Doctor of Philosophy / Department of Music / Frederick Burrack / The purpose of this study examined high school band directors and college music educators’ attitudes in regard to implementing curricula requirements for music teacher training programs in jazz education, as well as personal and professional characteristics to current and past jazz cultures in music education. In addition, high school band directors and college music educators were also asked to evaluate specific teaching skills and competencies necessary for preparing music education students to teach jazz as an essential part of their teaching responsibilities in Kansas’ schools. Primary participants in this study included high school band directors (N=175) randomly selected from each of the six districts based upon geographical location in Kansas: (1) Northeast, (2) North-central, (3) Northwest, (4) Southeast, (5) Southcentral, and (6) Southwest, and college music educators (N=50) from eight Kansas institutions that were members of the National Association of Schools of Music (NASM), and offer degrees in music education. The survey in this study used modified questions and statements that focused on teaching instead of performance as highlighted in an existing research instrument by Walter Barr (1974), “The Jazz Studies Curriculum.” Data compared between both studies revealed similar findings. A descriptive method of research was used and designed to provide structured responses. The survey was divided into five sections, included frequencies, rating scales, mean scores, yes-no questions and 3-point Likert type questions. Data collected from this study described the following: background characteristics, teaching skills and experiences, competencies for music education majors, and jazz education as it relates to teacher preparation in Kansas. Results from this study indicated that high school band directors and college music educators agreed that the current music education programs in Kansas were not preparing music education majors to teach jazz in the public schools. Respondents were asked to provide opinions related to jazz and jazz course requirements for music education majors graduating and applying for teacher certification. Respondents were also asked to provide statistical information regarding the prioritization of courses in jazz pedagogy, jazz ensemble, jazz history, jazz theory, jazz keyboard and jazz improvisation with regards to essential skills and competencies needed for public school teaching. Tables were utilized to show statistical data and comparisons. Implications from this study included the need for more teacher preparation in jazz education.

Doctor of Philosophy / Curriculum and Instruction Programs / Frederick Burrack / The purpose of this study was to discover the reasons that led high-achieving high school orchestra musicians to discontinue formal participation in collegiate orchestra class. Using narrative analysis, the researcher examined the intrinsic and extrinsic factors that influenced the student’s decision to not participate in orchestra. The researcher also sought to understand if and how these former high school musicians continued to make music on their own. Three current university students and their high school orchestra teachers were purposefully selected for the study. Data were collected through email queries, surveys, and personal interviews. Upon completion of the interview, the researcher summarized each interview into a narrative and shared it with the participant via email for member checking. Each participant was asked to provide feedback for the narrative and return it to the researcher. The researcher used Riessman’s (2008) adaptation of William Labov’s structural coding to analyze the data. Using Robichaux’s (2003) expansion of Labov’s coding, the researcher was able to establish a structural analysis of the narrative that reinforced the thematic analysis. The researcher coded each participant’s narrative along with that of his or her high school orchestra teacher. Coding was supported by NVivo software. Fact-checking of responses from the initial survey along with answers from the participants’ narrative and that of their high school director’s narrative allowed for a more robust and reliable narrative analysis. Definitive answers were not be sought or expected, but rather the collection of data led to a greater understanding and illustration of why the research participants chose to end their participation in orchestra rehearsals on the collegiate level. The participants offered diverse reasons for why they chose not to continue participating in college on the university level. Their reasons are described within six categories of intrinsic and extrinsic factors: (a) persistence; (b) self-concept of musical ability; (c) motivation for music; (d) parental musicianship and support; (e) director influence; and (f) socioeconomic status. Each participant could not name a single, defining factor that led him or her to discontinue participation in orchestra as each of the identified factors weighed differently for each person.

Master of Music / Department of Music / Frederick Burrack / This report gives a detailed description and analysis of two method books used for beginning orchestra classes; Essential Elements for Strings by Michael Allen, Robert Gillespie, and Pamela Tellejohn Hayes, and Strings Basics by Terry Shade and Jeremy Woolstenhulme. Olathe School District #233 in Olathe, Kansas is doing research to decide whether to continue using their current method book, Essential Elements, or switching to a different method book, String Basics, for the 2014-2015 school year. Book 1 from each series is analyzed by looking at the order of concepts taught, how the concepts are introduced, how the book is laid out, illustrations, accompaniment CDs, the teacher’s manual, and additional resources offered by the publishers. The books are then compared and critiqued before a personal recommendation is given on which book would be more beneficial to the students of Olathe.

Master of Music / Department of Music / Frank Tracz / This document was submitted to the Graduate School of Kansas State University as a partial requirement for the Master's in Music degree. It contains theoretical, historical, and rehearsal analyses for Sonata No. 13 by Giovanni Gabrieli as arranged for brass octet by Glenn Smith, movements II. Andante and III. Minuet & Trio from Serenade No. 12 in c minor by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart as edited by Frederick Fennell, and Prelude, Siciliano and Rondo by Sir Malcolm Arnold as arranged for full symphonic band by John P. Paynter. Prelude, Siciliano and Rondo was performed by the Kansas State University Wind Ensemble on February 15, 2012 in McCain Auditorium on the Kansas State University campus. Sonata No. 13 was performed by members of the Kansas State University Brass Ensemble on April 18th, 2012 in McCain Auditorium. There was no formal performance or rehearsal for Serenade No. 12 in c minor. The analytical methods employed in this report include the Unit Study approach used in the Teaching Music Through Performance in Band book series and the Tracz method of macro-micro-macro graphical score analysis.

Master of Music / School of Music, Theatre, and Dance / Frank Tracz / The following report is an in depth research and analysis project based on the graduation requirement for a Masters in Music degree from Kansas State University. The product of this project was a performance at the Iowa Jazz Championships by the Xavier High School Jazz Band One (Cedar Rapids, IA), Kelli L. Swehla, director. This performance was held on March 31, 2015, at the Community Choice Credit Union Convention Center (part of the Iowa Events Center), in Des Moines, IA. The repertoire included Hay Burner by Sammy Nestico, A Child Is Born by Thad Jones, The Next Chapter by Patty Darling and Uchibeng Wow-Wow by Michael Philip Mossman. The theoretical, historical and technical analyses of this process were collected using the Unit of the Teacher Resource Guide, developed by Richard Miles and the Macro, Micro, Macro score analysis form developed by Dr. Frank Tracz. This report also includes documentation of the planning and evaluation of each rehearsal.

Master of Music / Department of Music / Julie Yu-Oppenheim / Teaching a large performing ensemble class, such as choir, can make it difficult to keep a record of each student’s individual progress. This report will discuss my philosophy of music education along with ways to incorporate technology into student assessment. Technology can most benefit the educational process when it is easy and efficient. Through personal experience, incorporating technology into student assessment can be done in the four different methods explored in this report. These four methods are: integrating practice file submissions through a virtual interface; using Google Docs Surveys for self-reflection; incorporating audio or video recording students for sight-reading tests; and using YouTube for students to post videos for final projects. Each has the potential to both strengthen and organize the way student assessment is completed.

Master of Music / School of Music, Theatre, and Dance / Julie Yu / This document examines five choral octavos for a themed choral concert. The McPherson High School Concert Choir will present a themed choral concert, “War and Peace”, which includes these five octavos, on October 14, 2013 at 7:30pm. The selections reflect the program theme and include historical and theoretical analysis. Along with the analysis, this document also contains rehearsal plans and examines common practices of selecting and preparing literature for a themed choral concert. The choral octavos examined are: The Sword of Bunker Hill arranged by Matthew Armstrong, Lift Up Your Heads arranged by Hal H. Hopson, Down By The Riverside arranged by Rosephanye Powell, Tell My Father arranged by Andrea Ramsey, and Joshua Fit The Battle of Jericho arranged by Mark Hayes.

Master of Music / School of Music, Theatre, and Dance / Virginia Houser / This Lecture Recital, given in lieu of a Master’s Report, was on the use of improvisation as a teaching aid in the private piano lesson. The lecture and supplemental handout included an historical overview of the role of improvisation, research on its educational benefits in regards to student learning, and a review and demonstration of current piano method books designed to teach the concept of improvisation. A bibliography of sources used in the presentation, as well as reviewed articles, books, and websites were included in the handout. The piano method books reviewed are Scott McBride Smith’s American Popular Piano, and Pattern Play, by Forrest Kinney. This graduate lecture recital was given in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Master of Music degree in piano pedagogy on February 25, 2015 in Kirmser Hall at Kansas State University. It featured demonstrations with the aid of Leah Harmon on piano.

Master of Music / Department of Music / Kurt Gartner / This is a report for anyone playing or teaching any one of the following pieces: Concerto for Vibraphone and Orchestra by Ney Rosauro, Surface Tension by Dave Hollinden, Urban Sketches for Percussion Trio by Lon W. Chaffin, Take Five by Paul Desmond, or DT Supreme by Austin Barnes. The repertoire is analyzed by the method given in Jan Larue’s book Guidelines for Style and Analysis. The report includes interpretive decisions, technical considerations, harmonic analysis, and form.

Master of Music / School of Music, Theater, and Dance / Julie Yu-Oppenheim / This report is for the beginning choral music educator or music education student who seeks guidance when selecting repertoire for their advanced elementary or beginning middle school choir. I attended the 2011 Kansas Choral Directors Association conference. Conferences such as these are great resources for the novice choral educator and even the veteran teacher. Choral reading sessions are excellent ways to find new and quality repertoire, because the directors that select the music spend a good amount of time researching and selecting songs. In determining what factors directors use to choose repertoire for their choirs, a survey was developed and administered to forty Kansas music educators at one of the reading sessions which asked the following three questions: 1) What is the likelihood that you would use this song in a concert or program? The next two are questions in which I asked (these two were based on a ‘disagree or agree’ scale): ‘This song has good educational value for the students’ and ‘I can teach many elements of music within this song.’ Evidence is shown from other master educators of various levels that choosing appropriate, worthy, and challenging repertoire is crucial to the success of the choral program.