Musical ensembles’ attendance at competitive music performance events (CMPEs) is a mainstream characteristic of the music education paradigm in many states. One problem with this current system is that we do not know the extent to which the results of these events impact the musical self-beliefs of the individual participants and those of their ensemble as a group. A total of ninety-one students and three directors from three different high school band programs in Arkansas participated in this research. The purpose of this study was to (a) examine students’ perceptions of their musical self-beliefs as related to their ensemble’s ratings at competitive music performance events (CMPEs), (b) gain clarity into how the educational ideology of the director might affect the self-efficacy beliefs of his or her students, and (c) open a dialogue into potential discovery of the sources of group efficacy beliefs in a band setting as related to individual self-efficacy beliefs. More specifically, I sought to discover students’ and directors’ perceptions of the results of CMPEs through their own words and experiences in order to offer suggestions for music educators to benefit them and their students when they participate in CMPEs. I used a holistic, multiple case study design as detailed by Yin (2014). Analysis of participant statements about their experiences at and ensemble results from CMPEs yielded a greater understanding into how these particular participants from Arkansas view CMPE results in terms of their overall musical self-beliefs. Furthermore, through the analysis of data, I was able to posit the Framework for Understanding the Formation of Group Efficacy Beliefs of High School Band Students which included three criteria: (a) Unity, (b) Cognizance of Function, and (c) Introspection. In addition to the proposed framework, findings suggest that band directors may be able to foster positive efficacy beliefs in their students and their ensembles by (a) framing the CMPE as a part of the learning process, not a means to an end; (b) encouraging students to set and pursue their own personal musical goals; (c) develop a culture within their ensemble of shared values, beliefs, and goals, awareness of each individual’s role in the performance; and (d) foster the ability for individual students to reflect and improve their own performances for the benefit of the group.

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The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the concurrent validity, intra-unit, and interunit reliability of the IMU Vmaxpro for measuring velocity for VBT purposes. Two protocols were constructed to cover velocities seen in the practical environment. Utilizing the 1080 Quantum the first protocol collected data without the use of subjects. For the second protocol, six well-trained men (age: 25.7 ± 4.2 years, standing height: 185.8 ± 10.6 cm, bodyweight: 87.3 ± 9.1 kg) performed loaded countermovement jumps. Two Vmaxpros and a 1080 Quantum simultaneously recorded repetitions for mean and peak velocity. Linear regression, RMSE, Bland-Altman, TE, and SDC were used to evaluate the concurrent validity, intra-unit, and inter-unit reliability. A strong relationship was found for MV and PV (R2 = 0.991– 0.997, RMSE = 0.044 – 0.05), p < 0.05) as well as a strong agreement on both protocols (bias: -0.039 – 0.072 on Protocol 1 and bias: 0.155 – - 0.005 on Protocol 2). The Vmaxpro showed strong reliability scores for within (MV: TE = 0.013 – 0.021; PV: TE = 0.017 – 0.023), and between sessions (MV: TE = 0.014 – 0.020; PV: TE = 0.019 – 0.027). Inter-unit reliability was acceptable to strong for both MV (TE = 0.012 – 0.034) and PV (TE = 0.021 – 0.057). The Vmaxpro can provide valid and reliable measurements for VBT purposes when using a single sensor. However, the inter-unit reliability showed a magnitude of variance which suggests practitioners not to use multiple devices interchangeably, and if so, it should be done with caution.

The Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP) has replaced its predecessors, the National Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) and the Teacher Education Accreditation Council (TEAC) as the new sole accreditor for educator preparation in the United States. As the new accreditor, CAEP has established a new set of accreditation standards and cross-cutting themes by which it intends to measure educator preparation programs (EPPs) worthiness to received accredited status. These new standards and cross-cutting themes are untested and need to be researched in order to determine the degree to which they constitute valid and reliable measures of an EPP's potential to produce quality teachers. To evaluate one aspect of CAEP's new standards and cross-cutting themes (i.e., diversity), this study used hierarchical liner modeling to regress elementary candidates' student teaching performance assessment scores on school- and classroom-level diversity variables to evaluate the impact that being placed in a diverse field experience might have had on candidates' performance during student teaching. The analysis found that the levels of diversity in the student teaching placements had little to no impact on the elementary candidates' performance on diversity items on their teacher performance assessments completed by university supervisors and mentor teachers during student teaching. A confirmatory factor analysis also determined that the diversity related contextual factors of the schools used in the study could not be reduced to a single diversity score. Diversity is clearly a complex multidimensional construct comprised of a variety of interdependent yet distinct constructs. Developing competency in diversity and multiculturalism clearly requires more than simply being placed in a diverse student teaching placement. This does not discredit the practice of providing candidates a variety of field experiences; however the findings from this study call into question CAEP's assumptions regarding diversity and multicultural education embedded in its standards and cross-cutting themes.