Research
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ABSTRACT: Classroom climate can have an impact on student outcomes in a number of ways including student behavior, content engagement, and self-efficacy. The music classroom is a setting with features unique to its content such as seating arrangements, curricular structure, instructional pacing, duration of enrollment, and emphases on various types of kinesthetic learning. If the classroom environment, curricular structure, and delivery of instruction are unique in the music classroom, it may be that characteristics contributing to its classroom climate are unique as well. The purpose of this study is to explore student-identified elements that contribute to a positive classroom climate in the secondary instrumental music setting. Results are compared to school-wide data reported by Gillen, Wright and Spink (2011) who investigated preferred learning environments and associated elements identified by year 7 and 8 students. Participants (n = 310) were comprised of students in grades 7-12 from six instrumental music classes located in the Greater Seattle Area. Findings provide music educators and professionals with an opportunity to examine how these variables relate specifically to a music setting and potentially confirm or redirect current classroom procedures and practices.
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Presented at the 2016 National Association for Music Education (NAfME) Music Research and Teacher Education conference in Atlanta, Georgia, and the 2016 International Society for Music Education (ISME) World Conference in Glasgow, Scotland, UK. |
Academic Writing
Exploring Community and It's Place in Music Education
Literature review examining the definitions and structures of the construct of community, and how it may overlap into music education.
Literature review examining the definitions and structures of the construct of community, and how it may overlap into music education.
Teaching Parents to Practice: The Value of Parental Support in Instrumental Music Instruction
Article addressing the influence of parental support and supervision on the practice experience of young musicians.
Article addressing the influence of parental support and supervision on the practice experience of young musicians.
The Role of Tradition in Educational Secondary Music Ensembles
Paper examining the relationship of origins, traditions, and best practices in secondary music ensembles.
Paper examining the relationship of origins, traditions, and best practices in secondary music ensembles.
Repertoire Selection & Score Study
This presentation was designed to engage students with two questions: 1. What is good music? And 2. How do you prepare to teach it? I start by examining
what the options are when looking for literature. Who writes music? There are composers that view themselves as artists who write music, educators who moonlight as composers, educators that write music out of necessity for the needs of their program, musicians who write music as a hobby, and the list goes on. This illuminates the potential range in quality of literature. So, what is good literature? Music that caters to the instrumentation? music the kids (and parents) like? Music that is playable for a specific level of students? No. Those are considerations for choosing APPROPRIATE music for your ensembles. Defining quality literature is about just that- the literature. Does it have a clear form and logical structure? Is it scored well for each instrument? Is there anything harmonically or rhythmically interesting? These are some of the considerations I suggest when seeking quality repertoire. By using these guidelines I think students will discover that not all art music is of good quality and not all pop music is poor. The next logical question to address is this: where do we find quality literature? I hope to encourage students to do their own research in reliable texts in the field, professional or military band albums, and/or respected colleagues in the field rather than relying on user-friendly music publishing sites.
After discovering quality repertoire, I suggest making an ongoing list to reference throughout the year when planning within the curriculum. After appropriate pieces have been chosen- then what? Score study of course... but why? I encourage students to think about their responsibility to come to their classes prepared as a teacher, just as we expect from our students. Not only to familiarize themselves with the music, but more importantly to anticipate where students may ned support. By doing so, teachers have the opportunity to proactively plan a variety of strategies for remediation and will be prepared when it happens in real time. I also offer various strategies for interpreting and internalizing the score. The last idea I ask students to consider is that score study is not an item to check off a list, it is a continuous process from sight reading until the concert.
This presentation was designed to engage students with two questions: 1. What is good music? And 2. How do you prepare to teach it? I start by examining
what the options are when looking for literature. Who writes music? There are composers that view themselves as artists who write music, educators who moonlight as composers, educators that write music out of necessity for the needs of their program, musicians who write music as a hobby, and the list goes on. This illuminates the potential range in quality of literature. So, what is good literature? Music that caters to the instrumentation? music the kids (and parents) like? Music that is playable for a specific level of students? No. Those are considerations for choosing APPROPRIATE music for your ensembles. Defining quality literature is about just that- the literature. Does it have a clear form and logical structure? Is it scored well for each instrument? Is there anything harmonically or rhythmically interesting? These are some of the considerations I suggest when seeking quality repertoire. By using these guidelines I think students will discover that not all art music is of good quality and not all pop music is poor. The next logical question to address is this: where do we find quality literature? I hope to encourage students to do their own research in reliable texts in the field, professional or military band albums, and/or respected colleagues in the field rather than relying on user-friendly music publishing sites.
After discovering quality repertoire, I suggest making an ongoing list to reference throughout the year when planning within the curriculum. After appropriate pieces have been chosen- then what? Score study of course... but why? I encourage students to think about their responsibility to come to their classes prepared as a teacher, just as we expect from our students. Not only to familiarize themselves with the music, but more importantly to anticipate where students may ned support. By doing so, teachers have the opportunity to proactively plan a variety of strategies for remediation and will be prepared when it happens in real time. I also offer various strategies for interpreting and internalizing the score. The last idea I ask students to consider is that score study is not an item to check off a list, it is a continuous process from sight reading until the concert.
From Louis to Miles
Presentation comparing and contrasting the style, work, and influence of seminal trumpet players Louis Armstrong and Miles Davis.
Presentation comparing and contrasting the style, work, and influence of seminal trumpet players Louis Armstrong and Miles Davis.
