The purpose of this study was to determine the status of band programs in the public secondary schools of New Jersey. Answers were sought to the following questions: (1) what was the background of directors; (2) how were the programs organized; (3) what were the nature and extent of performance and rehearsal practices; (4) what type of facilities, budgets, and equipment were available; (5) what did directors believe to be the strengths and weaknesses of band programs; and (6) what were the perceptions of selected superintendents concerning band programs? Information was obtained from band directors through a questionnaire which was sent to every public high school in New Jersey. Another questionnaire was sent to a random selection of superintendents. Data, as received from 60.2 percent of the directors and 72 percent of the superintendents were tabulated, categories were formulated, and tables were prepared to present the data in terms of numbers and/or percentages. 1. Generally, the band directors of New Jersey high schools are experienced and dedicated professionals who seek to improve their teaching skills and philosophies. 2. Students have the opportunity to participate in a wide variety of ensemble offerings. 3. Most ensembles have adequate rehearsal time, although some marching bands seemingly utilize excessive amounts of the student's time for rehearsal and performance. 4. Instrumental lessons are available in 83.9 percent of the schools. 5. Band programs in the high schools possess some of the basic organizational aspects that are believed to be necessary for musical learning to occur. 6. Most band organizations seemingly do not over-perform. 7. Directors and superintendents believe that the emphasis being placed on performance skill, aesthetic/ artistic understanding, and social/personal development is proper. 8. Band directors and superintendents believe there is a need to re-evaluate the functions of band performance for the future. 9. Facilities, equipment, and supplies are seemingly adequate in most schools. 10. Dedication of directors and variety of programs are strengths of New Jersey's band programs. 11. The weaknesses of New Jersey high school band programs appear to be an increased emphasis placed on marching band, competition, and exploitation of band organizations by internal and external forces. This limits musical understanding.

Music education is an important element in the development of the whole child. The school is a place where children learn about and are directly influenced by things that make a lasting impression on their development. What better place for music to be taught? Music is a course of study that can have a direct influence on a child's lifetime tastes and values for the arts. / This study investigates the effects of an Alternative Instrumental Music Program on grade three children, at an elementary school situated on the West Island of Montreal, Quebec. One of the two classes involved in the Study (Experimental Group) participated in an alternative instrumental music program and its applications; the other class (Control Group) followed a traditional music program. Each class consisted of twenty-eight students. Quantitative and qualitative data were collected from both groups of students, homeroom teachers, and parents over a period of ten consecutive weeks. / The findings revealed that the children in the Experimental Group enjoyed learning music in school more than those in the Control Group. The Experimental Group also indicated a greater increase in the enjoyment of activities experienced during music class than those in the Control Group. Moreover, there was a higher increase of musical knowledge in the Experimental Group. / The author suggests that further research on the effects of alternative music programs on elementary school children would be beneficial to the educational community.

No description available.

From introduction: The decision to use the term "Wind Band" in connection with this work was made after much careful deliberation. The English word "Band" is derived from the French "bande" meaning a group of players. It was first applied in this context in England when the Twenty-four Violins at the Court of Charles II (in emulation of "Le Vingt-quatre Violons du Roi at the Court of Louis XIV of France) were known in England as "The King's Band "Band" is a title generally given at the present time to any of instrumentalists, and indeed, many of the World's most famous conductors have been known to refer to any large symphony orchestra as "The Band" and the dressing-room of every Symphony or Concert orchestra in the British Isles is invariably called "The Band-Room"

In hierdie tesis word 'n nuwe benadering tot klasmusiekonderwys in die R.S.A. bespreek. Die navorsing vervat in die tesis is vanaf 1984 tot 1992 gedoen. In 'n sekere sin verklaar die aanvangsdatum van die navorsing die feit dat die projek veral gerig is op die blanke onderwyssituasie aangesien die verskillende groepe se onderwysbelange volgens amptelike beleid grotendeels deur verskillende onderwysowerhede behartig is. Die blanke onderwysgerigtheid van die navorsingsontwerp ten spyt, is die uitgangspunte en die bevindings van die studie, veral ten opsigte van die rol en funksie van musiekopvoeding, sonder twyfel van toepassing op al die Suid-Afrikaanse gemeenskappe. In die opsig behoort die bevindings van die studie dus tot 'n groot mate ook die eise van musiekopvoeding veral vir 'n toekomsgerigte onderwys te kan ondervang juis omdat die vertrekpunt van die voorgestelde vemuwings en aanpassings in die musiekopvoeding die waardes en norme van gemeenskappe moet identiflseer en vertolk en terselfdertyd die beperkende effek daarvan moet teenwerk deur kulturele transenderings. Veral laasgenoemde is van groot belang in die multikulturele opset van die Suid-Afrikaanse gemeenskap waarin die musiekopvoeding juis 'n belangrike rol kan speel in die ontwikkeling van 'n onderlinge begrip en waardering tussen die verskillende kultuurgemeenskappe. In Afdeling A van die tesis word die huidige stand van klasmusiek bespreek en daar word op gewys dat, afgesien van 'n aantal sekondere faktore, die prirnere redes vir die nie-geslaagdheid van die vak, faktore soos die sillabusse, die opleiding van die onderwyser en die posisie van die vak in die kurrikulum is. Teenoor die huidige benadering van klasmusiek met al sy probleme word 'n ander benadering tot die onderwys in die a!gemeen en die klasmusiek in die besonder gestel, naamlik die interdissiplinere benadering met sy twee afdelings, naamlik die geesteswetenskappe en die kunstebenadering. Hierdie benaderings word bespreek soos wat dit in die V.SA. en Europa toegepas word, en daarna word 'n aangepaste benadering vir die R.S.A. ontwikkel ten opsigte van doelstellings,uitgangspunte, riglyne, metodiek en tegniek. In Afdeling B volg die empiriese navorsing wat ten opsigte van die interdissiplinere benadering in die R.S.A. gedoen is, en drie lesreekse, soos beplan vir Standerd 6 en 7; Standerd 8 en vir Standerd 9 en 10 word bespreek. As deel van elke lesreeks word die wordingstand van elke ouderdomsgroep bespreek en in gedagte gehou by die saamstel van hierdie lesreekse. Elke lesreeks bestaan uit 3-4 volledig uitgewerkte lesse wat insluit: hulpmiddels (kunsvoorbeelde, musiekvoorbeelde, gedigvoorbeelde ensomeer), beknopte aantekeninge vir die onderwyser, 'n bronnelys en 'n klankkasset met die nodige klankillustrasies soos waarna in die lesse verwys word. In Afdeling C word die resultate van 'n steekproef bespreek wat gedoen is in verskeie skole in die vier provinsies van die R.S.A. Met hierdie steekproef is beoog om die reaksies van leerlinge en onderwysers te toets ten opsigte van hierdie nuwe voorgestelde, en aangepaste interdissiplinêre benadering. Die lesreekse wat deel vorm van Afdeling B is as basis deur die onderwysers gebruik, maar hul was vry om eie idees te ontwikkel en te gebruik. Die reaksies van die leerlinge en die onderwysers word in die vorm van tabelle en besprekiogs aangedui, en aanbevelings van die leerlinge en die onderwysers word aangetoon. Die tesis word afgesluit met addendums tot die verskillende hoofstukke asook volledige bibliografiese besonderhede.

The focus of this study thus was to establish if the training of teachers at a particular teachers’ training college in Zimbabwe is equipping students as future teachers with the required competences to realise the aims and objectives of the Zimbabwe Primary Music Syllabus. This study follows on the above-mentioned initial small-scale investigation conducted in 2002, which revealed that teachers lacked the required competences to implement this particular syllabus effectively (Mufute, 2002:16).

This study examines the current curriculum for primary schools in South Africa – Curriculum 2005 (C2005) and the subsequent Revised National Curriculum Statement (RNCS), with Outcomes-Based Education (OBE) as its fundamental educational approach - with specific reference to the place of music education in it. While the underlying principles and scope of this curriculum has many positive attributes, numerous studies have shown that there are still major stumbling blocks in the way of its successful implementation. Since the emphasis of the Arts and Culture Learning Area is on the nurturing of generic values and attitudes towards culture, it does not provide for sufficient development of subject-specific musical skills and knowledge. Instead this vital form of musical learning continues to be provided in the form of extra-curricular music programmes by those few schools who have the staff expertise and the funding to do so. Music therefore remains accessible only to the privileged few. .Although C2005 encourages and requires significant levels of integration in Learning Outcomes and Assessment Standards within and across Learning Areas, this is currently one of the least successful aspects of its implementation. This lack of success, it is argued, is in part the result of severe limitations in the training of teachers and the availability of necessary resources in schools, and in part the result of the curriculum’s own limited interpretation of integration. Psychologist Dr Howard Gardner’s Theory of Multiple Intelligences is a holistic approach to education that stresses, amongst other things, that Musical Intelligence is one of eight vital forms of intelligence that should be accessible to all children. It is argued that educational approaches based on Gardner’s Multiple Intelligences Theory provide some insights into the integration of Musical Intelligence with other forms of learning that may usefully be applied in C2005.

Music’s significant contribution to the holistic development of the young learner is uncontested and confirmed by views of seminal scholars, such as Nzewi 2003, Reimer 2003, Nussbaum 2001, Elliot 1994 and Merriam 1964, amongst others. As such, music education supports basic values of self-growth, self-knowledge and enjoyment. This study argues for the vital importance of music education in Grade R in the South African schooling system where teachers can successfully implement the curriculum. In post-apartheid multicultural and multi-musical South Africa music education in Grade R is the sole responsibility of the generalist Grade R teacher. However, due to inadequate training and minimal, unproductive in-service initiatives, the vast majority of Reception Year teachers assumingly do not have the required competences to teach music in a way that maximally enhances the holistic development of their learners. Findings revealed that teachers exhibited limited, if any, musical knowledge and per se, they are insufficiently skilled in the effective delivery of the curriculum in terms of music. This study acknowledges the need to equip in-service Grade R teachers with the required competences to effectively implement the national school and teach music with confidence. The lack of successful and effective continuing professional teacher development initiatives from the Department of Education and Department of Basic Education to assist Grade R teachers in teaching music, was a serious concern to me. This concern reinforced the motivation to embark on this project. In this thesis, I report on an intervention strategy aimed at enabling three Grade R practitioners at one peri- urban township school in the Eastern Cape to improve their music education competencies. These three Coloured ladies only held a Certificate in Early Childhood Development, rating at an NQF level 4 and 5. None of these practitioners had any prior music experience in music training, music making or music teaching. I utilised a Participatory Action Learning and Action Research (PALAR). PALAR combines research with development and is thus highly suitable when addressing multifaceted problems in rapidly changing environments, such as South Africa. In my study, the participants were thus actively involved in identifying problems and creating solutions. A number of collaborative interactions and qualitative data generation strategies such as Focus Group Interviews, Observations, Drawing, Interviews, Narrative Inquiry, Case Study and Reflective Journals were implemented. Findings indicated that the practitioners experienced transformation on both a professional and personal level as they discovered and tapped into their own innate musical competences. This enabled them to explore ways to teach music that enhanced the holistic development of their learners, developing them physically, cognitively emotionally, socially, and musically. Learners likewise benefitted from the intervention as they experienced social cohesion in a multicultural classroom and gained the fruits of music’s remedial impact and therapeutic value in their lives.

As a member of the MEUSSA (Music Education Unit Standards for Southern Africa) research project, the author in this dissertation explored the Culture and Arts learning area in South Africa. It departs from the premise that Arts Education is essential for human development. The proposed Culture and Arts learning area is a programme where the Visual Arts, Dance, Drama and Music are integrated. A broad holistic approach that would provide a general background to the Arts to all learners in South Africa is envisaged. Current South African education stresses that learners should develop their creative and critical thinking powers and their problem-solving abilities. The adopted system of Outcomes-based education (OBE) and its application to the Culture and Arts learning area have the potential to facilitate these aims. The most relevant philosophical, psychological and didactic principles for heterogeneous South African education are those that encourage independent and creative thinking such as Metacognitive learning, the theory of Multiple Intelligences and theories on contextualised intelligence. The South African Qualifications Authority framework and the writing of unit standards for the Culture and Arts learning area are explored in Chapter 3. Unit standards for the Culture and Arts learning area (level 1) and for Music as an elective (levels 1-4) are the focus of respectively Chapters 4 and 5. The MEUSSA group adopted the MEUSSA model to map unit standards for Music as an elective. The author, however, extended the model to include the integrated Culture and Arts learning area. It is concluded that conceptualised and contextualised learning is essential for appreciation and understanding of the Arts. The MEUSSA. model provides structures for meaningful and synoptic learning for all learners in South Africa. / Dissertation (MMus (Music Education))--University of Pretoria, 2006. / Music / unrestricted

The subsequent study is an outgrowth of observations made during a year spent in secondary voice teaching on the college level. For the purpose of working toward a more effective and efficient secondary voice program, the following material is presented. The first part of the study is a critical analysis and comparison of six methods of voice teaching designed for, or adaptable to, class voice teaching. The second part of the study is a suggested plan for teaching secondary voice in classes, including an outline of material which could be used.