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Large Ensemble Rehearsals: How are Student Educational and Sociological Needs Met in this Setting?
Darren LeBeau
Pop Goes the Music: A Sociological Look at the Use of Popular Music in Schools
Bryan Helsel
Catalysts for Success: Beliefs of Effective Teaching Among Members of the Music Student Teaching Triad
John Veneskey
A Comparison of Social Concepts Presented with Commonly Used Secondary Music Teacher Preparation Texts of the Mid-20th Century
Joseph W. Ellis
Sociology of Sight Reading Adjudication: An Analysis of Effective Teaching
Kate Ferguson
The Reproduction of Cultural Inequalities in Music Classrooms Through the Lens of Music Teacher Education
Kristen Ross
Western Notation: A Japanese Tradition? Development of Art Song and Performance in Japan
Paul Wetzig
Artifact or Autopoeisis: Examining Music Using Nketia's Cultural Factor Approach
Laurel Myers Hurst
American Administrative Viewpoints of Music Education: Multiple Perspectives and Themes from the 1960's and 70's
Joseph W. Ellis
Urban Music Education in the United States, 1965-1985: Attitudes, Reform, and Impact
Kristen Ross
Experiences and Influences in the Lives of Senior Citizens: Memories of, and Reflections on, Music During School Years and Beyond
Eun-Jung Lim
Opera-comique through the Lens of Bizet's Carmen
Hannah Jencius
The Sound of Nostalgia and Memories in the Nation: Introduction to Mongolian Traditional Music
Sunmin Yoon
Large Ensemble Rehearsals: How are Student Educational and Sociological Needs Met in this Setting?
Darren LeBeau
Abstract
The purpose of this review of literature is to investigate the role of the musical director in meeting the educational and sociological needs of the students in a large group rehearsal setting. The goal of the large ensemble rehearsal is to prepare for excellent performances and experiences; however, the educational and social component influences the overall music program. The review of literature will identify and define characteristics of an effective teacher. Literature will also recommend or identify ways to create a classroom environment that supports student learning and the social context of the group. A large ensemble rehearsal can surpass 100 children, but there is so much more to music and a music program than just playing the notes on a page.
Bio
Darren LeBeau is in his twenty-second year of teaching and in his fourteenth year with the Revere Local Schools, Richfield, Ohio. Mr. LeBeau earned both his Master's degree and Bachelor's degree in Music Education from The University of Akron. He is an active OMEA adjudicator for marching band, solo and ensemble and large group adjudicated events. He has served as a host for high school large group and marching band OMEA adjudicated events. His professional memberships include the Revere Education Association, Ohio Education Association, National Education Association, and the Ohio Music Education Association. Mr. LeBeau is currently a doctoral student in music education at Kent State University.
Pop Goes the Music: A Sociological Look at the Use of Popular Music in Schools
Bryan Helsel
Abstract
This paper examines popular music through a sociological lens and through historical, cultural and political context. It questions whether popular music in education can be used to teach the NAfME standards, whether its use can help music educators to reach more students and to reach them fairly, and looks at ways educators have been using popular music in their classrooms. The research explores these questions through a review of music education sociology literature that incorporates the following themes: music as identity, informal learning, meaning in music, the culture clash between their music and our music, and the history of the popular music debate. While the debate brings up important issues, current research points to the fact that popular music is indeed current American culture and is worthy of study, but must be studied in the proper context.
Bio
Bryan Helsel is a doctoral student studying music education at Kent State University. He currently is Director of Choral Activities and Music Technology Coordinator at Butler Senior High School in Pennsylvania. He received dual bachelor degrees in choral music education and piano performance from Westminster College (PA), and an MM in piano performance from Duquesne University. He remains active as a classical, jazz and contemporary pianist, vocalist and recording studio owner. Research interests include pitch perception and improvisational pedagogies. Professional affiliations include PMEA, NAfME, TI:ME, and ACDA and he has been listed in Who's Who Among America's Educators and Who's Who in America.
Catalysts for Success: Beliefs of Effective Teaching Among Members of the Music Student Teaching Triad
John Veneskey
Abstract
This study seeks to examine beliefs of effective music teaching among a single model of a student teaching triad in music. These questions will guide the research: (1) What do members of the student teaching triad in music (university supervisor, cooperating teacher, student teacher) believe are the skills and characteristics necessary to be an effective music educator?; (2) What are the differences in their beliefs of these skills and characteristics?; (3) How do differing beliefs impact relationships within the student teaching triad?, and (4) What are ways to bring these attitudes and belief-systems together to create a more effective student teaching experience for pre-service music teachers? This grounded theory, multiple-case study will utilize multiple data collection methods including individual interviews, group interviews, field notes, and reviews of printed documents in order for theory to emerge.
Bio
John Veneskey teaches instrumental music, grades 5 through 12, in the South Range Local School District in Canfield, Ohio. He is the principal conductor of the Henry H. Stambaugh Youth Concert Band, previously served as the Associate Director of Bands at Youngstown State University, where he directed the YSU Marching Pride, Fall Symphonic Band, Concert Band, and University Band. As a member of the instrumental music education faculty, he supervised student teachers and taught several methods courses. Mr. Veneskey maintains an active schedule as a clinician and adjudicator, having conducted and judged in Ohio, West Virginia, Indiana, New York, Pennsylvania, and Florida. Mr. Veneskey holds a BME degree from Bowling Green State University and an MM from Youngstown State University. He is currently a candidate for the PhD in Music Education degree at Kent State University. John has been a member of OMEA and NAFME since 1987, and is president-elect of OMEA District Five. Other professional affiliations have included The Society for Music Teacher Education, The Society for Research in Music Education, The International Association of Jazz Educators, The International Trumpet Guild, The National Band Association, and Phi Beta Mu.
A Comparison of Social Concepts Presented with Commonly Used Secondary Music Teacher Preparation Texts of the Mid-20th Century
Joseph W. Ellis
Abstract
Social issues have found a level of importance within the field of music education, both now and in the past. This historical research seeks to create an understanding of what social themes were prevalent within secondary music teacher preparation text publications during the mid-20th century. By conducting a historical literature review of several texts by prominent publishers and aimed at secondary music educators, themes were identified, compared text to text, and then arranged and presented as a narrative giving voice to the social issues presented as important by the textbook authors, editors, and publishers of the mid-20th century.
Bio
Joseph W. Ellis is a doctoral student in the College of Education, Health, and Human Services at Kent State University enrolled in the Curriculum and Instruction program and is a music teacher at Our Lady of Peace Catholic School in Canton, Ohio. After graduating with a Bachelor of Music Education degree from Mount Union College in 2001, Mr. Ellis continued his education at Walsh University earning a Master of Arts in Education in 2006. Serving as a band director, choir director, general music teacher, elementary principal, and drama teacher over the last decade, Mr. Ellis has dedicated his life to learning and continual discovery, especially in the field of music education.
Sociology of Sight Reading Adjudication: An Analysis of Effective Teaching
Kate Ferguson
Abstract
Sociology is the study of human behavior, its origins, organizations, institutions and the development of human society. A successful teacher combines knowledge of each student's social background with the knowledge of music to develop successful teaching strategies to achieve this goal. A prime educational goal of any discipline is the development of an independent learner; in music, the prerequisite to independence is the ability to sight-read. The purpose of this study is to observe, describe and analyze the sociological characteristics exhibited by directors and adjudicators in the sight reading adjudication room in comparison with characteristics of effective teachers. The questions are: (1) What social characteristics are exhibited by the directors and adjudicators present in sight reading adjudication room? and (2) Are the social characteristics exhibited by the directors and adjudicators indicative of effective teaching? The researcher observed in the sight reading room, and took field notes on all words and actions by both the directors and adjudicator. Notes were coded and analyzed by the researcher, looking for main themes within the gathered information. Codes were determined by the social characteristics of effective teachers, outlined by Steven Kelly (2009). A comparison of the characteristics observed and those listed by Kelly (2009) were made in the final analysis and discussion.
Bio
Kate Ferguson is in her 14th year of teaching and 12th year as an instrumental music teacher in the Crestwood Local Schools. Ferguson earned her BME from Kent State University in August 1998, and MME from the University of Akron in May 2004. She is currently pursuing her PhD in Music Education at Kent State University. Ferguson is an active OMEA Adjudicator and has also served OMEA as a member of the state board, hosting High School Solo & Ensemble and Marching Band Adjudicated Events, as well as being a member of the 2003, 2006, and 2009 Professional Conference Planning Committee. Ferguson actively performs on her main instrument, trombone, with the Brass Band of the Western Reserve. Her professional memberships include Music Educators National Conference, Ohio Music Education Association, and Delta Omicron.
The Reproduction of Cultural Inequalities in Music Classrooms Through the Lens of Music Teacher Education
Kristen Ross
Abstract
The purpose of this study is to review the literature to answer the following research questions: What types of cultural inequalities exist in music classrooms? How does music teacher education contribute to the reproduction of these cultural inequalities? What types of teacher-student interactions reinforce these cultural inequalities, and what are some possible resultant affects and influences on students? A qualitative review of the literature was used. Sources were selected based on their discussion of teacher preparation programs, music teacher preparation programs, and the portrayal and reproduction of cultural differences within classrooms, music classrooms, and the school community. Sources that discussed resultant effects of existing cultural inequalities on student-teacher interactions were also selected. Evidence in the literature suggests a multitude of cultural inequalities exist within classrooms today, and have the power to negatively influence the relationships between students and teachers. The study concludes with suggestions for the music education profession based on the findings of this study, and those of other scholars in the fields of education and music education.
Bio
Kristen Ross is a second year Master's student in Music Education at Kent State University. She received her Bachelor's in Music Education from Bowling Green State University in 2010. She currently teaches privately in Cuyahoga Falls and Bedford, Ohio. Her research interests include multicultural music in education, urban music education, and curriculum studies in music education.
Western Notation: A Japanese Tradition? Development of Art Song and Performance in Japan
Paul Wetzig
Abstract
The first accounts of western art music in Japan came with Portuguese missionaries in 1549. As Christianity was outlawed by the Shogunate, the followers had to worship in silence, but still used hymns brought by the Portuguese missionaries. As trade increased with the west, more people with compositional training started to come to Japan. During the Meiji era (1868-1912), western style notation was taught in Japan.
The style of Yogaku developed during the Meiji era. In Japanese, Yo meaning ocean and Gaku meaning music, so loosely translated "music from across the ocean." A number of Japanese composers became famous during this time, including Rentaro Taki, the first great Japanese composer and pianist of western art music, and Kosaku Yamada, student of Hugo Wolf and acclaimed composer. This presentation will explore how these two composers fused Japanese culture with western classical art music.
Bio
Paul Wetzig is currently pursuing a Bachelor of Music degree in Voice Performance at Kent State University. He is a student of Tim Culver, and his past roles include Beast in Beauty and the Beast, the King in Cinderella, the King in Once Upon a Mattress, and made his opera debut in the chorus of Kent State University's production of Semele. Paul has also performed with the Portsmouth Symphony Orchestra, and as a Soloist for the Shawnee State University Chorus and the Shawnee State University Community Chorus.
Artifact or Autopoeisis: Examining Music Using Nketia's Cultural Factor Approach
Laurel Myers Hurst
Abstract
In Anthropology of Music (1964), Alan Merriam defines music as a product of human behavior in cultural context. As such, music is an artifact subject to interpretation and analysis. Ethnomusicological analysis leads to hypotheses about the generative processes in music making (i.e. symbolically encoded musical products are created by particular musical behaviors endemic to certain cultural contexts). Tim Rice nuances the method for inductive esthesic analysis of musical products in his 1987 article "Towards the Re-modeling of Ethnomusicology." The argument that individual creation, historical construction and social maintenance influence the formal properties of musical products and performances opens new fields of inquiry in ethnomusicological discourse.
However, these analytical models miss when it comes to the moment that musicians say, "The music just seemed to take on a 'life of its own.'" Music as a product of human behavior can replicate or serve as a sign of certain aspects of its creator, but music, as demonstrated by jazz improvisation or performance-composition in some African contexts, also manifests sufficient processes within it to maintain the whole. By examining music as both a self-existing whole and as a subsidiary of its cultural context I intend to demonstrate how J.H. Kwabena Nketia's cultural factor approach (2005) can arrive at the moment of genesis where cause and creation meet.
Bio
Laurel Myers Hurst is a 2010 Master of Ethnomusicology graduate of Kent State University. She serves as adjunct faculty at regional KSU campuses. Laurel also acquired her bachelor's degree at Kent State studying voice with James Mismas. She maintains an active voice studio and conducts choral clinics for sacred and secular choirs. Laurel has done field research among communities in crisis including the Assyrian Church of the East, Christian missionaries to pre-Communist Era China and unregistered Christian churches currently operating in the People's Republic of China. Her current research deals with conceptualization of African rhythm and its theoretical application to African-derived popular music.
American Administrative Viewpoints of Music Education: Multiple Perspectives and Themes from the 1960's and 70's
Joseph W. Ellis
Abstract
American K-12 administrators of the 1960's and 70's had unique perspectives toward music education. This historical research seeks to create an understanding of what those perspectives were through administrator-authored articles published from 1960-1980 in music education and administrative publications, what themes emerged from those writings, and how those perceptions and themes impacted music education during that era. By conducting a historical literature review of published articles, administrative perceptions and issues were arranged into prevalent themes and then presented as a narrative as voiced in the original published sources from that time period.
Bio
Joseph W. Ellis is a doctoral student in the College of Education, Health, and Human Services at Kent State University enrolled in the Curriculum and Instruction program and is a music teacher at Our Lady of Peace Catholic School in Canton, Ohio. After graduating with a Bachelor of Music Education degree from Mount Union College in 2001, Mr. Ellis continued his education at Walsh University earning a Master of Arts in Education in 2006. Serving as a band director, choir director, general music teacher, elementary principal, and drama teacher over the last decade, Mr. Ellis has dedicated his life to learning and continual discovery, especially in the field of music education.
Urban Music Education in the United States, 1965-1985: Attitudes, Reform, and Impact
Kristen Ross
Abstract
The purpose of this study was to research major events and factors affecting urban music education in the United States from 1965 to 1985. The major research questions to be answered include: What factors or themes affected urban music students and teachers, and their practices? What major events took place to address urban music education, and did these events positively or negatively affect the profession? The historical method used to answer the research questions was to review literature from and about the time period, and documents from major events that took place within and outside music education literature.
Bio
Kristen Ross is a second year Master's student in Music Education at Kent State University. She received her Bachelor's in Music Education from Bowling Green State University in 2010. Her research interests include multicultural music in education, urban music education, curriculum studies, and philosophies in music education.
Experiences and Influences in the Lives of Senior Citizens: Memories of, and Reflections on, Music During School Years and Beyond
Eun-Jung Lim
Abstract
This research explores the influences of school music experiences on senior citizens' musical sensibilities, tastes, or abilities by examining their recollected stories about music experiences from their school years. It employs a multiple-case study design to enable contextual insights into personal interactions with music. With the snowball sampling method, six research participants were recruited, all of whom were age 55 or older, lived in northeastern Ohio, attended U.S. schools for their K-12, and had never had any professional experience in the field of music. Data was collected through participant interviews, journal writings, and researcher field notes, all of which provided evidence for coherence, reliability, and validity. The collected raw data were analyzed two ways: comprehensive documentation and code analysis. The research findings revealed the importance of school music experiences in the development of musical sensibilities, tastes, or abilities. In particular, it became clear that human interaction between students, teachers, and family members is a significant factor in defining personal music experiences and that school music education does not meet musical needs.
Bio
Eun-Jung Lim received her Bachelor of Education Degree specializing music education at The Gong-Ju National University of Education, and a Master of Music Education Degree from The Korea National University of Education in South Korea. She has 10-years experience as an elementary school teacher and choir director in public elementary schools in South Korea. Eun-Jung has completed coursework for the Ph.D. in Curriculum and Instruction at Kent State University and plans to defend her dissertation this Fall, 2011. Her areas of interest include elementary music education, teacher education, and music curriculum development.
Opera-comique through the lens of Bizet's Carmen
Hannah Jencius
Abstract
Opera-comique, a form unique to French opera, emerged in the late 18th-century and quickly defined the genre. In examining French operatic works, one is left to wonder what traits are specific to the form. This presentation attempts to examine the style and structure of opera-comique through a literary and musical analysis of Bizet's Carmen, arguable one of the most popular operas to date.
Bio
Hannah Jencius is currently pursuing a degree in voice performance from Kent State University. She has performed with the KSU Opera Workshop in Opera Scenes and fully staged productions in both the ensemble and supporting roles, and recently portrayed Kate Pinkerton in Puccini's Madama Butterfly through the Solon Center for the Arts. Hannah longs for a career immersed in music, and plans to perform in both opera and musical theatre for the rest of her life.
The Sound of Nostalgia and Memories in the Nation: Introduction to Mongolian Traditional Music
Sunmin Yoon
Abstract
The Mongolian people, who lived as nomads originally, developed a truly distinctive musical culture within their landlocked area on the Asian continent. As nomads, they created the soundscape that has carried their emotions, memories and long history. An instrument strung with horse hair, the Morin huur, has carried the representative sound of Mongolian music throughout history. One major type of folk song, the long-song, was the lament of a mother who yearned for a daughter who married into another nomad family and moved far away. In such a song overtone singers expressed the sounds of wind, water and other affects of nature that still endure everywhere in the Mongolian countryside. In the twentieth and twenty-first centuries, however, Mongols have lived through abrupt transformations in the political and social climate and have devised alternative ways to keep their musical aesthetics and their traditions alive. As outer Mongolia has entered its "post-socialist phase" and Inner Mongolia has opened up to the free market system, many among the younger generations of musicians in traditional genres have initiated new musical movements. Through their attitudes toward traditional Mongolian music, they have found innovative ways of retaining and negotiating their Mongolian identity in their everyday lives and in their music in a continually changing world.
This lecture, thus, based on the several years of fieldwork experience of the speaker, introduces the overall context of Mongolian traditional music and its aesthetic values, not only alive in the past but still vitally persistent in most of the Mongolian countryside. At the same time, the lecturer will illustrate how, even under the pressures of change, current musicians have retained this vibrant musical tradition.
Bio
Sunmin Yoon is an ethnomusicologist specializing in Mongolian folk music. She has spent several years among long-song (Urtyn duu) singers in both Mongolia's cities and countryside. In her research, she has interviewed more than fifty singers, and has collected many long-songs. She holds a Ph.D from the University of Maryland at College Park, and currently teaches at Kent State University, OH.
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