Field of study This study represents an attempt to formulate a theoretical basis for musical experience in general and for music education in particular. The theory, derived from Kantian aesthetics, is that musical experience is mind-centred and rooted in imagination. First, an examination of the part imagination plays in perception, apprehension and creativity is presented; its particular role in musical experience is then analysed. Next, there is a critical review of appropriate methodology and this is followed by a detailed account of experimental work with young children. The experimental work includes: responses to electronic pieces; the invention of melodies and rhythms by children; the perception of consonance and dissonance; the fine discrimination of pitch and timbre. Methodology The overall research design entails a top-down analytical method beginning with the collation of verbal responses to electronic pieces and leading to the precise testing of children's fine discrimination of pitch and timbre. The methodology -part of which is probably novel- is derived from Personal Construct Theory (George Kelly) and also from Piaget's deductive 'clinical' approach. To this end, a variety of tasks ~ere given to a relatively small number of children (120) in groups of four. These tasks, both prescribed and open-ended, were well-defined. Results and conclusions The children in the sample -120 seven year-old boys and girls- demonstrated the ability to: 1. hold an aural image in the mind in order to compare it with another 2. form images to facilitate the representation of broad qualitative inter-sensory experience 3. make fine discriminations of pitch and timbre 4. employ mental constructs in melodic and rhythmic inventions The general conclusion from the study is that a mind-centred theory for music education is tenable, with the implication that pedagogy should be appropriately planned and focussed.

<p> This qualitative, multi-case study examined trans and non-binary singers in the applied voice studio. The purpose of this study was to explore (1) the impact of music participation on the identities of trans and non-binary singers, (2) the experiences of trans and non-binary singers taking private singing lessons, and (3) the strategies and practices of their voice teachers. Purposeful sampling of four singers included two trans men and two non-binary individuals. Four teachers with prior experience in teaching trans or non-binary singers included two teachers identifying as trans men, and two cisgender (one female, one male) teachers. Data were collected through interviews and lesson observations, presented through portraiture analysis to provide an insider&rsquo;s view of the experiences, perspectives, and practices of the participants. Findings and implications emerged through cross-case analyses. </p><p> The results indicate that gender impacts musical spaces. While participation in musical activities created an outlet for some singers to explore their trans or non-binary identity, the reification of the gender binary in musical spaces was oppressive for others. Students modeled high self-efficacy by showing perceived competence to change discriminatory policies and practices in music and the performing arts. </p><p> Teachers demonstrated emotional support in the applied studio by being cognizant of student needs. While the training of each student looked distinct, teachers affirmed students through student-centered pedagogical approaches, allowing students to guide their vocal training and development. Teachers discussed the need for adept understanding of vocal technique in training trans and non-binary singers. All four trans men (two students and two teachers) discussed their voice modification through testosterone replacement therapy. The two non-binary singers, not engaged in medical voice modulation, discussed changes in their voices through singing lessons. </p><p> The research posits that curricular development in vocal pedagogy courses is needed to educate singing teachers on cultural competency and trans and non-binary vocality. This study revealed the need to examine applied teacher readiness in educating trans and non-binary singing. Research on the longitudinal effects of testosterone on the voice is warranted. Additional scholarship is needed in working with trans or non-binary voices not engaging in hormone replacement therapy.</p><p>

<p> The purpose of this research was to examine the potential relationship between students&rsquo; degree of familiarity with repertoire common to beginning band method books and aural-based music achievement after one year of study. Three research questions guided this study: (1) Which songs from the Familiar Repertoire Survey (FRS) are reported as being the most and least familiar to the sample? (2) For a familiar song, &ldquo;Lightly Row,&rdquo; can FRS scores predict (a) Familiar Music Achievement Singing Test (FMAST) scores, (b) Familiar Music Achievement Playing Test (FMAPT) scores, (c) Familiar Music Achievement Improvisation Singing Test (FMAIST) scores, and (d) Familiar Music Achievement Improvisation Playing Test (FMAIPT) scores? (3) For an unfamiliar song, &ldquo;Finish Line,&rdquo; can FRS scores predict (a) Unfamiliar Music Achievement Singing Test (UMAST) scores, (b) Unfamiliar Music Achievement Playing Test (UMAPT) scores, (c) Unfamiliar Music Achievement Improvisation Singing Test (UMAIST) scores, and (d) Unfamiliar Music Achievement Improvisation Playing Test (UMAIPT) scores? </p><p> Participants (<i>N</i> = 17) were fifth and sixth grade students enrolled in their second year of beginning band in a New Jersey elementary school. I created two measurement instruments: FRS, designed to gauge the breadth and depth of students&rsquo; familiarity with songs common to beginning band method books, and the Music Achievement Test (MAT) designed to measure aural-based music achievement in singing, playing by ear, and improvising on a familiar and unfamiliar song. </p><p> In the first session, participants completed FRS by listening to songs common to beginning band books and completing a Likert-type survey on their familiarity with each song. Later, participants watched MAT through an interactive video which prompted them to complete eight musical subtests. I recorded all performances. Judges rated each performance with two rating scales. </p><p> I analyzed the frequency of responses for each song and found &ldquo;Hot Cross Buns,&rdquo; &ldquo;Jingle Bells,&rdquo; &ldquo;Pierrot,&rdquo; &ldquo;Lightly Row,&rdquo; and &ldquo;London Bridge&rdquo; to be the most familiar songs. Through linear regressions, I analyzed the ability of FRS to predict MAT scores. I found a significant regression equation between FRS and its ability to predict FMAST scores and UMAIST scores. </p><p> The current exploratory study contained many limitations which restricts its generalizability to other beginning band populations; however, six conclusions can be made. Familiarity with common beginning band repertoire as represented by a selection of 24 songs common to beginning band method books does not predict students&rsquo; achievement (a) singing an unfamiliar song, (b) demonstrating through singing improvisation based on a familiar song, (c) playing by ear a familiar or unfamiliar song, and (d) improvising on an instrument, whether improvising within the context of a familiar or unfamiliar song. Familiarity with common beginning band repertoire does predict students&rsquo; achievement (a) singing a familiar song and (b) demonstrating through singing improvisation based on an unfamiliar song.</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 purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of vibrato and pitch-varied vocal models on acoustic measures of high school and undergraduate singers&rsquo; vocal performance. Participants&rsquo; perception of vocal models was also examined to explore a possible relationship between perception and production. The following primary questions guided this research: 1) Is singers&rsquo; intonation affected by vibrato or pitch-varied vocal models? 2) Is singers&rsquo; vibrato rate affected by vibrato or pitch-varied vocal models? 3) Is singers&rsquo; vibrato extent affected by vibrato or pitch-varied vocal models? 4) Is singers&rsquo; intensity affected by vibrato or pitch-varied vocal models? Secondary questions under investigation were: 1) Do singers respond differently to vocal models of pitch patterns versus song phrases? 2) Does age and experience influence singers&rsquo; response? 3) Do singers perceive the differences in vocal models? </p><p> Participants (<i>N</i> = 76) were male (<i>n</i> = 38) and female (<i>n</i> = 38) singers who were undergraduates (<i>n</i> = 40) currently participating in a choral ensemble at the Florida State University or high school students (n = 36) currently enrolled in the choral program at a nearby high school. Participants responded to twelve vocal models of the same gender that were varied in melody, vibrato, and intonation conditions. Vocal models consisted of either a short pitch pattern (<i> sol-la-sol-fa-mi-re-do</i>) or familiar song excerpt (Are You Sleeping?), both performed on the neutral syllable <i>&ldquo;tah.&rdquo;</i> Model melodies were sung in vibrato and minimal vibrato conditions, with each model having a specific 3rd and 5th scale degree that was presented in tune, sharp, or flat (mistuned pitches &plusmn; 25 cents relative to equal temperament). After responding to vocal models, participants were asked via written questionnaire if they perceived differences in vocal models and, if so, to describe them. </p><p> Audio recordings of participants&rsquo; responses were analyzed acoustically, with the specific 3rd and 5th scale degrees in each model analyzed for the dependent measures of intonation, vibrato rate, vibrato extent and intensity. Repeated measures analyses were conducted on the acoustic measures. An alpha level of .01 was used in all statistical tests. Written responses on the questionnaire were analyzed for keywords reflecting vocal technique or musical elements. Keywords were then identified and coded for frequency of response. </p><p> Significant differences in intonation were found, with responses to minimal vibrato models performed more flat than responses to vibrato models. Main effects were also found for gender, with male participants showing overall more flatness than females. Responses to pitch-varied models tended towards flat intonation, with flat models producing the greatest deviation particularly with male participants. Two interactions, both involving melody condition of models, also produced differences in intonation. </p><p> Significant differences in measures of vibrato rate and extent were also observed. Vibrato rates were faster and vibrato extents were wider in response to vibrato models. High school participants responded with similar vibrato rate and extent to both vibrato model conditions, whereas undergraduates responded with significantly faster vibrato rate and wider extent to vibrato models. Undergraduate vibrato rates were similar between genders, however high school males were significantly slower in vibrato rate than high school females. </p><p> Intensity results for both high school and undergraduate participants showed significantly higher intensity levels for 5th scale degrees than 3rds. High school males performed both scale degrees at similar intensity levels, while high school females sang 5ths with higher intensity. Significant differences in intensity were also found with undergraduates, with responses to vibrato models yielding higher intensity. Male undergraduates were found to sing with higher intensity in response to vibrato models, whereas females sang with similar intensity between vibrato-varied conditions. Interactions involving scale degree or melody condition of models also produced significant differences in intensity. </p><p> Analysis of written questionnaires showed that 71 (93%) participants perceived differences in models. The most frequently used keyword(s) was <i> vibrato/straight tone,</i> with 36 participants (51%) noting this as a perceived difference between models. <i>Timbre/tone quality</i> was the next most used word(s) by 13 participants (17%), followed by <i> intonation/pitch</i> used by 12 participants (15%). More males noticed changes in tone quality, intonation, and vowels than females, whereas the latter recognized vibrato changes more than males. Undergraduates perceived vibrato changes and intonation differences more than high school participants. </p><p> Many complex factors were thought to contribute to results of this study, including perception, experience, vocal development, and vocal production. While some findings support prior research, other results raise questions that warrant additional investigation. Implications and ideas for future inquiry are discussed.</p>

<p> Although many teachers use concurrent instructional strategies, little is known about how or when they function in rehearsal, or how frequently they are employed. The purpose of the present study was to examine pitched and unpitched concurrent instructional behaviors as they occurred naturally in secondary choral rehearsals over time. Three master teachers (two male, one female) with at least 10, 20, and 30 years of teaching experience, respectively, recorded their rehearsals over the course of approximately six weeks, from the introduction of a new piece of literature, through the point in time when it is deemed &ldquo;performance-ready&rdquo; by the director. Data were recorded, on average, twice per week, in the form 15&ndash;20 minutes of audio footage, and sent to the researcher for analysis. Results indicate that mean concurrent instruction was present for 25.88% of a given rehearsal. The most frequently used pitched behavior was singing and the most frequently used unpitched behavior was the academic hustle. Potential implications for music education practitioners and directions for future research are discussed. </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>

No description available.

A large segment of society is either preparing to enter the work force, or is already engaged in some chosen line of work. Preparing to enter the work force takes a considerable amount of time and effort. The decision to follow one career path over countless others may, on the surface, appear to be discretely individual. But when viewed from a sociological perspective, occupational choices are implicitly and explicitly reached through a consensus of contributing factors. Consequently, an occupational identity is not how an individual describes a personal work-related self, but is rather dialectic. It is the merging, albeit, negotiation of viewpoints which causes persons to view themselves in relationship with how others think of them. It is expected that students newly enrolled in music education degree programs will, with time, replace erroneous lay conceptions of music teaching with those presented in curricula and espoused by significant role models. However, the professional socialization process, characteristic of music education degree programs, has not always been successful in transforming students’ personal perspectives of music teaching. This transformation process is critical toward the development of occupational identities that are congruent with school music teaching positions. There has been an established line of research in music education that examines who school music teachers are from a sociological perspective. When pursuing this literature, however, it became evident that, over time, the term identity had been used under many different guises, incorporating mixed perspectives from among the social sciences. The studies that have dealt with occupational identity have done so for different purposes, employing different theories and methodologies. While any of these previous research protocols may be useful for particular purposes, the reality is that the terms identity and occupational identity have become interchangeable. The term identity is sometimes used to denote self-concept or role concept without being clear about what these mean or how or if they are different from occupational identity. The underlying issue here, and a principle concern for music education, is whether or not music education degree programs are guiding preservice music teachers toward an occupational identity that matches with the occupation. The purpose of this study was to contribute to the field of occupational identity by developing a researcher-designed measurement tool for occupational identity in music education. This study focused solely on preservice music teachers, their perceptions and demonstrable behaviors, associated with the changes that might occur over the course of their professional preparation. The data in this investigation, subjected to principal components analysis, resulted in a 5-component solution rotated to simple structure using oblique Oblimin rotation. Thirty-five items from a pool of 106 with component loadings >.35 explained 57% of the total variance. Reliability estimates using Cronbach’s alpha were .93 for all 35 items and ranged from .92 to .66 for the five components.

School choirs, bands, and orchestras in the United States have long been guided by exacting standards of performance practice that require high levels of technical proficiency. Such ensembles are also socially situated, requiring interpersonal interaction as participants work toward achieving a shared set of goals. These factors could combine to exacerbate individuals’ perceived pressure to meet goals. Hewitt and Flett (1991) called this pressure socially situated perfectionism. Some researchers have argued that perfectionism might be tempered or exacerbated in certain environments (Damien et al., 2014; Dunn et al., 2012; Flett & Hewitt, 2002; Hewitt et al., 2003; McArdle, 2010; Mouratidis & Michou, 2011). The purpose of this study was to investigate the experiences of perfectionistic students, particularly their perceptions of expectations, self-worth, and acceptance associated with socially situated perfectionism, in a high school choral classroom. In order to carry out this examination, a multiple case study methodology was employed; three high school students and their choir director were interviewed and observed in choral rehearsals, with students also asked to journal about their experiences. To varying degrees across cases and within cases, participants displayed behaviors that aligned with descriptions of socially situated perfectionism outlined by Hewitt and Flett (1991). The presence of these behaviors suggests that perfectionism may play a role in their music making. It appears likely that the choral classroom environment, as facilitated by the instructor and including instructor critique/feedback as well as peer interactions, merits further study for its potential role in abating or exacerbating perfectionistic tendencies in certain individuals.