The Role of Accompaniment Quality in Band Directors’ Evaluations of Solo Instrumental Performance

2019 ◽  
Vol 67 (4) ◽  
pp. 481-493
Author(s):  
Brian A. Silvey ◽  
D. Gregory Springer
Keyword(s):  
Music Education ◽  
Instrumental Music ◽  
Band Directors ◽  
Education Majors ◽  
Instrumental Performance ◽  
Instrumental Music Education ◽  
Study Results ◽  
Music Education Majors ◽  
Trumpet Performance

The purpose of this replication study was to examine the effects of accompaniment on evaluations of solo instrumental performances. Although previous findings have indicated that instrumental music education majors’ evaluations of soloists were not independent of accompaniment, it is unknown whether more experienced evaluators are similarly affected by accompaniment. In addition to using a new population (in-service band directors), we also extended the previous study by asking participants whether they believed their evaluations of a soloist were influenced by the accompaniment provided. Participants ( N = 58) listened to six excerpts of Haydn’s Concerto for Trumpet, which we created by pairing different recordings of solo trumpet performance (good or bad) with piano accompaniment (good, bad, or none). Participants evaluated the accuracy and expressivity of the soloist in each excerpt. Similar to the previous study, results indicated that participants discriminated between good and bad solo performances successfully, but a significant three-way interaction among solo, accompaniment, and order indicated that these differences were further influenced by the quality/presence of accompaniment and order. Most participants (72.4%) believed that their evaluations of the soloist were not influenced by the piano accompaniment, primarily because they were able to focus on the soloist or because they followed the instructions provided.

The Role of Accompaniment Quality in the Evaluation of Solo Instrumental Performance

2018 ◽  
Vol 66 (1) ◽  
pp. 92-110 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. Gregory Springer ◽  
Brian A. Silvey
Keyword(s):  
Music Education ◽  
Instrumental Music ◽  
Education Majors ◽  
Instrumental Performance ◽  
Solo Performance ◽  
Instrumental Music Education ◽  
Performance Quality ◽  
Music Education Majors ◽  
Main Effects

The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of accompaniment quality on the evaluation of solo instrumental performance. Undergraduate instrumental music education majors ( N = 71) listened to and evaluated the accuracy and expressivity of six excerpts of Haydn’s Concerto for Trumpet in E-Flat Major, which we created by synchronizing recordings of good and bad performances of a trumpet soloist with good and bad performances of a piano accompaniment (as well as a no-accompaniment condition). Participants also chose one “best aspect of the performance” and one “aspect needing most improvement” for each excerpt. Significant main effects for accompaniment condition (good, bad, or none) and solo condition (good or bad) were found, in addition to interaction effects. Results of a Solo × Accompaniment interaction signified that participants’ ratings were not independent of accompaniment condition, and this effect was moderated by the performance quality of the trumpet soloist. Additionally, participants noted different “best aspects” and “aspects needing most improvement” based on both solo performance quality and accompaniment condition.

Undergraduate Instrumental Music Education Majors' Approaches to Score Study in Various Musical Contexts

2006 ◽  
Vol 54 (3) ◽  
pp. 215-230 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeremy S. Lane
Keyword(s):  
Music Education ◽  
Instrumental Music ◽  
Education Majors ◽  
Score Study ◽  
Verbal Responses ◽  
Instrumental Music Education ◽  
Study Results ◽  
Audible Sound ◽  
Music Education Majors ◽  
Score Preparation

Participants in the study (N = 21) engaged in two one-on-one interview sessions with the investigator. During each session, participants "thought out loud" as they studied one solo score and one full score of music by various composers. Interviews were conducted in an effort to assess preexisting knowledge of the music being studied and to assess participants' perceptions about score study. Results indicated three primary themes: (1) a lack of transfer of preexisting knowledge into certain score-study procedures, (2) an increase in specificity of verbal responses that seemed to correspond with education and experience, and (3) a lack of audible sound used during score preparation within full-score settings. Other findings suggest a contextual basis for score-study procedures and reflect changes in score-study patterns that seem influenced by experience and education.

An Observational Study of Score Study Practices Among Undergraduate Instrumental Music Education Majors

2017 ◽  
Vol 65 (1) ◽  
pp. 52-71 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brian A. Silvey ◽  
Mark Montemayor ◽  
Christopher M. Baumgartner
Keyword(s):  
Music Education ◽  
Instrumental Music ◽  
Education Majors ◽  
Preparation Programs ◽  
Score Study ◽  
Instrumental Music Education ◽  
Study Session ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Model Condition ◽  
Music Education Majors

The purpose of this study was to investigate undergraduate instrumental music education majors’ score study practices as they related to the effectiveness of their simulated conducting. Participants ( N = 30) were video recorded in two sessions in which they completed a 20-min score study session and a simulated conducting performance. In the first score study session, all 30 conductors studied Mini-Suite for Band, Movement 1. In Session 2, participants studied Portrait of a Clown but this time either with a model recording ( n = 15) or without one ( n = 15). We computed the overall duration of participants’ score study behaviors for both pieces. Additional data included graduate students’ evaluations of participants’ post–score study conducting performances and an inventory of participants’ score study markings. We found a significant difference in the proportion of time spent in score studying activities between the model and no-model condition conductors, with more time spent in gesturing when studying along with a model. Evaluations of participants’ conducting revealed no differences between those conductors who used a model and those who did not while studying Portrait of a Clown. Our analysis of conductors’ score markings revealed a small number of notable differences between stronger/weaker conductors and between model/no-model conditions. Implications for undergraduate conductor preparation programs are discussed.

A Comparison of the Basic Song Repertoire of Vocal/Choral and Instrumental Music Education Majors

2000 ◽  
Vol 48 (1) ◽  
pp. 5-9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carol A. Prickett ◽  
Madeline S. Bridges
Keyword(s):  
Music Education ◽  
Choral Music ◽  
Instrumental Music ◽  
Music Educators ◽  
Education Majors ◽  
Education Students ◽  
Song Repertoire ◽  
Instrumental Music Education ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Music Education Majors

Following up on an earlier study, an audiotape of the tunes of 25 standard songs, assumed to be known by everyone who has finished 6th grade, was played for 135 undergraduate instrumental music education students and 79 undergraduate vocal/choral music education students. There was no significant difference in the ability of either group to identify the songs. The means for both groups indicated that neither had developed a strong repertoire of standard songs outside the college classroom. Several songs that music educators have stated are very important for children to learn could not be identified by even half the students in either group. It is recommended that professors preparing music education students for their future careers consider adding activities to music education courses that build a strong song repertoire.

Self-Regulated Music Practice: Microanalysis as a Data Collection Technique and Inspiration for Pedagogical Intervention

2018 ◽  
Vol 66 (3) ◽  
pp. 295-319 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter Miksza ◽  
Jennifer Blackwell ◽  
Nicholas E. Roseth
Keyword(s):  
Music Education ◽  
Instrumental Music ◽  
Self Regulation ◽  
Daily Practice ◽  
Data Sources ◽  
Practice Session ◽  
Music Practice ◽  
Instrumental Music Education ◽  
Data Collection Technique ◽  
Music Education Majors

The purpose of this study was to explore a microanalysis technique for measuring instrumentalists’ self-regulation tendencies during music practice. A secondary purpose was to investigate whether an intervention informed by the features of the microanalysis technique would increase the students’ self-regulated learning tendencies. Three undergraduate instrumental music education majors volunteered to participate in this study. This study was designed as a multiple-baselines experiment spanning 15 consecutive days. Data sources included (a) entrance interviews; (b) daily practice efficacy ratings; (c) data gathered from pre- and posttest microanalysis sessions; (d) detailed behavioral analyses of video-recorded, pre- and posttest practice sessions; and (e) a focus group exit interview. The microanalytic intervention designed for this study involved a coaching session in which a member of the research team explicitly drew attention to the affective, behavioral, and metacognitive qualities related to effective practicing during a student’s practice session. The pretest microanalysis data revealed distinct learning profiles for each student that were corroborated with information from the other data sources. The intervention had modest effects that varied across participants, suggesting that it was useful for bringing to light and addressing individuals’ specific self-regulatory deficiencies in a manner respective to their needs.

Jazz Ensembles

2019 ◽  
pp. 843-862
Author(s):  
C. Michael Palmer
Keyword(s):  
Music Education ◽  
Instrumental Music ◽  
Music Educators ◽  
Jazz Pedagogy ◽  
Instrumental Music Education ◽  
Art Form ◽  
Musical Cultures ◽  
Jazz Ensembles ◽  
Jazz Theory

This chapter acknowledges the growth of jazz ensembles in instrumental music education and the value of preparing future music educators to teach jazz. It situates jazz pedagogy in an authentic, experiential framework, emphasizing the important role of the rhythm section and what it means to be culturally literate through improvisation. Topics such as jazz theory, swing feel, and jazz styles are examined. The chapter also discusses a paradigm shift in the conceptualization of music education, whereby an interpreter-performer perspective is replaced by a creator-performer perspective. Musicians’ roles as composers and improvisers in the jazz idiom suggest learning this art form is relevant for developing creative performers who may then be able to participate in a variety of other musical cultures.

A History of the North American Band Directors’ Coordinating Committee, 1960–1970

2012 ◽  
Vol 60 (4) ◽  
pp. 430-451
Author(s):  
John M. Seybert
Keyword(s):  
Music Education ◽  
North American ◽  
Instrumental Music ◽  
Music Industry ◽  
School Curriculum ◽  
Band Directors ◽  
National Association ◽  
Instrumental Music Education ◽  
The North ◽  
American Bandmasters Association

The purpose of this study was to investigate the institutional history and documentary evidence of the North American Band Directors’ Coordinating Committee (NABDCC) during the first decade of its existence, from 1960 through 1970. The NABDCC constituted a forum of national band, music industry, and related associations, including the American Bandmasters Association, College Band Directors National Association, and the National Association of Music Merchants, for examining mutual concerns critically and for fostering discussion with experts outside of the wind profession. The research questions addressed the development of the NABDCC, important events in its history, and the specific issues in music education examined by the committee. Important issues in instrumental music that were discussed by the NABDCC included the role of the band in the school curriculum, music advocacy, federal and state legislation, standards-based education, and the inclusion of new musical styles and ensembles. Various themes across these issues emerged from the study, including the difficulties of collaboration within a multifaceted representation of specific interests and the oscillating relationship between music educators and the music industry. The results of this study contribute to enhanced understanding of 1960s instrumental music education, with implications for the present.

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