Journal of Research in Music Education

This study used exploratory (EFA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) to verify a theoretical structure for high school concert band performance and to test that structure for viability, generality, and invariance. A total of 101 university students enrolled in two different bands rated two high school band performances (a “first” band’s Performance 1, and “second” band’s Performance 2) using items from Sagen’s Band Performance Rating Scale. EFA methods verified a structure consisting of three interrelated primary-order factors. Items did not have the same factor loadings in both performances. For Performance 1, the factor accounting for the most variance was Expression/Tone Quality, followed by Intonation and then Rhythm. For Performance 2, the factor accounting for the most variance was Tone Quality/Intonation, followed by Expression and then Rhythm. Both performances’ structures exhibited a strong second-order general factor (g). CFA demonstrated that models consisting of three interrelated primary-order factors and one second-order g fit both sets of data. Regarding generality, the Performance 1 model did not fit Performance 2 data, whereas the Performance 2 model did fit Performance 1 data. The Performance 1 model demonstrated a high degree of invariance between the two sets of evaluators; the Performance 2 model did not.

The purpose of this study was to determine whether students’ practice efficiency, flow during practicing, and self-efficacy for self-regulation varied as a function of their practice tendencies, their tendencies toward self-evaluation, their self-regulatory tendencies to be self-reflective when practicing, tendencies to exhibit grit in their learning, and their teachers’ methods of instruction in practicing. Participants were 52 studio lesson teachers and 241 of their students from 25 large collegiate music programs in the United States. Both the teachers and students represented a diverse range of instruments: flute, oboe, bassoon, clarinet, saxophone, French horn, trumpet, trombone, euphonium, and tuba. The data for this study were self-reports collected via online questionnaires. Findings indicated that of the five predictor variables examined, only two—students’ tendencies to exhibit grit in their learning and their tendencies to be reflective about their practicing—were consistently related to the three outcome variables. Furthermore, all outcome variables were significantly related to one another.

The purpose of this study was to identify the characteristics of common elementary music class activities that elicit situational interest, the short-term interest that emerges spontaneously in learners when faced with environmental factors in an educational experience. An instrumental case study approach was employed, with 24 fourth-grade children serving as participants, at a school in which the researcher was the music teacher. Over a 4-month period of engagement, data were gathered through small-group interviews, writing experiences, one-item surveys, videotaped observations of class periods, and examination of material culture. Analysis based on open and focused coding processes revealed that lessons containing elements of novelty, kinesthetic activity, self-efficacy, challenge, and creativity led to increased situational interest. Incorporating these themes into music classroom activities may be a way to enhance children’s interest in the experiences, leading to more increased engagement and improved performance outcomes.

The purpose of this collective case study was to explore how successful urban choral educators use contextual knowledge to inform pedagogical practice. With choirs in nine of a large midwestern city’s demographically varied residential neighborhoods, a children’s choir organization provided a research setting that offered a unique view of urban teachers’ contextual knowledge. The study’s ethnically diverse participants taught in multiple classrooms each week, providing opportunities to explore how the same teacher responded to more than one demographic setting. Participants relied upon knowledge of learners, knowledge of context, and personal practical knowledge to successfully navigate the urban environment. Findings were interpreted in light of Geneva Gay’s five essential elements of culturally responsive teaching to illustrate how the teachers enacted contextual knowledge through culturally responsive practice. Implications for music teacher education are discussed based on the findings.

Based on relevant literature and recent qualitative findings, the purpose of this survey research was to identify pedagogical approaches to melodic dictation employed by Advanced Placement (AP) Music Theory teachers across the United States. The researcher-designed survey questions focused on pitch and rhythm skills, instructional resources, dictation strategies, test-taking skills, and characteristics of successful dictation students. The survey was distributed online to a stratified random sample of 875 AP Music Theory teachers across the United States. Of these recipients, 398 participants from 49 states and the District of Columbia completed the survey, yielding a 45.5% return rate. Results indicated that teachers preferred pitch systems that emphasized scale degree function and rhythm systems that emphasized the meter. Participants also reported the influence of the AP exam on their dictation teaching and described their need for additional instructional time and better preparation for teaching aural skills. Suggestions for further research include similar studies of other populations, including high school teachers of other theory courses and college theory instructors.

The author examined the speed of research dissemination by determining the time elapsed from publication to first citation for 617 articles in the Journal of Research in Music Education (JRME). Google Scholar was used to create a unique data set of 6,930 references originating from journals in the arts, education, music, and other fields. An original computer script linked the journal citations to individual articles and calculated the elapsed time from publication to first citation in journals dedicated to music and other disciplines. Kaplan-Meier estimators determined the cumulative failure function and probability of a first citation by year. Failure plots revealed citations to the articles originated more quickly from journals in music than from other fields, highlighting the importance of the JRME to music scholars and gradual influence on other fields. Cumulative first-citation proportions from music journals reached 50% in 4 years and 75% in 8 years. Cox proportional-hazards regression revealed multiauthored studies were cited more quickly after publication than single-author studies, and citation speed changed under different editorships. This study reinforces the importance of JRME to the dissemination of research results throughout the music profession and highlights a need to connect music research with other disciplines.