<p> Teachers represent a large portion of professional voice users in the United States and the development of poor vocal health has related to their work. Elementary music educators are expected to use their voices in both speech and song and are vocally active for much of their workday. This study investigates elementary music teachers&rsquo; conceptualization of their voices, what personal and professional value teachers place upon their voices, and how vocal health may affect, support, or detract from their careers. </p><p> In this multiple case study conducted with three participants, a questionnaire addressed background demographics for the teacher and information regarding the music program. An interview collected more in depth data on thoughts and perceptions of voice use. Teachers completed the Voice Handicap Index and Singing Voice Handicap Index and each teacher was observed for one full workday. </p><p> Vocal professionalism and caring for the voice&rsquo;s professional use vary in definition and importance from teacher to teacher. Participants seem more conscious of their physical health than other aspects of professional vocal demand. Participants described themselves as vocal professionals while also engaging in behaviors which did not consistently support sustainable vocal health or hygiene. While each teacher viewed their voice as a professional tool, none had received training in the care of their voices, in what to do if their voice was injured, or in how to use their voices safely while teaching. Each teacher reported mild to no voice handicap on both the Voice Handicap Index and the Singing Voice Handicap Index. This may reflect some degree of label avoidance. </p><p> Teachers at the elementary level of music come from diverse backgrounds and teach in widely varying circumstances. Teachers may hold some information on vocal health but may not have been trained in how to use the voice while teaching and may develop habitual practices which are not conducive to a career of healthy vocal production. Increased attention is indicated for the populations who professionally use their voices in both speech and song.</p><p>

<p> This treatise explores the historical background of instrumental educational outreach concerts, and provides an overview of current educational outreach programming. The closing section discusses educational outreach concerts presented by a solo violinist, and provides a blueprint for a teaching performance which explores the storytelling power of music. Newly commissioned works for solo violin are included which are especially suited for outreach performances for children.</p><p>

<p> The purpose of this study was to (a) examine influences on choral music adjudicators&rsquo; rating decisions of choral performance quality and (b) to see if differences existed among those influences by participants&rsquo; years of adjudication experience and academic training (degree focus). Part One of the study included eight randomly selected participants (<i>N </i> = 8), comprised of choral adjudication experts, to aid in the construction of the data collection instrument. Part Two of the study included a convenience sample (<i>N</i> = 71) comprised of choral music performance adjudicators within the southeastern United States.</p><p> For the primary purpose, the <i>Choral Adjudicator Preference Scale </i> (CAPS), a researcher-constructed data-gathering instrument, was developed to determine influences on choral adjudicators&rsquo; rating decisions of choral performance. A Cronbach&rsquo;s Coefficient Alpha measure of internal consistency was calculated to establish reliability of the CAPS data collection instrument. A coefficient of .934 was found for the CAPS, which indicated a high level of internal consistency. Validity for the data-gathering instrument was established through three sources, (a) an open-ended questionnaire sent to the eight choral adjudicators, (b) a thorough review of the related literature and (c) verification by choral activities chairpersons among the southeastern states. For research question one (What factors influence adjudicators&rsquo; decisions when adjudicating choirs?) a principal component analysis revealed 23 items that coalesced among four factors of influence: (a) the ensemble&rsquo;s performance, (b) visual aspects, (c) extra-musical aspects, and (d) the conductor&rsquo;s contributions. These four factors accounted for 61.49 percent of the total variance in participants&rsquo; responses.</p><p> For the secondary purpose, a two-way repeated measures analysis of variance was calculated to determine if differences existed among factors of influence by participants&rsquo; years of adjudication experience and academic training (degree focus). For research question two (Do differences exist among adjudicators&rsquo; influences on rating decisions by years of adjudication experience?) a significant main effect was found for the factors, <i>F</i> (3, 189) = 216.581, <i> p</i> = .000, &eta;² = .775; however, there was no main effect for years of adjudication experience, nor an interaction effect among the factors and years of adjudication experience. For research question three (Do differences exist among adjudicators&rsquo; influences on rating decisions by academic training?) a significant main effect was found for the factors, <i> F</i> (3, 201) = 195.326, <i>p</i> = .000, &eta;² = .745; however, there was no main effect for academic training, nor an interaction effect among the factors and academic training.</p><p> A discussion of the influences on choral adjudicators&rsquo; rating decisions was presented. Recommendations for future research were suggested regarding music performance adjudication, influences on rating decisions, and characteristics of evaluators.</p><p>

<p> The vocal jazz ensemble singing movement that began at Mt. Hood Community College (Gresham, Oregon) in 1967 reached the public schools of the Boise Valley, in Southwestern Idaho sometime in the early 1970&rsquo;s. The first generation of vocal jazz educators in the region were Jerry Vevig , Vern Swain, Moyle Brown and Lonnie Cline. In an effort to learn the new style, these four directors participated in the burgeoning vocal jazz scene occurring in the Western region of the United States. By the mid 1970&rsquo;s, vocal jazz ensemble education had become so prevalent in the Boise Valley region that the Jr. High School directors of the Boise Public School District were programming vocal jazz music and participating in many of the same vocal jazz events as their high school colleagues. These Junior High school directors included Bruce Walker, Catherine Gilck, Rich Lapp, Sue Hough, Paul Olson and Rob Newburn. The 1980&rsquo;s saw the second generation of prominent vocal jazz singing ensemble directors begin their tenures in the Boise Valley when Glenn Grant, Quinn, Van Paepeghem, Linda Schmidt, Ted Totorica, and Barb Oldenburg, continued the tradition of vocal jazz style singing and event participation that their predecessors had initiated throughout the remainder of the era investigated (inception&ndash;1990). In the study, each subjects experiences and education in vocal jazz ensemble singing is documented and specific techniques they employed when working with their vocal jazz ensembles are revealed. The literature used by each vocal jazz educator from the Boise valley (1970&ndash;1990) is also exposed, collated, and presented in the document for reference and use by future choral music educators.</p><p>

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Hong Kong, 2006. / Title proper from title frame. Also available in printed format.

Thesis (M.I.T.Ed.)--University of Melbourne, Faculty of Education, 2002. / Typescript (photocopy). Title of CD-ROM in back pocket: Attachment 1 - Student work in audio format, June to August 2001 all participants. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 106-110).

<p> The purpose of this study is to explore the technology high school music students are using to improve musicianship. For this study, research was done to determine how students are using the available devices and the most popular applications, programs, and websites available and used by high school band students. A survey was issued to instrumental music students in two high schools asking questions pertaining to the topic. Then, data was compiled into lists consisting of the devices, uses, and applications that were the most favored. The results showed that a majority of students occasionally used technology to either self-evaluate while practicing or find music on their own. In addition, students favored using smart devices while practicing, and they chose applications based on accessibility or familiarity. The findings from this study were similar to a few sources in the related literature, which determine that students are familiar with the technology in similar ways several educators are. For those reading this thesis, the information will provide them with better awareness of the technology their pupils use for music learning.</p><p>

George Whitefield Chadwick (1854-1931) was an American composer of the Second New England School who, along with his contemporaries, gave shape to an "American" musical style. Although his symphonic music and stage works are beginning to be recorded and valued for the integrity of their construction and pioneering spirit they occupy in the history of American music, this is not true of his body of chamber music. While the number of chamber pieces is not large, their quality is high. They are certainly among the best which the New Englanders produced, yet they have been largely ignored. Chadwick's chamber works include five string quartets, one piano quintet, and two short pieces scored for 'cello (or violin) and piano. It is the purpose of this dissertation to discuss this music against the backdrop of the other composers writing chamber music in the Boston-New England area at the turn of the century, to analyze its form and structure from a theoretical perspective, to discuss the prominent techniques used by Chadwick in the composition of his music, to analyze what musical influences shaped the style of Chadwick, and to look at his role as a music educator in America. This dissertation will also analyze the place which Chadwick occupies in the movement toward a truly American style, free from the subservience to European music, which occurred later in the twentieth century.

Since it arose in the 1960s, the minimalist aesthetic has increasingly influenced composers of art and popular music around the world and, in turn, minimalist composers have drawn on the compositional ideas of Western popular music and several non-Western musics. Educationally, minimal music offers much potential for music in the classroom as it embodies a number of musical characteristics known to, and preferred by, students aged 9-18 years at primary, secondary and first year tertiary level. Socially, it offers teachers an opportunity to engage students, through composing activities, with contemporary society. The study aims, firstly, to analyse compositions by students aged 9, 12, 15 and 18 years and their teachers, seeking pastiche development of, and compositional expansion beyond, the musical concepts presented in a resource booklet of projects, The Pulse Music Album. Secondly, this study aims to investigate how nineteen participating teachers in three countries engage their students with minimalist composing activities stimulated through the resource booklet. The study attempts to determine why teachers adopt their particular roles and strategies by examining music qualifications, preferences and experience, teaching perspectives and teaching environments. It also seeks to identify reasons why one group of teachers submitted pieces which were pastiches of those presented in the projects and another group submitted compositions which moved well beyond pastiche into an expansion of these same musical concepts and argues for this as evidence of dialogue with contemporary society. Conclusions drawn from the findings note that while there are many commonalities between the backgrounds and approaches of both groups of teachers, there are clearly observed differences. These differences suggest approaches to classroom composition for consideration by practising classroom teachers, in-service instructors and teacher training institutions.

Since it arose in the 1960s, the minimalist aesthetic has increasingly influenced composers of art and popular music around the world and, in turn, minimalist composers have drawn on the compositional ideas of Western popular music and several non-Western musics. Educationally, minimal music offers much potential for music in the classroom as it embodies a number of musical characteristics known to, and preferred by, students aged 9-18 years at primary, secondary and first year tertiary level. Socially, it offers teachers an opportunity to engage students, through composing activities, with contemporary society. The study aims, firstly, to analyse compositions by students aged 9, 12, 15 and 18 years and their teachers, seeking pastiche development of, and compositional expansion beyond, the musical concepts presented in a resource booklet of projects, The Pulse Music Album. Secondly, this study aims to investigate how nineteen participating teachers in three countries engage their students with minimalist composing activities stimulated through the resource booklet. The study attempts to determine why teachers adopt their particular roles and strategies by examining music qualifications, preferences and experience, teaching perspectives and teaching environments. It also seeks to identify reasons why one group of teachers submitted pieces which were pastiches of those presented in the projects and another group submitted compositions which moved well beyond pastiche into an expansion of these same musical concepts and argues for this as evidence of dialogue with contemporary society. Conclusions drawn from the findings note that while there are many commonalities between the backgrounds and approaches of both groups of teachers, there are clearly observed differences. These differences suggest approaches to classroom composition for consideration by practising classroom teachers, in-service instructors and teacher training institutions.