Music educators are guided by learning standards designed to foster comprehensive music literacy through development of four artistic processes: "Create," "Perform," "Respond," and "Connect." In-service teachers, however, cite lack of comfort and insufficient preservice preparation to engage students with…

This multi-study dissertation explored technology and creativity within three different technology-rich creative musical spaces. Through the use of three contrasting empirical methods (qualitative content analysis, intrinsic case study, and phenomenology), I explored the complex ways technology and musical creativity are linked. In the first…

The research problem explored in this qualitative study was the lack of literature from the perspectives of K-12 music teachers on using virtual technology to instruct secondary concert bands. This study showed the challenges and successes experienced with the use of this technology and their impact on music teachers' overall view of using virtual…

The purpose of this study is to develop and validate instrument-specific rating scales to evaluate the classroom performances of middle and high school students. The study is guided by the following research questions: 1. What does Rasch measurement analysis reveal about the psychometric properties (i.e., validity and reliability) of items,…

The COVID-19 pandemic greatly affected instructional practices at universities around the world, necessitating mostly virtual instruction for safety reasons. Particularly impacted were the performing arts, which often rely on live, in-person interaction. In the field of music, professors of conducting were forced to reconsider their teaching…

The purpose of this descriptive study was to examine elementary music teachers' planning times. The existing literature on planning time is scarce and the literature on elementary music teachers' planning time is nearly nonexistent. The following research questions guided the study: (a) How many minutes of planning time do elementary music…

Clarinet articulation is a process that uses the tongue to create an interruption in sound production either by contacting the reed or disrupting the air stream. This process occurs inside the mouth and is hidden from direct view. As a result, various solutions were developed in clarinet pedagogy to address the issue of teaching with no visual…

Education reflects the realities of the times and should evolve as circumstances change. As technological innovations (e.g., computers, mobile devices, Internet connectivity, and video conferencing) continue to saturate daily life, the inclusion of technology into United Stated educational curricula has gained increased attention. In music…

In the study of percussion instruments as a part of a collegiate education, the focus is usually placed upon performance of literature from four major areas: snare drum, mallet percussion, timpani, and multiple percussion. This often leaves an instructional gap in the field of performance on percussion accessory instruments, including performance…

This qualitative multiple case study was designed to investigate the experiences and the perceptions of three different collegiate brass instrumentalists with physical disabilities. I sought to discern the meaning of inclusion to students with disabilities and the state of current inclusive practices. I also sought to understand their challenges…

The quality of verbal feedback teachers provide to students in the instrumental music classroom is directly related to students' real-time performance and execution of rehearsed music. The purpose of the first study (see Chapter 2) was to examine the quality of pre-service music educators' verbal feedback in the context of secondary-level…

This dissertation explores the perceived readiness of potential violin majors (PVMs) in the United States for university-level violin study. The purpose of this study was to explore violin professors' expectations of PVMs in the United States, their perceptions of how these expectations are being met, and how PVMs can be prepared to meet these…

The American Brass Band Movement (1835-1892) is an important period within music history that is disproportionally and inadequately taught in collegiate music history classrooms. By learning about America's band history and by performing in these ensembles, future music educators will be able to have a more well-rounded understanding of the…

This research uses three of the lesser-known concerti by Antonio Vivaldi to discuss how the musical material in these concerti is equally suitable to those concerti that have found popularity through printed editions earlier in the twentieth century, such as RV 484 in E minor. These concerti are excellent resources for musicianship development for…

Applied music faculty are expected to have the skills necessary to oversee the development of young musicians upon employment. New professors, however, likely spent the majority of their musical life on the receiving end of the teaching dynamic and may find it difficult to adjust to their new position as purveyors of information. This document…