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The purpose of this study was to identify which dimensions of burnout affect veteran Pennsylvania music educators, investigate factors currently contributing to their sense of burnout, seek recommendations on how to remedy or alleviate symptoms of burnout, and uncover any relationships between burnout and demographic information. A total of 223 certified Pennsylvania music educators participated in this study. Participants completed a 44-item survey consisting of questions regarding demographic information, the Maslach Burnout Inventory-Educators Survey (MBI-ES), perceived causes of burnout, and perceived solutions to help alleviate burnout. Participant MBI-ES scores were compared to normative scores and indicated that participants are experiencing higher levels of emotional exhaustion, but lower levels of depersonalization and a greater sense of personal accomplishment. Female participants, participants aged 20-29, and participants with 5-10 years experience indicated higher levels of burnout than other participants, and those who taught at multiple grade levels, choir, or in multiple content areas reported elevated levels of emotional exhaustion. Participants aged 61+ and those with 31+ years of experience reported the lowest levels of burnout. Unmanageable Workload was most frequently ranked “8- Most Significant Cause,” followed by Student Behavioral Issues and Lack of Administrative Support. Reduce Teaching Responsibilities/Classes was most frequently ranked “8-Most Effective Solution,” followed by Hire More Teachers and Increase Administrative Support for Teachers. Substantial changes at the organizational level are needed to help reduce burnout and create an environment that fosters music teacher job satisfaction and career longevity. / Music Education

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.

<p> The purpose of this study is to provide a descriptive analysis of high school choral teachers&rsquo; inclusion of popular music in current teaching practices by (a) determining the frequency of inclusion, (b) developing a profile of teachers, schools, and choral programs that include popular music in the curriculum, (c) determining which demographic characteristics affected the amount of popular music included, and (d) developing a profile of popular music implementation details. The <i>Popular Music Survey,</i> a researcher designed online survey, was developed to collect demographic data and information concerning the participants&rsquo; inclusion of popular music in their high school choral classrooms. Participants were high school choral teachers in the Commonwealth of Virginia (<i>n</i> = 104). Data were analyzed using IBM SPSS Statistics for Macintosh, Version 22.0. </p><p> Results of the study revealed that 100% of participants include popular music in the choral curriculum as performance literature and/or instructional materials. Descriptive statistics of demographic data of the teacher, school, choral program, and ensemble were used to develop a profile to describe the typical high school choral teacher who includes popular music. Descriptive statistics were also used to develop a profile to describe how high school choral teachers included popular music in the choral classroom. </p><p> The majority of participants (n = 91, 87.4%) responded that the percentage of popular music performed was 30% or less of their total performance literature. Pearson Chi-square and one-way analysis of variance were used to determine the extent to which popular music was included in the high school choral curriculum. The achievement of a master&rsquo;s degree was the only teacher characteristic that significantly affected the amount of popular music included in the high school choral curriculum (p = .028). Participants with a master&rsquo;s degree included more popular music than participants who did not have a master&rsquo;s degree. </p><p> Implications for music education were discussed in relation to the findings of the current study. Recommendations were made for future research regarding the inclusion of popular music in choral classrooms, as well as in other areas of music education.</p>

<p> This study explored with high school choral directors and singers, their experiences of musical expression in the choral classroom setting. A phenomenological approach to a collective case study was used to address the notions of &ldquo;what&rdquo;, &ldquo;why&rdquo;, and &ldquo;how&rdquo; in regard to the relationships and interactions between choral directors, singers, their personal experiences and musical texts as they pertain to musical expression. Four high school choral programs participated in this study. One choral director and a focus group of 4-7 students from each program participated in open-ended, semi-structured, interviews. Video recorded observations of choral rehearsals provided media for additional stimulated recall interviews that used both open-ended and framing techniques. These interviews served as the primary method of data collection to help examine how the participants conceptualized and practiced musical expression. </p><p> The high school choral directors and singers of this study described musical expression in broad terms but agreed that it can be understood as both a means of conveying and understanding meanings and emotions. The participants addressed considerations and conditions such as engagement, their emotional response to the repertoire, composer intent, the classroom environment and obstacles such as the difficulty of the score or external distractions. They described specific approaches such as collaborative meaning making of musical contexts, formal elements of a score, and text. Implications are addressed for the ways choral directors approach repertoire selection, classroom configuration, rehearsal strategies, building relationships, delivering content, helping students to develop vocal skills and techniques and the use of collaborative learning and dialog to encourage ensemble interpretations. Participants also described optimal experiences of musical expression in regard to enjoyment, release of tension and perceived time and space. This study helped to uncover some of the ways high school choral directors and singers attempt to acknowledge each member&rsquo;s individuality while working toward a unified ensemble expression. The data revealed that collectively, the four participating programs shared many common ideas and yet each ensemble had a unique and nuanced approach to musical expression that reflected the values, beliefs and experiences of the choir and its members.</p>

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<p> Within this qualitative multiple case study the ways in which music education specialists construct meaning out of their attitudes and beliefs concerning student musical aptitude and ability while assessing American-born and international students in the New England boarding school population were explored and explained. A phenomenological approach to data analysis was used in order to understand better the experiences of music education specialists within New England Boarding Schools and their attitudes and beliefs concerning musical aptitude and ability concerning the culturally and ethnically diverse students that they teach. </p><p> Eight overarching themes emerged during the process of analyzing data: (a) formative factors and influences, (b) acquisition of beliefs, (c) musical mastery and student needs, (d) music mastery and flexibility, (e) instructional approaches. (f) experience valued over formal education, (g) the benefits of autonomy, and (h) international student musical aptitude were identified as contributing to the process in which the participants constructed meaning out of their attitudes and beliefs concerning student musical aptitude and ability. The implication of this study for practice illustrates the need to create opportunities for music education specialists in which they can reflect and become more self-aware about the unconscious biases that they bring to their educational context particularly due to the diverse nature of the music programs within New England Boarding Schools. Recommendations for future research are: (a) whether the music programs in specific nation-states foster higher levels of musical aptitude and ability among students who participate in them; (b) exploration of the methods that school leaders in New England Boarding Schools utilize to better support teachers of diverse students in the adoption of inclusive, intercultural instructional strategies; (c) the policies that school leaders in New England Boarding Schools utilize to better support teachers of diverse students in the adoption of inclusive, intercultural instructional strategies, and; (d) the benefits of offering undergraduate music performance majors coursework focused on the literature and pedagogy of the instrument that they are studying in their degree program.</p>