The purpose of this investigation was to provide a thorough documentation of the life and career of William F. Cramer. William Cramer was professor of trombone at the Florida State University for more than thirty-five years. He was a master teacher, musician, and scholar. His students remember him fondly as a grandfatherly figure whose teaching…

The purpose of this investigation was to understand how teachers' perceptions of how they changed during the initial years of teaching. Three middle and three high school teachers viewed thirty minutes of their internship video and answered seven open-ended teacher related questions during a telephone interview. All participants had at least three…

The purpose of this study was to investigate the rehearsal characteristics of "superior" middle and high school band directors. A total of 131 respondents from Florida, Kentucky, and North Carolina who received a "superior" rating for 4 out of the past 5 years, completed an open-ended essay question online asking them to…

Music teachers are often the Pied Pipers of their schools, attracting the interest of students by the nature of the subject they teach. Their students who excel are often the best and brightest, since music reading and music production demand higher-level thinking skills, motor ability, and in the case of ensemble performance, social skills. As…

A single great teacher can change a life by introducing a new language, helping you master a new skill or opening a door you never knew was there. That's why every year, TNTP awards the Fishman Prize for Superlative Classroom Practice: to celebrate a select cohort of public school teachers who demonstrate exceptionally effective teaching with…

In her new book "Music, Informal Learning and the School" (2008), Lucy Green consolidates many ideas presented in her previous writings. There is little doubt of the significance of her approach, but it raises epistemological and pedagogical issues that must be addressed to better understand where music teachers go next with informal…

The purpose of this research was to discover materials and methods used and examine influences on how and why sight-singing is taught in Florida middle-school choral programs. Members of the Florida Vocal Association completed an online or paper version of a questionnaire (N = 152). Data yielded several results that support previous research and…

What should students in secondary general music classes experience so they are prepared for a musically enriched life as adults? This question, while seemingly straightforward, produces myriad responses depending on whom you ask. Schools respond differently to what secondary general music students should experience, and it is unknown whether…

This purpose of the study was to examine music achievement of elementary general music students in relationship to teacher behaviors as measured by the Florida Performance Measurements System (FPMS), a research-based system for the evaluation of generic teacher behaviors and a Music Behavior Observation Form (MBOF), an investigator-devised form…

Singing exaggerates the language of reading. The students find their voices in the rhythm and bounce of language by using music as an alternative technological approach to reading. A concurrent mixed methods study was conducted to investigate the use of an interactive sing-to-read program Tune Into Reading (Electronic Learning Products, 2006)…

This study documented elementary teachers' reported practices in mathematics, science, social studies, literature, art, and music. The study also identified the extent to which teachers espoused instructional goals and practices associated with teaching for understanding compared with basic skills approaches. Respondents were 678 elementary school…

The student population that is targeted for online learning has expanded to younger students. This article discusses the theory and practice of using online learning with K-5 students. When trying to adapt adult oriented distance education protocols for use with younger children a number of issues must be considered. These include differences in…

This course of study was written as part of a total effort to revise curriculum to fit the quinmester (five 9-week periods) administrative organization of the Dade County Schools. The major intent of this publication is to provide a broad framework of goals and objectives, content, teaching strategies, class activities, and materials all related…