2010 Research Poster Session III Abstracts - Part 2

2010 Biennial Music Educators National Conference Research Poster Session Abstracts

Research Poster Session I	Research Poster Session II	Research Poster Session III
Part 1 • Part 2	Part 1 • Part 2	Part 1 • Part 2

Research Poster Session III, Part 2

MacLeod, Rebecca B.; University of North Carolina at Greensboro. rbmacleo@uncg.edu
Jennifer S. Walter,Jennifer S. Walter; Associate Professor of Music Education, University of North Carolina at Greensboro.
“Cooperating Teachers’ Perceptions Regarding Student Teacher Preparation.”

Madsen, Katia; Louisiana State University. kmadsen@lsu.edu
“Musicians’ Preferences of Conducted and Non-Conducted Choral Performances.”

Montemayor, Mark; University of Northern Colorado. mark.montemayor@unco.edu
Stewart, Connie; Center for Integrated Arts Education, University of Northern Colorado.
“Student Perceptions of the Academic Value of Arts Education.”

Morrow, Sharon L.; Westminster Choir College of Rider University. smorrow@rider.edu
“Tools of the Trade: Voice-use Profiles and the Effects of Voice Amplification on Vocal Load for Elementary Music Teachers.”

Orman, Evelyn K.; Louisiana State University. eorman1@lsu.edu
“The Effect of Listening to Specific Musical Genre Selections on Measures of Heart Rate Variability.”

Paney, Andrew S.; University of Mississippi. apaney@olemiss.edu
“Directing Attention in Melodic Dictation.”

Parker, Elizabeth Cassidy; Columbus State University. elizabethcparker@gmail.com
“Uncovering Adolescent Choral Singers’ Philosophical Beliefs of Music-Making: A Qualitative Inquiry.”

Paul, Timothy A.; University of Oregon. paulta@uoregon.edu
“Sight-Reading Requirements at Concert Band Festivals: A National Survey.”

Pinar, Colleen Pinar; Independent Scholar. colleenpinar@yahoo.com
“Mary Stuart Butler, Pioneer Texas Music Educator: Experiences and Memories of the 1895 New School of Methods.”

Price, Kathy Kessler; University of Kansas. price.kk@gmail.com
“Emma Seiler: A pioneering woman in the art and science of teaching voice.”

Rosenthal, Roseanne; VanderCook College of Music. rrosenthal@vandercook.edu
Monica Rinderer,Monica Rinderer; Instructor, VanderCook College of Music.
“ The Effect of Observaion and Verbalization on Instrumentalists’ Performance Improvement.”

Ryan, Charlene; Berklee College of Music. cryan1@berklee.edu
Boucher, Helene; Academie Lavalloise.
Ryan, Gina; McGill University.
“Performance Preparation, Anxiety, and the Teacher: Experiences of Adolescent Pianists.”

Schlegel, Amanda; Louisiana St. University. aschle2@tigers.lsu.edu
Lane, Jeremy S.; University of South Carolina.
“The Effects of Pitch, Articulation and Performer Expertise on Instrument Identification Ability of Senior Adult Musicians.”

Schloneger, Matthew J.; University of Kansas. matthews@hesston.edu
“Student Singer Voice Use In An Intensive Collegiate Rehearsal Period: A Case Study.”

Simmons, Amy L.; The University of Texas at San Antonio. Amy.Simmons@utsa.edu
Allen, Sarah E.; Southern Methodist University.
Cash, Carla Davis; Texas Tech University.
Duke, Robert A.; The University of Texas at Austin.
“The Relationship Between Learning During Active Practice and Offline Learning During Sleep.”

Strietelmeier, Andrew A.; The University of Texas at Austin. strietel79@hotmail.com
“On the Second Ledger Line vs. That’s Where It Is: The Effects of Spatial Manipulations of Visual Musical Stimuli on Perception of Musical Examples in Sight-Reading.”

Walls, Kimberly; Auburn University. kim.walls@auburn.edu
Samuels, Sue; University of Alabama Birmingham.
“Incorporating Observation as a Means of Improving Self-Efficacy for the Music Teacher.”

Whitaker, Jennifer A.; University of North Carolina at Charlotte. jwhitaker@uncc.edu
“Analyses of High School Band Students’ and Directors’ Perceptions of Verbal and Nonverbal Teaching Behaviors.”

MacLeod, Rebecca B.; University of North Carolina at Greensboro. rbmacleo@uncg.edu
Walter, Jennifer S.; University of North Carolina at Greensboro.
“Cooperating Teachers’ Perceptions Regarding Student Teacher Preparation.”

The purpose of this study was to investigate the perceptions of cooperating teachers regarding the level of preparedness of student teachers at the beginning of the student teaching experience. Fifty-four secondary ensemble teachers (orchestra, band, and choir) completed a survey rating how prepared their most recent student teacher was in the areas of personal skills, teaching skills, and musical skills and provided feedback regarding the skill that needed the most attention from the university to improve teacher preparation. Cooperating teachers rated student teachers similarly in all three categories. Differences were found between orchestra, band, and choir teachers in regard to the skill that was selected in each category as needing the most attention. Orchestra and band teachers selected effective rehearsal pace, subject matter knowledge, and secondary instrument skills as needing additional focus from university programs while choral teachers selected piano skills and teaching and learning strategies as important areas to develop. Additional trends were noted between orchestra, band and choral teachers and implications for music teacher training are discussed.

Madsen, Katia; Louisiana State University. kmadsen@lsu.edu
“Musicians’ Preferences of Conducted and Non-Conducted Choral Performances.”

This paper presents two studies. The purpose of Study I was to examine the effects of conducting and no-conducting conditions on the singing and listening preferences of choral musicians participating in a non-auditioned collegiate choir. Undergraduate female students (N = 70) of varied academic disciplines enrolled in a university women’s chorus ensemble either participated as singers (n = 35) or listeners (n = 35). The singers performed two choral pieces with and without the conductor and then selected one of three preference options related to their singing experience and provided written comments to support their preference selection. The listener group listened to audio recordings of the singers’ performances and indicated their performance preferences. Two-way chi square analyses revealed a significant difference (p < .001) between groups for both pieces. More singers preferred to sing with the conductor, while more listeners preferred the performances that were not conducted. The singers wrote mostly about the conductor’s gestures and feelings of security. The listeners wrote mostly about text clarity. Study II served to replicate the listening experience with female music majors (N = 35) who participated as listeners using the same audio recording stimulus and response form used in Study I. Two-way chi square analyses revealed no significant difference between the two listener groups for Piece 1 (p > .05), but did show a significant difference for Piece 2 (p < .05). The Study II listeners preferred the non-conducted performances of both pieces and wrote most of their comments about singing in time and style.

The purpose of this study was to discover if students designated as “arts students” (including music students) would respond differently than their “nonarts students” classmates to a battery of questions regarding their perceptions of the value of various subject matters, and if students’ responses regarding “arts classes” (including drama/theater, music, and visual arts) would be different than those regarding “nonarts classes.” Subjects were students (N = 821) of four secondary schools (middle school and high school levels). Based on their responses regarding courses they have taken, slightly over half of the students were designated as “arts students”; the rest were designated as “nonarts students.”
The survey instrument consisted of nine questions which solicited students’ responses on the perceived importance and academic value of various subject matters, presented without the suggestion of this being an arts-related survey. Students’ responses demonstrated numerous statistically significant differences between “arts students” and “nonarts students,” and between each student groups’ perceptions of arts classes and nonarts classes. Particularly notable results include the finding that arts students valued both arts classes and nonarts classes as being important to their education more so than nonarts students; also, arts students considered nonarts classes to be more related to their overall scholastic success than arts classes, and more so than nonarts students. Analysis of the answers to the free-response question shows a conspicuous absence of arts-related comments among both student groups.
These results suggest a certain congruence of arts involvement with broader academic affinity among students. Further implications are discussed.

Teachers represent the largest group of occupational voice users and they have voice-related problems at a rate of over twice that found in the general population. More dramatically, music teachers are roughly four times more likely than classroom teachers to develop voice-related problems. While it has been suggested that music teachers use their voices at high intensities and durations in the course of their work, voice-use profiles and the amount and intensity of vocal use, defined as vocal load, have not been directly measured in music teachers during the workday, nor compared with these voice-use parameters in classroom teachers. In addition, the role of interventions such as voice amplification in the reduction of vocal load for elementary music teachers is unclear. In this study, vocal load was calculated by voice-parameter measurements obtained using a KayPENTAX Ambulatory Phonation Monitor. Twelve participants (n = 7 elementary music teachers and n = 5 elementary classroom teachers) were monitored for one workweek to determine average vocal load for these two groups of teachers. Significant differences in phonation time (p < 0.05) and vocal load (p < 0.01) were found between the two groups. In addition, music teachers were monitored a second week using a ChatterVoxTM voice amplification unit (Asyst, Inc.) resulting in a significant decrease in vocal load (p < 0.01). These results have implications for preservation of vocal health for music teachers. Further, these data show voice amplification may be an effective intervention for the potentially damaging vocal loads experienced by music teachers.

Orman, Evelyn K.; Louisiana State University. eorman1@lsu.edu
“The Effect of Listening to Specific Musical Genre Selections on Measures of Heart Rate Variability.”

The purpose of this study was to examine heart rate variability (HRV) during music listening. University students (N = 30) rank ordered 13 musical genres from the most to the least liked. Subsequent to ranking, each participant listened to the Billboard 100 top ranked musical selection for his or her most and least liked musical genre. Two minutes of silence preceded each musical listening condition and presentation order was varied to control for order effect. During listening heart rate variability (HRV) data for each participant was recorded. Results showed all HRV measures decreased during the music listening as compared to the preceding condition of silence. Dependent t tests found significant decreases for beats per minute (p < .01, like; p < .001, dislike) and low frequency (p < .01, like; p < .05, dislike) measures and a significant decrease in the high frequency/low frequency ratio (p < .05) was found in the dislike music listening condition. Results of a Sign test showed no significant difference in the number of mean readings that increased or decreased for either condition. These findings support previous research that HRV decreases during mentally engaging tasks but do not support previous research which show HRV readings may be a measure of emotional responding during music listening.

Paney, Andrew S.; University of Mississippi. apaney@olemiss.edu
“Directing Attention in Melodic Dictation.”

Researchers have isolated four phases involved in taking dictation: hearing, memory, understanding, and notation. Would directing students through these phases improve their score on a dictation assessment?
Subjects were university music students in their second, third, or fourth level of aural skills training. Two matched groups were formed based on subjects’ scores on a dictation of a recorded melody. Though subjects in both groups took a second dictation individually, only those in the treatment group received instructions before and after each hearing. These instructions directed their attention to basic musical aspects of the recording and asked them to respond to questions regarding those aspects.
Responses were evaluated based on rhythm, pitch, and overall scores. In every comparison the control group scored higher than the treatment group. Comparisons of the whole group in rhythm, pitch, and overall scores showed a significant difference favoring the control group. Results suggest that receiving direction during a dictation was not helpful to music students. This may be a result of a disruption of students’ established routines. It may also indicate a lack of basic musicianship skills requisite for successful mastery of dictation.

Parker, Elizabeth Cassidy; Columbus State University. elizabethcparker@gmail.com
“Uncovering Adolescent Choral Singers’ Philosophical Beliefs of Music-Making: A Qualitative Inquiry.”

Adolescents use music to aid their own development. Through music-making, composing and listening, they refine their beliefs about themselves and their musical experiences. The purpose of this qualitative inquiry was to investigate adolescent choral singers’ philosophical beliefs regarding music-making within three different, mid-sized, Midwestern Mixed Choirs. Eighteen participants were interviewed for approximately forty minutes each. Audiofiles were transcribed and coded with four themes resulting: 1) music-making as a simultaneously feelingful experience for participants; 2) musical knowing as interpersonal knowing; 3) expressed music as expressed feeling; and 4) music-making as enlightening. Participants verified the data through member checks. The presence of a peer debriefer helped the investigator work through potential ethical issues. Results reflect many ideas within the field of music philosophy as well as align with past studies focused on participants expressed meaning of musical experiences. Future suggestions for study include investigating perspectives of individual performers and participants who engage in different music ensembles to strengthen understanding of contextual factors.

Paul, Timothy A.; University of Oregon. paulta@uoregon.edu
“Sight-Reading Requirements at Concert Band Festivals: A National Survey.”

In this study, a replication and extension of work by Norris (2004), I examined sight-reading requirements at middle and high school large-group band festivals across the United States. As in the earlier investigation, I solicited answers to the following questions from all 50 states: (1) Are there ratings-based large-group band festivals? (2) Is sight-reading required? (3) Are there specific classes or levels of proficiency? (4) Is musical content specified for each level? (5) Are sight-reading and performance scores combined for an overall rating? Results showed that fewer than half of all states mandate sight-reading at large-group ratings-based band festivals at both the middle and high school levels. An even smaller number of states specify difficulty levels, stipulate musical content, and include the sight-reading score in an overall final rating. Frequency of affirmative responses to all questions was consistently higher at the high school level.

Pinar, Colleen; Independent Scholar. colleenpinar@yahoo.com
“Mary Stuart Butler, Pioneer Texas Music Educator: Experiences and Memories of the 1895 New School of Methods.”

This study used historical research methods to explore Mary Stuart Butlers, a pioneer Texas Normal School Music Educator, experiences and memories of the 1895 New School of Methods. The years immediately preceding and following the turn of the twentieth century constituted an era of rapid expansion in developmental and philosophical approaches in music education. Instructional music series such as Natural Music Course (1895), edited by Frederic H. Ripley and Thomas Tapper, played an important role in establishing higher standards of student performance and effective teaching. This higher standard impacted both the music supervisor and grade teachers who utilized the series in their classrooms. Further advancement in the field of music education can be attributed to the influence of these music series, their authors, and the New School of Methods.

Price, Kathy Kessler; University of Kansas. price.kk@gmail.com
“Emma Seiler: A pioneering woman in the art and science of teaching voice.”

The purpose of this paper is to examine the life and vocal technique of nineteenth century vocal pedagogue, Emma Seiler, with specific attention to her science-based theories of female vocal registration in singing. Seiler’s physiological and pedagogical theories regarding female singing voice registers are compared with some of her contemporaries, and with modern day theories. Exploration of her historical writings reveal Seiler’s emphasis on anatomical and physiological bases through use of the laryngoscope, pedagogical commonalities and differences with her colleagues, and coherence with twenty-first century theories. Comparison with modern day voice scientists (Sundberg, Titze, and Thurman) indicate Seiler registration theories are in line with much current thought. Her relative anonymity is not surprising, given the culture of her era, but her scientific scrutiny of vocal registers as a primary means of achieving healthy vocal technique contributed to the pedagogy of her day and helped forge a path to current understandings regarding registration theory.

Rosenthal, Roseanne; VanderCook College of Music. rrosenthal@vandercook.edu
Rinderer, Monica; VanderCook College of Music.
“The Effect of Observaion and Verbalization on Instrumentalists’ Performance Improvement.”

Dyad practice is an approach to instrumental practice in which two more or less equally skilled partners rotate observation, physical practice and verbalization. This study examines the effectiveness of observation and verbalization during during dyad practice on instrumentalists’ performance skill. Participants (music education majors practicing on a secondary instrument) (n=46) practiced an advanced beginner composition alone or in pairs. Four practice treatments were designed and tested: 1) Dyad+Music Talk, 2) Dyad+Nonmusic Talk, 3) Alone+Music Talk, and 4) Alone+Nonmusic Talk. Dependent variables were subjects’ note accuracy, tempo accuracy, articulation accuracy, and frequency of glitches. Each variable was measured four times: Baseline, Acquisition (same piece performed after practice), Retention (same piece performed two to four days later), and Transfer (performance on a permutation of the original piece). Results most consistently suggest that verbalization about the music helped musicians improve their performance. Working with a partner also appeared helpful in improving subjects’ Note Accuracy but it was not helpful, and possibly detrimental, to subjects’ Tempo Accuracy and Articulation. There is also concern that working with a partner may have an unintended negative effect on Glitches. The results of this study are inconclusive with respect to the effectiveness of dyad practice and the topic warrants further study.

The purpose of this study was to examine the experiences and anxiety of adolescent pianists in their private lessons and solo performances. A particular focus was placed on the student-teacher relationship and the potential role of teachers in students’ preparation, experience, and anxiety in performance situations. Sixty-two piano students completed questionnaires pertaining to their private lessons, teacher, and performance experiences, as well as two inventories – one pertaining to self-esteem and the other on music performance anxiety. Results indicate that gender, self-esteem, practice, and years of study are significant predictors of performance anxiety, with gender having the most notable effect. Almost half of the participants reported feeling nervous in their lessons at least some of the time. Most students noted that their teachers encourage them to perform; however, only half reported that their teachers address performance preparation issues. Less than half were reported to discuss memorization strategies or performance anxiety with students, or to hold practice-performance classes. Implications for music educators and future research directions are discussed.

Senior adults (N=38) completed a listening task in which they attempted to identify instruments performing single-tone excerpts and determine the level of expertise of the performer (professional or beginner). Investigators created two different conditions (tones that included initial attack and tones with sustain only and no initial attack) among tones produced by four different instruments (flute, clarinet, alto saxophone, trumpet) on two different pitches (F4 and Bb4).
Results of data analysis indicated that participants were more successful identifying tones that included the initial attack (as opposed to tones consisting of sustain only). Trumpet was the instrument identified accurately most consistently, and participants were more accurate identifying instrument timbre when the pitch was F4 rather than Bb4. Results indicated significant three-way interactions between pitch, articulation, and instrument, and also between pitch, expertise, and articulation.
The presence of the initial attack was a significant variable affecting participants’ ability to identify instrumental timbre, a result consistent with findings of previous research. One unique finding suggested that performer expertise did not significantly effect participants’ perception of timbre; findings of previous studies using collegiate-level musicians and non-musicians indicated a significant effect related to performer expertise.

Schloneger, Matthew J.; University of Kansas. matthews@hesston.edu
“Student Singer Voice Use In An Intensive Collegiate Rehearsal Period: A Case Study.”

The purpose of this case study was to document undergraduate students’ (N=2) voice use before, during, and after an intense week of choral and musical theatre rehearsals through (a) acquired Ambulatory Phonation Monitor (APM) data; (b) participant activity logs; (c) daily surveys; and (d) 3 administrations of the Singing Voice Handicap Index (SVHI). Two female students (pseudonyms Kathy and Melissa) wore APMs for all waking hours for two baseline days prior to an intensive rehearsal week, for a five day week in which they participated in a total of 39 hours of choir and musical rehearsals, and for two baseline days exactly one week after the intensive week.
Compared to the baseline study days, the participants nearly doubled their daily cycles of vibration and nearly tripled their daily distance dose. Participants’ phonation times were 18.53% and 13.76% over five intensive rehearsal days with average daily distance doses of 10,608m and 7,216m. Kathy (a self-described introvert) and Melissa (a self-described extrovert), used their voices differently throughout the study period, with Melissa’s voice use approximately doubling that of Kathy’s during about 25 hours of recorded non-rehearsal time in the intensive week. Both participants reported vocal fatigue by the final day of the intensive period. Daily surveys and the SVHI revealed an inverse relationship between voice use and fatigue, as Kathy reported more vocal difficulty than Melissa at the end of the intensive week. Results are discussed in terms of relationships between voice use, perception of fatigue, real vocal fatigue and personality traits.

Procedural memory consolidation enhances skill learning during intervals between practice sessions that include sleep. We sought to determine if musicians’ initial level of skill with a new motor task and the extent of improvements made during active practice predicted the degree to which performance was enhanced by overnight consolidation. We analyzed data from two experiments (XX, 2009; XX, 2007), each of which involved musicians practicing a 13-note melody during evening training sessions and returning in the morning to perform the melody again. In both experiments, results indicate an inverse relationship between the extent to which learners demonstrated performance gains during training and the amount of offline improvements that developed over a night of sleep. Our findings, which approach significance, are in line with previous research showing that learners may have an inherent capacity for motor skill learning that comprises improvements that occur during active practice and improvements that occur during post-practice overnight consolidation.

Subjects (n=11) sight-read 48 sight-reading examples. Examples were either normally formatted according to the usual rules of music notation (original) or manipulated such that individual notes’ spatial positions were horizontally modified (rhythm-modified) or vertically modified (pitch-modified). Subjects’ responses to different types of stimuli varied depending upon the type of manipulation used and upon the location of the manipulation within the example. Results suggest that spatial layout is more pertinent to perception of pitch information than to perception of rhythm information. Limitations and potential sources of error in the current study are discussed.

Walls, Kimberly C.; Auburn University. kim.walls@auburn.edu
Samuels, Sue; University of Alabama Birmingham.
“Incorporating Observation as a Means of Improving Self-Efficacy for the Music Teacher.”

The purpose of this study was to transform the classroom culture from one of observation viewed as obligation to observation viewed as a powerful learning tool. Pre-service music teachers from two southern universities were involved in an action research project in which they collaborated on the creation of an observation instrument. Through class discussions, investigation and creation regarding observation formats, rating scales, categories for evaluation, and musical teaching skills, an environment was created in which the pre-service teachers became an integral part of the observation process. By their connection with the process, students at both sites expressed increased enthusiasm and commitment to the observation process. Interviews with students involved in the project served to provide greater insight to the perception of observation. Observations, reflections, and documents served to triangulate data for increased validity. Findings from this study indicate a need to involve pre-service teachers in a collaborative environment in order to increase their appreciation for the observation process.

The purpose of this study was to document student and director perceptions of verbal and nonverbal teaching behaviors of selected high school band directors. Participants were six successful high school band directors and members of their top-performing ensembles. Directors and students viewed and rated video excerpts of the respective director in rehearsal, completed a questionnaire, and participated in interviews.
Student evaluations showed that excerpts containing drill, all strict conducting, and more teacher talk than student response were rated lowest. Excerpts containing more or relatively equal amounts of student response and teacher talk, some expressive conducting, and lower levels of neutral facial expressions were rated highest. Directors rated excerpts containing high levels of neutral facial expressions and more or equal amounts of teacher talk than student response highest. Lowest rated excerpts contained drill or structured rehearsal; all strict conducting, mostly strict conducting, or no conducting; medium amounts of neutral facial expressions; and longer student activity times than teacher times. Director perceptions were similar but generally more critical than student perceptions.
Student and director interview responses revealed similar perceptions. Student interview results revealed that they were able to identify and discuss their director’s teaching behaviors easily, had a respect for director’s musical abilities and knowledge regardless of personal liking or disliking of director, and desired more praise but thought of disapproving feedback as a “critique.” Director responses showed that directors were most critical of conducting behaviors, were very reflective regarding their teaching behaviors, and believed self-assessment was beneficial to improve ones teaching.