Journal of Research in Music Education recent issues

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Sims, W. L. — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 11:55:15 PDT

Piano Students' Conceptions of Musical Scores as External Representations: A Cross-Sectional Study

Bautista, A., Perez Echeverria, M. d. P., Pozo, J. I., Brizuela, B. M. — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 11:55:15 PDT

Musical scores are some of the most important learning tools for musicians’ acquisition of musical knowledge. However, despite their educational relevance, very little is known about how music students conceive of these cultural external representations. Given that these conceptions might act as mediators of students’ learning approaches, the importance of knowing these conceptions seems evident in order to eventually change them. The general aim of this investigation was to study the conceptions of piano students at Spanish music conservatories by adopting a developmental-instructional perspective. The participants were 215 students at intermediate and tertiary degree levels, representing three levels of the collapsed variable age— level of instruction. Data were collected by means of a written open-ended task and analyzed by means of descriptive, parametric, and nonparametric statistical methods.The findings suggested that (a) students’ conceptions were more sophisticated at higher age and education levels, (b) each developmental-instructional group typically focused on different musical aspects, which reflected an inclusive and hierarchical logic, and (c) five increasingly sophisticated conceptions could be identified among these students.

An Analysis of Tonal Patterns Used for Sight-Singing Instruction in Second-Grade General Music Class

Reifinger, J. L. — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 11:55:15 PDT

This research examined characteristics of a select group of tonal patterns to identify features that may affect the initial acquisition of skill in sight-singing pitch. Second graders (N = 193) individually read and sang 25 tonal patterns on a sight-singing pretest, posttest, and retention test. Between the pre- and posttest, the students practiced 15 of the patterns during general music classes, with one new pattern introduced and all previously presented patterns reviewed each session.Ten patterns not included in the instruction were read and sung only during tests. No pattern practice occurred for 8 weeks between the posttest and retention test. Sight-singing performance was assessed for pitch accuracy and contour accuracy. Pattern difficulty indices and difficulty rankings were determined on the basis of the results. Specific pattern features are considered in relation to these data, with some characteristics affecting accuracy with pitch and contour differently.

Development and Validation of a Rating Scale for Wind Jazz Improvisation Performance

Smith, D. T. — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 11:55:15 PDT

The purpose of this study was to construct and validate a rating scale for collegiate wind jazz improvisation performance. The 14-item Wind Jazz Improvisation Evaluation Scale (WJIES) was constructed and refined through a facet-rational approach to scale development. Five wind jazz students and one professional jazz educator were asked to record two improvisations accompanied by an Aebersold play-along compact disc. Sixty-three adjudicators evaluated the 12 improvisations using the WJIES and the Instrumental Jazz Improvisation Evaluation Measure. Reliability was good,with alpha values ranging from .87 to .95. Construct validity for the WJIES was confirmed through the analysis of a multitrait-multimethod matrix.The results of this study indicate that the facet-rational approach is an effective method of developing a rating scale for collegiate wind jazz improvisation performance.

Effects of Recorded Models on Novice Teachers' Rehearsal Verbalizations, Evaluations, and Conducting

Montemayor, M., Moss, E. A. — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 11:55:15 PDT

In this study, the authors investigated effects of aural model—supported rehearsal preparation on selected behavioral and evaluative elements of novice teachers’ rehearsals. Sixteen preservice music teachers conducted high school bands in four 15-minute rehearsals (two rehearsals on two different pieces).To prepare for their rehearsals on one piece, participants were given only the conductor score, while for the other piece, they were given both a score and a recorded model of the piece on an audio compact disc.Video recordings of all 64 rehearsals were systematically observed for teachers’ verbalizations across several musical and teaching variables. Participants also completed post-rehearsal evaluations of their teaching and of the ensemble’s playing. Differences between conditions were small, with teachers’ verbalizations reflecting a proportionally greater concern for accuracy in the model-supported condition. Evaluations of rehearsals were less self-directed and were more critical of the ensemble, a finding consistent with previous research.There was virtually no difference in responses between conditions for conductor expressiveness.

Effects of Early and Late Rest Intervals on Performance and Overnight Consolidation of a Keyboard Sequence

Cash, C. D. — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 11:55:15 PDT

Thirty-six nonmusicians practiced a five-element key-press sequence on a digital piano, repeating the sequence as quickly and accurately as possible during twelve 30-s practice blocks alternating with 30-s pauses. Twelve learners rested for 5 min between Blocks 3 and 4, another 12 learners rested for 5 min between Blocks 9 and 10, and the remaining 12 participants performed 12 blocks without an extended rest interval. All were retested following a night of sleep in six 30-s blocks with a 5-min rest interval between Blocks 3 and 4. Results show that the introduction of extended rest in the early and late stages of practice significantly affected rates of learning within and between sessions. Immediately following the 5-min rest intervals, participants showed large gains in performance, but only following early rest did participants continue to show improvements during training. Participants who rested early in practice also demonstrated the greatest overnight gains. Findings suggest that the temporal placement of rest in practice affected subsequent motor sequence learning and memory consolidation processes.

The Effects of Score Use on Musicians' Ratings of Choral Performances

Napoles, J. — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 11:55:15 PDT

The purpose of this study was to determine whether viewing a musical score while listening (as opposed to not viewing the score) would affect musicians’ ratings of choral performance excerpts. University musicians (N = 240) listened to four excerpts of choral music (from Vivaldi’s Gloria) and rated them on a 10-point Likert-type scale for overall impression. Some of the participants heard a professional chorus and orchestra recording, and others heard a high school group recording. For both of the recordings, participants were divided into four groups in a counterbalanced design, with one group viewing the score for all four excerpts, another group never viewing the score,and the other two groups viewing the score for two of the excerpts but not the other two. Results of a three-way ANOVA with repeated measures indicated significant differences among groups. The group that never saw the scores gave significantly lower ratings than the group that saw all of the scores.The excerpts performed by the professional group were rated significantly higher than the excerpts performed by the high school group.

Establishing Identity: LGBT Studies and Music Education: University of Illinois at Urbana-- Champaign (USA) and University of Maryland at College Park (USA) Announce a Symposium

Wed, 30 Sep 2009 11:55:15 PDT

Instructions to Contributors

Wed, 30 Sep 2009 11:55:15 PDT

Code of Ethics MENC Research Publication/Presentation Code of Ethics

Wed, 30 Sep 2009 11:55:15 PDT

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Sims, W. L., Johnson, C. M. — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 13:04:52 PDT

The Effects of Harmonic Accompaniment on the Tonal Improvisations of Students in First Through Sixth Grade

Guilbault, D. M. — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 13:04:52 PDT

The purpose of this research was to examine the effects of harmonic accompaniment on the tonal improvisations of elementary school students. Specifically, this study was designed to (a) determine if the addition of a root melody accompaniment to song instruction affects the implied harmonic changes and harmonic rhythm in the tonal improvisations of students in first through sixth grade and (b) determine whether age affects the tonal improvisation scores of students in first through sixth grade. Results indicated that students who received song instruction with root melody accompaniment received significantly higher tonal improvisation rating scores than those students who did not have such instruction. No statistical difference was found for the main effect of grade level.

National Estimates of Retention, Migration, and Attrition: A Multiyear Comparison of Music and Non-music Teachers

Hancock, C. B. — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 13:04:52 PDT

This study was designed to estimate the magnitude of retention, migration, and attrition of music teachers; the transfer destinations of those who migrated; the career path status of those who left; and the likelihood that former music teachers would return to teaching. Data, which were analyzed for music (n = 881) and non-music teachers (n = 17,376), came from the 1988—1989, 1991—1992, 1993—1994, and 2000—2001 administrations of the National Center for Education Statistics's Teacher Follow-up Survey, a national survey designed to compile comprehensive data concerning changes in the teacher labor force. Results indicated that between 1988 and 2001, 84% of music teachers were retained by schools, 10% migrated to different schools, and 6% left the profession every year, in rates similar to non-music teachers. Transferring music teachers migrated primarily to different school districts in the same state. One year after leaving the profession, former teachers were attending college (28%), retired (23%), out of teaching (21%), in education but not as a teacher (14%), or working as a homemaker (12%). Approximately one third of former music teachers planned to return to teaching within 5 years, and an additional quarter planned to return after 5 or more years.

An Investigation Into the Choral Singer's Experience of Music Performance Anxiety

Ryan, C., Andrews, N. — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 13:04:52 PDT

The purpose of this study was to examine the performance experiences of choral singers with respect to music performance anxiety. Members of seven semiprofessional choirs ( N = 201) completed questionnaires pertaining to their experience of performance anxiety in the context of their performance history, their experience with conductors, and their use of coping mechanisms. Results indicated that performance anxiety was a common experience for these choral singers. Solo performances were reported to be more anxiety inducing than ensemble experiences, but performing in instrumental ensembles induced greater anxiety than choral ensembles. Participants with college music training reported less frequent, although not less severe, episodes of performance anxiety than those without. The conductor emerged as one of the primary factors in choral singers' experience of performance anxiety.

Are Musical Instrument Gender Associations Changing?

Abeles, H. — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 13:04:52 PDT

The researcher sought to examine gender associations across three decades to determine if changes in the sex stereotyping of musical instruments has occurred. First, the study examined the paired comparison gender—instrument rankings of 180 college students. The results confirmed a reduction of instrument gender associations reported in the 1990s. The second index of gender associations employed was the instruments that middle school children played (N = 2001). A comparison of the instruments played by boys and girls across three studies conducted in 1978, 1993, and 2007 showed little difference in the sex-by-instrument distribution. Girls played predominately flutes, violins, and clarinets, and most boys played drums, trumpets, and trombones. There was some evidence that in band settings, girls were more likely to play nonconforming gender instruments than were boys. Further studies that focus on parents' influence on children's instrument choices and the effect of ethnicity are recommended.

Effects of Temporal Sequencing and Auditory Discrimination on Children's Memory Patterns for Tones, Numbers, and Nonsense Words

Gromko, J. E., Hansen, D., Tortora, A. H., Higgins, D., Boccia, E. — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 13:04:52 PDT

The purpose of this study was to determine whether children's recall of tones, numbers, and words was supported by a common temporal sequencing mechanism; whether children's patterns of memory for tones, numbers, and nonsense words were the same despite differences in symbol systems; and whether children's recall of tones, numbers, and nonsense words was related to their aural discrimination ability. Participants ( N = 74) were children enrolled in grades 1 through 3, drawn from an urban magnet school. On the basis of U-shaped performance profiles, the authors concluded that a common temporal sequencing mechanism may undergird children's recall of tones and nonsense words; thus, these domains may be linked at some basic level. Based on intraclass correlations that compared children's patterns of memory for tones, numbers, and nonsense words, the authors found that children's memory for information varied by symbol system and according to the characteristics of patterns within each symbol system. Finally, they found that aural discrimination skill contributed to children's recall despite differences in symbol systems.

Preservice Music Teachers' Perceptions of Fieldwork Experiences in a Special Needs Classroom

Hourigan, R. M. — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 13:04:52 PDT

The purpose of this study was to examine phenomenologically a special needs fieldwork experience through the perceptions of seven participants. All of the participants were a part of a long-term field experience. The research question was: How was this experience, assisting and teaching students with special needs in an elementary general music context, perceived and constructed by the participants individually and as they collaborated and interacted with one another, as indicated by journals, semistructured interviews, case writing, and field observations? A qualitative particularistic case study design was used in this investigation. Data included journals, participant interviews, observations, and an orientation session video. Findings suggested that (a) the orientation process to fieldwork with children with disabilities, which included the case method of teaching, was perceived as valuable; (b) observation, journaling, discussion, and the relationships that emerged were important to the participants; and (c) reflective practice may have occurred in this study.

Call for Papers/Presentations: 1st MENC Biennial National Conference on Research in Music Education and Music Teacher Education: Anaheim, California, March 25--27, 2010

Thu, 18 Jun 2009 13:04:52 PDT

Call for Nominations: Executive Committee of the Music Education Research Council and the JRME and Update Editorial Committees

Thu, 18 Jun 2009 13:04:52 PDT

Code of Ethics: MENC Research Publication/Presentation Code of Ethics

Thu, 18 Jun 2009 13:04:52 PDT

Instructions to Contributors

Thu, 18 Jun 2009 13:04:52 PDT

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Sims, W. — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 10:03:24 PDT

Measurement of Instrumental and Vocal Undergraduate Performance Juries Using a Multidimensional Assessment Rubric

Ciorba, C. R., Smith, N. Y. — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 10:03:24 PDT

Recent policy initiatives instituted by major accrediting bodies require the implementation of specific assessment tools to provide evidence of student achievement in a number of areas, including applied music study. The purpose of this research was to investigate the effectiveness of a multidimensional assessment rubric, which was administered to all students performing instrumental and vocal juries at a private Midwestern university during one semester (N = 359). Interjudge reliability coefficients indicated a moderate to high level of agreement among judges. Results also revealed that performance achievement was positively related to participants' year in school (freshman, sophomore, junior, and senior), which indicates that a multidimensional assessment rubric can effectively measure students' achievement in the area of solo music performance.

Adolescent Musicians' Perceptions of Conductors Within Musical Context

Madsen, C. K., Geringer, J. M., Madsen, K. — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 10:03:24 PDT

Attention to subtle changes in music, whether inadvertent or purposeful, occupies a great deal of practice and rehearsal time for the performer. Regardless of the extremely subtle acoustic changes that have been found to be perceptible within almost all studies, it is the total overall effect that most occupies the individual listener. This study investigated perception of digitally edited performances of Johann Strauss's Blue Danube Waltz, all performed by the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra with various conductors across an 18-year period. Two groups of string musicians in grades 7 through 12 participated (N = 104). One group was an intact class; the second was a group of summer camp students. All participants listened to two conditions: (a) audio only and (b) audio-video combination. Results indicated that there were no significant differences between groups and that no one was able to identify correctly that there were five different conductors in the audio-only condition. Results were much the same as earlier research with college students. In addition, many students indicated that there were differences in the audio portions of the two conditions when in fact there were not.

Relationships Among Music Sight-Reading and Technical Proficiency, Spatial Visualization, and Aural Discrimination

Hayward, C. M., Eastlund Gromko, J. — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 10:03:24 PDT

The purpose of this study was to examine predictors of music sight-reading ability. The authors hypothesized that speed and accuracy of music sight-reading would be predicted by a combination of aural pattern discrimination, spatial-temporal reasoning, and technical proficiency. Participants (N = 70) were wind players in concert bands at a medium-sized university in the Midwest. In a regression analysis with music sight-reading as the criterion variable, aural-spatial patterning and technical proficiency explained 51% of the variance, F = 37.34, p < .0001. These results support previous research that suggested that auditory, visual, spatial, and kinesthetic activations occur in coordination when wind players sight-read music notation. The results of the regression analysis suggested that although aural-spatial skills and technical proficiency skills were orthogonal, or separate, they both were essential to the complex task of sight-reading.

The Effect of Conductor Expressivity on Ensemble Performance Evaluation

Morrison, S. J., Price, H. E., Geiger, C. G., Cornacchio, R. A. — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 10:03:24 PDT

In this study, the authors examined whether a conductor's use of high-expressivity or low-expressivity techniques affected evaluations of ensemble performances that were identical across conducting conditions. Two conductors each conducted two 1-minute parallel excerpts from Percy Grainger's Walking Tune. Each directed one excerpt using high- and one using low-expressivity techniques. After watching a video of the four conducting segments set to a single audio performance of the selection by a university wind ensemble, participants (N = 118) evaluated ensemble expressivity using a 10-point Likert-type scale. Half of the participants also rated the expressivity of the conductor using a second identical scale. Ensemble expressivity was rated significantly higher for the high-expressivity conductors; effect size was strong (partial ² = .57). Among participants evaluating both conductor and ensemble, there was a significant moderate correlation between ratings (r = .56).

The National High School Orchestra 1926--1938

Hash, P. M. — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 10:03:24 PDT

The purpose of this study was to document the history of the National High School Orchestra (NHSO), a select ensemble organized by Joseph E. Maddy under the auspices of the Music Supervisors' National Conference during the 1920s and 1930s. Research questions examined the orchestra's (1) origin, performances, and operation; (2) instrumentation and repertoire; (3) influence on music education; and (4) implications for modern practice. The first NHSO was assembled for the 1926 meeting of the Music Supervisors' National Conference in Detroit, Michigan. Initially led by Maddy, this ensemble was reorganized in 1927, 1928, 1930, 1932, and 1938. The NHSO helped promote instrumental music education through conference performances, radio broadcasts, and concerts presented throughout the country. This organization also demonstrated the potential of high school musicians and served as a basis for the NHSO Camp—the institution known today as the Interlochen Center for the Arts.

Call for Nominations: MENC Senior Researcher Award: "To Recognize Significant Scholarly Achievement"

Thu, 02 Apr 2009 10:03:24 PDT

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Sims, W. — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 09:25:01 PST

Voice Range Profiles of Middle School and High School Choral Directors

Schwartz, S. M. — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 09:25:01 PST

Vocal demands of teaching are significant, and this challenge is compounded for choral directors who depend on the voice for communicating information or demonstrating music concepts. The purpose of this study is to examine the frequency and intensity of middle and high school choral directors' voices and to compare choral directors' voices with vocally trained and untrained singers and trained healthy and dysphonic voices using a voice range profile. Results indicated that (a) choral directors' vocal intensity range was significantly smaller than both healthy and dysphonic trained voices, (b) choral directors' minimum intensity was significantly higher than healthy and dysphonic trained voices, and (c) vocal frequency ranges of choral directors were reduced as compared with trained and untrained singers and healthy trained voices. The results of this study provide evidence that choral directors are at risk for developing vocal problems. Preservice vocal health training is recommended to reduce voice problems among choral directors.

It's Not How Much; It's How: Characteristics of Practice Behavior and Retention of Performance Skills

Duke, R. A., Simmons, A. L., Cash, C. D. — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 09:25:01 PST

We observed 17 graduate and advanced-undergraduate piano majors practicing a difficult, three-measure keyboard passage from a Shostakovich concerto. Participants' instructions were to practice until they were confident they could play the passage accurately at a prescribed tempo in a retention test session the following day. We analyzed the practice behaviors of each pianist in terms of numeric and nonnumeric descriptors and ranked the pianists according to the overall performance quality of their retention tests. Results indicated no significant relationship between the rankings of pianists' retention test performances and any of the following variables: practice time, number of total practice trials, and number of complete practice trials. There were significant relationships between retention test rankings and the percentage of all performance trials that were performed correctly, r = —.51, the percentage of complete performance trials that were performed correctly, r = —.71, and the number of trials performed incorrectly during practice, r = .48. The results showed that the strategies employed during practice were more determinative of performance quality at retention than was how much or how long the pianists practiced, a finding consistent with the results of related research.

Internal Consistency of Performance Evaluations as a Function of Music Expertise and Excerpt Familiarity

Kinney, D. W. — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 09:25:01 PST

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of music experience and excerpt familiarity on the internal consistency of performance evaluations. Participants included nonmusic majors who had not participated in high school music ensembles, nonmusic majors who had participated in high school music ensembles, music majors, and experts (graduate music majors and music faculty). Participants listened to 45 piano performances of two familiar stimuli and one unfamiliar stimulus and rated each for accuracy and musical expression. Fifteen excerpts were repeated within the presentation of stimuli so that internal consistency could be calculated. Results indicated that both expertise and familiarity significantly affected internal consistency and that these two factors interacted significantly. Internal consistency means reflected linear trends, with more experienced groups demonstrating greater internal consistency for both accuracy and expression evaluations. Greater internal consistency was also evidenced for familiar excerpts, although the effect size associated with this variable was modest. Findings suggest that expertise is a salient influence on the consistency of performance evaluations.

A University--School Music Partnership for Music Education Majors in a Culturally Distinctive Community

Soto, A. C., Lum, C.-H., Campbell, P. S. — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 09:25:01 PST

University—community collaborations are a fairly recent phenomenon, which has often been manifested through the establishment of university partnerships with schools. This research sought to document the process and outcomes of a university—school collaboration called Music Alive! in the Valley (MAV), a yearlong partnership between 33 university music education students and faculty with an elementary school within a rural location of a western state. MAV was intended to serve a Mexican American migrant community whose children frequently spoke only Spanish at home and to provide occasions for university students of music education to engage in positive social contact via music performances, participation, and training experiences. An ethnographic method was employed by which observations, interviews, and examination of material culture were assembled over the course of the school year, and an assessment was offered of the benefits and challenges in the creation of a music education partnership in distinctive (and remote) cultural communities.

Music Listening Preferences in Early Life: Infants' Responses to Accompanied Versus Unaccompanied Singing

Ilari, B., Sundara, M. — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 09:25:01 PST

This study investigated infant listening preferences for two versions of an unfamiliar Chinese children's song: unaccompanied (i.e., voice only) and accompanied (i.e., voice and instrumental accompaniment). Three groups of 5-, 8- and 11-month-old infants were tested using the Headturn Preference Procedure. A general linear model analysis of variance was carried out with gender and age as the between-subjects variables and listening time to the two renditions (unaccompanied, accompanied) as the within-subjects variable. Results indicated a clear preference for the unaccompanied version of the song in all age groups.

The Influence of Beginning Instructional Grade on String Student Enrollment, Retention, and Music Performance

Hartley, L. A., Porter, A. M. — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 09:25:01 PST

The purpose of this study was to investigate three primary variables concerning the starting grade level of beginning string instruction in public schools: (a) initial enrollment, (b) retention data for both the end of the first year and at the seventh-grade year of instruction, and (c) music performance level in the seventh grade. Secondary variables including schedule of instruction, decision makers, grade-level organization, and private lessons also were examined. Research objectives were developed to provide string teachers with information for use when they consider the grade level of beginning instruction in their school districts. Later starting grades yielded the highest retention rates, when retention data for both the end of the initial year of instruction and the beginning of seventh grade were compared with starting grade level. The starting grade level of instruction did not, however, affect initial enrollment figures or music performance of string ensembles.

Code of Ethics: MENC Research Publication/ Presentation Code of Ethics

Mon, 12 Jan 2009 09:25:01 PST

Instructions to Contributors

Mon, 12 Jan 2009 09:25:01 PST