abstract: The purpose of this study was to investigate the attitudes, preferences, and practices of Arizona high school choral directors towards sight-singing skills, and student success in group sight-singing evaluations, the teaching of sight singing including preference for a specific sight-singing system, and the instructional practices employed in daily rehearsals. High school choral directors from the state of Arizona (N = 86) completed an online researcher-designed questionnaire that gathered demographic information as well as information regarding directors' attitudes towards sight-singing instruction, which exercises are used for sight-singing instruction, and directors' self-perceived ability not only to sight sing but also to teach sight singing. Independent variables such as teaching experience, level of education, the system they were trained to use as a student, the system they currently use in the classroom, their self-perceived ability to sight sing, their self-perceived ability to teach sight singing, their choir's sight-singing rating at festival, and their daily instructional practices (as measured by minutes per week of sight-singing instruction) were used to investigate potential differences in attitudinal responses. Multivariate analyses of variance were conducted to investigate potential differences in responses according to various independent variables. Significant differences were found in responses to statements of the importance of sight-singing instruction according to level of teaching experience and time spent on sight-singing instruction in the classroom. No significant differences were found for statements of directors' attitudes toward sight-singing instruction according to level of education or prior training. Results indicate that Arizona high school directors are a seasoned and highly education group of professionals who understand and believe strongly that sight-singing instruction should be a part of their choral music rehearsals. These directors use a variety of systems and resources to teach sight-singing and all dedicate time to sight-singing each week in their rehearsals. Despite the overwhelming support for teaching sight-singing in daily choral rehearsals, there is a lack of participation in choral adjudication festivals where group sight singing is assessed. Further research is suggested to investigate the lack of participation of Arizona high school choral teachers in the group sight-singing component of the state choral adjudication festivals. / Dissertation/Thesis / D.M.A. Music Education 2013

The purpose of this study was to investigate constructions of choir identity among high school choir students in the United States public school classroom setting. The research questions were (a) what are the processes involved in construction of choir identity and (b) how are the processes related to the group identity of the choir. The data were collected through participant observations in one selected choir classroom and semi-structured interviews with students from the choir class. The results included six processes of identity construction as well as identification of the ways in which each process was related to the choir group’s identity. The processes and their links to the overall choir group identity provided further insight into the ways in which high school choir students construct their identities, and they also supported methods of teaching commonly used in high school choir settings.

Skolkören har länge funnits som en naturlig del av skolans verksamhet, men den har haft olika betydelse genom läroplanerna det senaste århundradet. Tidigare studier kring skolkörens funktion visar att den sociala aspekten är den som är mest framträdande. Studien har hämtat inspiration från Juvas Liljas (2001). Syftet med föreliggande studie var att undersöka skolkörens funktion och förutsättningar i årskurs 1-6 så som den uppfattas av rektorer och körledare. Följande frågeställningar har använts för att ta reda på detta: 1. Hur uppfattar rektorer och körledare skolkörens funktion i årskurs 1-6? 2. Framträder det ett socialt och/eller pedagogiskt perspektiv i rektorers och körledares syn på skolkörens funktion? 3. Vad är förutsättningarna för en fungerande skolkör i årskurs 1-6, enligt rektorer och körledare? För att få svar på detta har en kvalitativ studie genomförts genom intervjuer på fyra skolor. Rektorerna och körledarna på dessa skolor har svarat på frågor som var strukturerade, och av låg standardiserad art. De förberedda frågorna var formulerade i olika frågeområden. Av resultatet framkommer att skolkörens funktion är att främja en social gemenskap som i sin tur leder till en ökad självkänsla. Skolkören ska även fungera som reklam för skolan. Den agerar som skolans identitet i samband med skolavslutningar, FN-dagen och vid lucia, för att nämna några exempel. Skolkören kan även agera som verktyg vid språkinlärning. En vilja till att bryta ner de sociala och identitetsutvecklande funktionerna och att kunna använda dessa i skolans övriga verksamhet är något som också framkommer i resultatet. / The school choir has long existed as a natural part of the school's activities, but it has had different meanings by curriculum in the last century. Previous studies on the function of the school choir show that the social aspect is the most prominent. The study was inspired by Juvas Liljas (2001). The purpose of this study was to examine school choir’s performance and prospects in grades 1-6 as perceived by head teachers and choir leaders. The following questions have been used to study this: 1. How do head teachers and choir leaders perceive the function of the school choir in grades 1-6? 2. Does a social and/or educational perspective of head teachers and choir leaders on the function of the school choir emerge? 3. What are the prerequisites for a functional school choir in grades 1-6, according to the head teachers and choir leaders? To get answers to this, a qualitative study was conducted through interviews in four schools’. Head teachers and choir leaders in those schools’ answered questions that were structured, and of a low standardized type. The prepared questions were phrased in different question areas. The result proves that the function of the school choir is to promote a social community which in turn leads to increased self-esteem. School choir will also serve as PR for the school. It acts as the school's identity in connection with graduation day, U.N. day and lucia, to name a few. School choir can also act as a tool for language learning. A willingness to transfer the social and identity development and to be able to use these in the school's other business is something that also emerge from the study.

One of the most important problems of a chorus director is how to select suitable materials which will be effectively used with a particular group. This problem is worthy of careful consideration. It is the purpose of this thesis to determine the factors necessary in choosing good material for the high school chorus and to offer a list of the best available selections as an aid to the director in choosing the most appropriate music.

Submitted in fulfilment or partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Education in Music in the Faculty of Education at the University of Zululand, 1993. / A big question for the researcher is whether the current school choir competitions have positive or negative effects on the choristers and the rest of the community. Therefore the aim of this study is to look for the possibilities of enriching this choral practice or drawing everyone's realisation to the effects that exist in choral competitions. The procedure of interviews and questionnaires has been employed because not much information about this study has been investigated and preserved. The habit of competitions is retraced back from the Zulu culture, where there exists a non-musical competition. Speech and melody, harmony and rhythm is cited with the nature and African tendencies in mind. The NATAL AFRICAN TEACHERS' UNION is an organisation that has made and kept school competitions going. Four regions of NATAL have been used as a field of study. This is because each of these regions has a college, and colleges also serve as a source of information. Questions used during research have been justified with an intention of making it possible for the researcher to get information related to attitude, experience, amount of participation and the level of literacy.

Despite the repeated call-to-action to identify more inclusive and equitable approaches within school music ensembles, choral teaching and learning in the United States still favors practices that perpetuate injustices while limiting democracy and student autonomy (Bradley, 2007; de Quadros, 2015; Howard, 2020; O’Toole, 2005; Philpott & Kubilius, 2015; Shaw, 2012, 2016, 2019). In many ways, music teacher socialization surrounding best choral practices for teaching and learning has remained stable since the 19th century. Most choral teachers in the United States continue to center sequential patterns of teaching and learning with a singular trained leader, Western Art Music (WAM), and polished products of music (Conkling, 2019). These practices are best defined as Formal Learning (FL), or learning that includes a structured curriculum and instructional plan, sequential learning process, teacher in charge, and clear assessment plan (Mok, 2011c). Though FL endures as the “default option” in large ensemble classroom settings such as bands, choirs, and orchestras (Conkling, 2019), Informal Learning (IL) in music education—learning that is “not sequenced beforehand” and contains components that are “self-chosen and voluntary” (Folkestad, 2006, p. 141)—has steadily gained popularity in the United Kingdom and the United States since its introduction in Nordic countries in the 1960s (Hallam et al., 2018). In the early 21st century, Green (2002) conducted a seminal study about how popular musicians learn using Informal Learning Practices and Processes (ILPP). Since then, researchers and teachers worldwide have explored IL in elementary music classrooms (Davis, 2013; Moore, 2019), secondary music contexts (Bersh, 2011; Costes-Onishi, 2016; Evans et al., 2015; Gower, 2012; Green, 2008; Hallam et al., 2018; Jones, 2015; Moore, 2019; Vasil, 2015; Wallerstedt & Pramling, 2016; Wright, 2016), and collegiate settings (Finney & Philpott, 2010; Isbell, 2016; Karlsen, 2010; Mok, 2017). Feichas (2010) called IL a “pedagogy of diversity and inclusion” (p. 57), because of the inherent choice involved, the minimization of Eurocentric musics, and the opportunity for all to access this way of learning. Jones (2009) claimed students’ engagement with music in IL settings as one of the most promising indicators of musicking throughout one’s life because of the student choice, informal skills, and self-regulated learning involved. Despite these benefits, research related to IL within high school choral contexts remains scarce. The purpose of this multiple case study was to investigate Informal Learning Practices and Processes (ILPP) within the context of three public high school choral programs. A qualitative multiple case study design guided me toward purposive sampling (Patton, 2015; Stake, 2006). In total, I selected and studied the experiences of three teachers and 59 total student participants, ages 14-18. Data sources and types at each site included choir teacher and student interviews/transcripts, observations/field notes, recordings from concerts and rehearsals, course materials, and other artifacts. In total, I conducted six individual interviews with the teachers and 89 individual/focus group interviews with the students. Additionally, I conducted approximately 104 total hours of observations, split among all three sites. Upon completion of data collection, I engaged in a within-case analysis by first constantly comparing the data with the emerging conceptual framework, The IL-FL Continua, and next open-coding the data and grouping the codes into themes. I subsequently completed the cross-case analysis, first by forming types/families of learning practices and processes (Miles et al., 2020), and subsequently by constructing nine explanations (Yin, 2018) that captured the essence of the quintain: student and teacher perspectives of ILPP in choral programs (Stake, 2006). To ensure trustworthiness, I employed triangulation, peer coding, and member checking (Lincoln & Guba, 1985). The within-case data analysis revealed a wide variety of benefits related to ILPP in choir including musical validation and growth, musical self-efficacy, bolstered community, creative freedom, feelings of ownership, enhanced life skills (e.g., communication, teamwork, independence, social-emotional skills), and a more relaxed environment. Challenges of ILPP in choir that emerged included musical setbacks, navigating open-ended and independent tasks, social dynamics in group work, unequal contribution, and limited time. The three teachers each held different values that prompted them to center ILPP in choir. For instance, one teacher centered ILPP because he valued student voice and democracy, while another teacher centered ILPP to foster lifelong music-making. The Informal-Formal Activities Continuum which emerged from the cross-case data analysis (see Figure 3), features four types of learning practices and processes in high school choirs: (a) teacher or student led rehearsals, (b) large group creative activities, (c) small group creative activities, and (d) non-compulsory performance opportunities. Further analysis revealed two models of integrating IL and FL in choral contexts: mutually-supportive and additive. A mutually-supportive model of IL-FL refers to a pedagogy of practice whereby students experience learning on all parts of the IL-FL Continua which contributes toward shared outcomes and goals. An additive model refers to a pedagogy of practice whereby some students may experience shared outcomes and goals. While additive and mutually-supportive models resulted in similar benefits such as student enjoyment and motivation, strengthened community, life skills, and recruitment/program advocacy, the mutually-supportive model promoted greater musical and communal outcomes. This study holds implications for developing and centering a new choral philosophy for inservice and preservice choral teacher education. At the core of this philosophy lies a mutually-supportive IL-FL model, facilitated by decentralized power and a democratic classroom environment. By engaging students in varying learning styles, decentering power in the classroom, and encouraging students to make choices to support their own learning, teachers may foster student lifelong and lifewide music-making. / Music Education

Group singing is associated with numerous benefits to human health and wellbeing, including increased social ties and improvements in mental health (Ascenso et al., 2017; Clift & Hancox, 2001, 2010; Clift et al., 2010; Dingle et al., 2012; Grocke et al., 2009; Liebowitz et al., 2015; Livesey et al., 2012). In school ensembles, choral educators can significantly influence students’ experiences of connection, encouraging wellbeing, enjoyment, and continued participation in choir (Arasi, 2006, 2008; Morgan, 1992; Pentikäinen et al., 2021). Extant literature indicates that during group singing, individuals experience connection in three forms, as drawing singers together, also called togetherness; as synchrony among singers; and as singers’ sense of oneness with the world. These three forms of connection served as the conceptual lens for this study. The purpose of this phenomenological case study was to examine choral educators’ experiences of creating connection during group singing in the forms of togetherness, synchrony, and oneness. Four research questions guided this study: (a) How do choral educators describe the experience they create during group singing? (b) During group singing, how do choral educators facilitate singers’ connection in the form of togetherness, synchrony, or oneness? (c) What benefits and challenges exist for choral educators as they create connection? (d) Why do choral educators choose to prioritize connection? I used a phenomenological case study approach to investigate each participant’s experience as its own unique case, then used cross-case analysis and phenomenological reduction to reveal commonalities and differences that further illuminated the essence of creating connection during group singing (Merriam, 2009; Merriam & Tisdell, 2016; Moustakas, 1994). Using purposive, reputational, and maximum variation sampling, I selected five secondary school choral music educator participants who prioritized facilitation of connection in their work with students and who represented a variety of teaching contexts, professional, and personal characteristics. Data collection included interviews, field observations of rehearsals and performances, and classroom artifacts. Data analysis occurred cyclically and emergently (Creswell & Poth, 2018), following phenomenological procedures (Moustakas, 1994) to first analyze each participant’s experiences as a bounded case then to engage in cross-case analysis to uncover commonalities and tensions across cases (Stake, 2005; Yin, 2018). For each case, data analysis revealed conditions that created connection, barriers to connection, and an essence; cross-case analysis revealed a collective essence representing experiences of creating connection for all participants. Conditions that created connection involved using opening procedures, dissipating stress, releasing inhibitions, thoughtfully choosing repertoire, exploring choral texts, and fostering student ownership. Barriers included students’ inhibitions, teachers’ preoccupations, formal music education, school context, socioeconomic challenges, and COVID-19. The essence of each participant’s experience involved fostering student ownership and collaboration; uncovering students’ organic experiences of togetherness; “I gotchu,” an expression of unwavering support; impacting students’ mindsets; and vibrational alignment that can heal. Cross-case analysis through imaginative variation (Moustakas, 1994) revealed that for all participants, the essence of creating connection involved participants communicating care for students’ experience of life. The study’s findings offer implications for how choral leaders might facilitate experiences of connection during group singing. Findings suggest that choral educators seeking to create connection might help singers dissipate stress and anxiety, engage students in the creative process, reexamine traditional choral curricula, and use their personal strengths to communicate care for singers’ life experiences. Findings suggest ways choral educators might help create experiences of connection that can have a positive impact on students’ wellbeing. / Music Education

It is the purpose of this study to set forth facts, substantiated by investigation of authoritative sources, proving that all selections used on the concert program of a high school chorus should serve a permanently constructive purpose toward the musical growth of the students. The first part of the thesis concerns those elements which have to be taken into consideration in teaeching any high school music group These are: 1. The psychological make-up of the group in regard to age and physical development. 2. The psychological make-up of its audience. 3. The existing level of musical skill of the group as a whole. 4. The existing degree of aesthetic appreciation of the chorus and its audience. The latter part of the work specifies the aims in vocal instruction of the high school choral course. These include sight reading, breathing, tone, pitch, diction, phrasing, and interpretation. It also attempts to demonstrate how the preparation of a concert program serves to accomplish these aims. This involves a critical evaluation of each number on a proposed program in reference to the following points: 1. Psychological reception by the group and its audience. 2. Its contribution toward improved aesthetic discrimination on the part of singers and listeners. 3. The opportunity afforded for specific vocal and musical training.

The purpose of this study was to explore adolescent self-views of singing ability through both implicit theories and self-concept meaning systems. A secondary purpose of this study was to examine these self-views specifically in the context of a choral hierarchy. Using a researcher-designed survey instrument, I gathered data from middle- and high-school students currently enrolled in a choir program organized in a hierarchical structure. I analyzed descriptive statistics of survey responses to items designed to measure implicit theories of singing ability, singing self-concept, and goal orientation. I also examined differences among participants by ensemble placement in implicit theory and self-concept scores, correlation between implicit theory and self-concept, and whether implicit theory, self-concept, goal orientation, or current enrollment could predict future enrollment decisions. In addition to these quantitative measures, I coded open-ended responses to two failure scenarios and examined participant responses by ensemble and gender. Both implicit theory and self-concept scores were higher for participants at the top of the choral hierarchy than at the bottom. Open-ended responses, however, did not align with the implicit theory scale and a number of students presented a false growth mindset. Open-ended responses also indicated that failure scenarios were likely to result in an altered view of the self and shame in placement in an ensemble at the bottom of the choral hierarchy. The means scores for participants in the middle- and high-school ensembles in both implicit theory and self-concept were significantly different, with participants in the high-school ensembles having higher scores in both constructs. Implicit theory and self-concept were significantly related, and self-concept, goal orientation, and current enrollment significantly predicted future enrollment decisions.

The present thesis was developed in the post-graduate program in education at the Universidade Federal de Santa Maria in the line of research in Education and Arts. It deals with a case study of the school youth choir Mãe de Deus , from the city of Tupanciretã in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, where 6 members of the choir with varying amounts of time with the group were investigated. The research approach was qualitative and the data collection was carried out through semi-structured interviews and Field notes of the choirmaster. The general objective was to investigate the role of the choir in the development of conceptions and musical actions of the members of the choir. Authors such as Teixeira (2005), Wöhl (2006), Schmeling (2003), Oliveira (2003), Hentschke (1995), Bellochio (1995), Coll (1994), Phillips (1992), Penna (1990) and Figueiredo (1990) were studied in the review of literature. The results obtained demonstrate the importance of the choir activity for the members of the choir. Given the fact that the school Mãe de Deus does not offer music classes and that the choir was the only formal musical activity available, it was considered by participants to be an agent in their musical construction development. The choir acts as a bond, where the union of voices remits the widest social and musical experiences of its participants. The musical actions practiced by the singers outside of the choir further maintain their link to the knowledge gained in the choir. Daily musical experiences are continuously related to the knowledge gained in the group. Thus, it is possible to see the role of the choirmaster who should be a mediator between the singers and the music itself. Themes such as vocal technique, voice change, the repertory and discussions on group singing should be given special attention in the youth choir. In conclusion, it is clear that the choir is an activity that enhances musical and social development in its participants and a offers a space for solidarity among the participants, which encourages the desire to collectively do the best. / A presente dissertação foi desenvolvida no Programa de Pós-Graduação em Educação da Universidade Federal de Santa Maria na linha de Pesquisa em Educação e Artes. Trata-se de um estudo de caso sobre o coro juvenil Mãe de Deus, da cidade de Tupanciretã/RS, onde foram investigados seis coristas com tempos distintos de participação no grupo. A abordagem de pesquisa é qualitativa e o coleta de dados constitui-se de entrevista semi-estruturada e anotações de campo do pesquisador/regente. O objetivo geral centrou-se em investigar o papel do coro Mãe de Deus no desenvolvimento das concepções e ações musicais dos coristas. Fizeram parte do referencial teórico autores tais como: Teixeira (2005), Wöhl (2006), Schmeling (2003), Oliveira (2003), Hentschke (1995), Bellochio (1995), Coll (1994), Phillips (1992), Penna (1990) e Figueiredo (1990). Os resultados obtidos com a pesquisa apontam para a importância da atividade de canto coral para os cantores. Apoiando-se na realidade do Instituto Mãe de Deus de não possuir aulas de música no currículo e levando em conta que o coro Mãe de Deus representa a única atividade musical formalizada na escola, o mesmo foi destacado pelos participantes da pesquisa como um agente de construção e desenvolvimento musical. O coro atua como aglutinador, onde a união das vozes remete a vivências musicais e sociais mais amplas de seus participantes. As ações musicais praticadas pelos cantores fora da atividade coral mantém ligações com aprendizados dentro do coro. Vivências musicais diárias são constantemente relacionadas com os aprendizados vivenciados no grupo. Neste sentido, percebe-se o papel do regente, que deve promover uma mediação entre cantores e a música em si. Temas como a técnica vocal, a mudança de voz, o repertório e discussões sobre o cantar em conjunto, constituem-se em tópicos que devem ter uma atenção especial no coro juvenil. Finalizando, entende-se a atividade coral como potencializadora do desenvolvimento musical e social dos cantores, espaço que vivencia-se a solidariedade, a ajuda entre os participantes promovendo a vontade de coletivamente fazer o melhor.