation is a fundamental component of musical education, in that it studies humans transforming both words and music, as well as subsequent performances being transformations of what was to what can be (again); and, three, liberation is the implicit goal at the center of musical education, in that being a music educator is an attempt to liberate the musicianship innate to the human existence from the oppression the body has consumed. Each of these themes written as separate chapters closes with a pedagogy-philosophy of the chapter’s theme. The dissertation concludes with a reflection on music education in light of the pedagogies and philosophies examined. Keywords: Music, ethnography, reflection, philosophy, pedagogy, Humanity, liberation, transformation