OU - Theses
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Browsing OU - Theses by Degree Discipline "Master of Music Education"
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Item Open Access THE EFFECTS OF CONDUCTOR FACIAL EXPRESSION ON MUSICAL EXPRESSIVITY IN MIDDLE SCHOOL BAND STUDENTS(2020-07-30) Collins, Brandon; Dell, Charlene; Baumgartner, Christopher; Gerber, Casey; Wolfe, BrianThe purpose of this study was to ascertain whether approving, disapproving, and neutral conductor facial expressions had an effect on middle school band students’ perceived level of expression of wind ensemble performances. Middle school concert band students (N = 23) watched nine one-minute videos of three actors’ varying facial expressions with accompanying band music. Students rated the expressivity of each one-minute performance on a scale of 1 (not very expressive) to 10 (very expressive). The experiment was conducted as an online survey. Survey data was gathered through Qualtrics (https://www.qualtrics.com) by a designated research administrator. Data were analyzed using a Friedman Two-Way Analysis of Variance by Ranks. Results indicated that conductor facial expressions significantly affected middle school concert band student ratings of ensemble expressivity, X²(3) = 27.29, p < 0.000. Dunn-Bonferroni post hoc pairwise comparisons suggested approving facial expressions were perceived as significantly more expressive than neutral or disapproving facial expressions, with neutral facial expressions yielding the lowest participant ratings.Item Open Access An Investigation of the Impacts of Combined Classes on Elementary Music Education(2018-05) Riester, Sara L. R.; Gerber, Casey; Baumgartner, Christopher; Spritzer, DaminThe purpose of this study was to investigate the impacts of combined classes on elementary general music education as well as to gather information about how music educators teaching combined classes in elementary general music were adapting instructional techniques and strategies to successfully deliver instruction and achieve curricular goals in combined classes. To this end, two Oklahoma elementary music teachers from different districts were purposefully selected by their responses to an initial survey to participate in interviews and classroom observations. Over the course of the study, data were gathered through interviews that provided insight into the challenges faced by music educators teaching combined classes and what techniques and strategies they used to be successful with large numbers of students. Classroom observations were conducted to gather additional data on instructional techniques and strategies as well as modifications made to activities to compensate for the effects of combined classes in the elementary general music classroom. Considering the impacts of combined classes on elementary general music education, the challenges these impacts present in instruction, and the findings of previous studies in class size, single classes with smaller numbers of students are better for student achievement in the music classroom than combined classes with larger numbers of students and should be advocated for whenever possible. However, many factors, such as budget, school population growth, scheduling, and resources, necessitate the combining of homeroom classes for music and other special subject area instruction. Both teachers in this study felt confident in their ability to positively affect student growth and achievement in their combined class settings. Though different in personality and instructional delivery, each teacher had effective classroom management and control in the classroom. Students in both cases were engaged throughout their lessons and showed evidence of conceptual mastery. Strategies compiled from the cases in this study have been presented for teachers to consider when faced with combined classes in elementary general music education to successfully deliver instruction and achieve curricular goals in combined class settings and settings in which circumstances present other non-traditional challenges. Considering the challenges faced by music educators in combined classes and the modifications to instructional activities and strategies needed to achieve success in such settings, it is recommended that music teacher preparation programs should seek to intentionally provide pre-service teachers with field experiences in music programs with large, combined classes. Due to the frequent variations in circumstances such as (a) class size and composition, (b) frequency and duration of music instruction, (c) physical space constraints, and (d) materials and instruments available, it would benefit pre-service teachers to have field experiences in a wide variety of music programs to prepare them for whatever circumstances they may encounter in their future teaching positions.Item Open Access A Measurement of Self-Efficacy Among Oklahoma Secondary Band Directors in Concert, Marching, and Jazz Ensemble Pedagogy(2016) Regier, Bradley; Baumgartner, Christopher; Ciorba, Charles; Drege, Lance; Wakefield, WilliamThe purpose of this study was to examine Oklahoma secondary band directors’ self-efficacy toward concert, marching, and jazz ensemble pedagogy. A secondary purpose was to investigate potential relationships between directors’ pedagogy self-efficacy (in each of the three ensemble settings) and their respective previous experiences. Oklahoma high school band directors who taught at OSSAA affiliated schools (N = 395) were invited to participate in a researcher-designed survey that included questions pertaining to their (a) school’s demographics, (b) professional teaching background, and (c) preservice music teaching experiences. Participants (N = 133, 33.7% response rate) also were asked to identify their level of agreement to items on the Band Director Pedagogy Self-Efficacy Measure (BDPSEM). Self-efficacy beliefs in concert band pedagogy were measured to be the highest of the settings, followed by marching and jazz band pedagogy respectively. Composite self-efficacy scores between ensemble settings were significantly different from one-another. These results were indicative of participant reported preservice experiences, thus supporting Bandura’s (1997) theory that self-efficacy beliefs are influenced by previous experiences. Of the four sources of self-efficacy, mastery experiences proved to have the highest correlation with self-efficacy beliefs in concert (r = .913) and marching (r = .949) pedagogy. Numerous demographic items significantly influenced band director pedagogical beliefs in more than one setting, including (a) school classification, (b) current and past inservice teaching experiences, (c) conference/workshop participation, (d) community ensemble participation, and (e) individual study. Particular interest was given to identifying influential experiences on band director self-efficacy in jazz pedagogy, as previous studies have suggested there may be a lack of expectations and requirements in jazz settings at the undergraduate level. Nearly 70% of Oklahoma band directors reported professional experiences teaching in a jazz setting, but only 6.8% were required to participate in a jazz course during their undergraduate study. This lack of previous jazz experiences may have led to relatively low efficacious beliefs in band directors’ jazz pedagogy. Considering several jazz-related experiences were found to significantly influence Oklahoma band director beliefs in jazz pedagogy (e.g., jazz theory, improvisation, jazz pedagogy), music teacher preparation programs should be designed to afford preservice music educators various opportunities to gain pedagogical experiences that have the potential to raise efficacious jazz pedagogy beliefs.Item Open Access PRESERVICE MUSIC TEACHER PERCEPTIONS OF EXPERIENCES AND SELF-EFFICACY WITH MUSIC TECHNOLOGY IN OKLAHOMA(2024-08-01) Sellars, Maxwell; Pennello, Eric; Baumgartner, Christopher; Easter II, LonnieThe purpose of this quantitative study was to examine preservice music teachers’ perception of their experiences and self-efficacy with music technology in Oklahoma music teacher preparation programs. Specifically, I aimed to answer (a) what experiences preservice music teachers had with music technology during their undergraduate program, (b) the various ways that preservice music teachers were provided opportunities to explore the implementation of music technology in their coursework, field experiences, and student teaching, and (c) how efficacious preservice music teachers felt about utilizing music technology in their future classrooms. Preservice music teachers (N = 53) across multiple universities in Oklahoma were contacted to complete an online survey regarding music technology preparation, self-efficacy, and preservice music teachers' planned future implementation of music technology. Results from this study indicated differences among multiple variables regarding preparedness, confidence in future use, and self-efficacy regarding music technology opportunities and integration into their undergraduate coursework. Overall, preservice music teachers felt unprepared to teach using music technology post-graduation and lacked confidence in teaching music technology. However, preservice music teachers agreed their music technology skills increased after gaining professional teaching experience. Implications for music teacher preparation programs, music teacher educators, and inservice music teachers are discussed.Item Open Access THE PROGRAMMING OF WOMEN COMPOSERS: PERCEPTIONS AND PRACTICES OF OKLAHOMA SECONDARY SCHOOL BAND DIRECTORS(2020-06) Collins, Steven; Baumgartner, Christopher; Baughman, Melissa; Wolfe, BrianThe purpose of this study was to investigate Oklahoma secondary school band directors’ perceptions and programming of women composers. Specifically, I measured Oklahoma secondary school band directors’ (a) familiarity with wind band works written by women, (b) frequency of programming works written by women, (c) programming practices of specific works by women over a three-year span, and (d) perceptions and attitudes towards women composers and their compositions. All current, Oklahoma secondary school band directors affiliated with the Oklahoma Secondary School Activities Association (OSSAA) were invited to participate in a researcher-designed survey. Data were collected from respondents (N = 148) during the winter of 2020. Results from this study depicted an overall lack of exposure to women composers and their works in respondents’ training and experience. Works written by women were programmed much less frequently than works by men over a three-year span, and those specific works programmed were written by a limited range of women composers. Respondents overwhelmingly cited male dominance through historical precedence, composer demographics, and available literature as reasons for lack of diversity in wind band programming. Composer diversity in programming was seen favorably by most respondents, yet the composer’s gender was not a priority when respondents considered literature to program. Programming considerations that were prioritized by respondents (e.g., musical quality/aesthetic value, instrumentation, appropriate challenge) aligned with previous programming research. Implications and suggestions for diversity in programming for secondary schools are discussed.