Undergraduate applied saxophone study revolves around the conservatory model. This inflexible model, often referred to as a master-apprentice relationship, can create an instructor-centric power dynamic which does not address the needs of the modern student. A classroom where the power lies so heavily with the instructor can stifle student…

The purpose of this Self-Study of Teacher Education Practice (S-STEP) was to examine faculty and student perceptions of co-curricular experiences between an undergraduate instrumental conducting and a junior-level music education course. To help students develop their conducting and pedagogical skills simultaneously, music education and conducting…

In a series of three video-recorded assignments over a 6-week period, undergraduate music education students (N = 16) enrolled in an instrumental methods course described aloud what they were thinking about as they practiced a three-note melody on a secondary brass instrument. Later, I completed a content analysis of the students' practice…

For many music students studying classical piano in tertiary institutions, techniques in improvisation are not included in their undergraduate curriculum. Despite the acknowledged musical benefits of improvisation, piano pedagogy curricula remain firmly rooted in the nineteenth century, focusing on the performance of the familiar canon of…

The purpose of this descriptive research study was to examine collegiate instrumentalists' applications of practice strategies and their motivation orientations to practice. Respondents (N = 128) were music majors who enrolled in concert band or orchestra. Results indicated that pianists spent more time in practice followed by percussionists,…

Conducting is a multifaceted and essential skill set expected of musicians from many specializations, but certainly for music educators who often fill ensemble leadership roles. For most undergraduate music majors, introductory conducting courses are their first experiences with conducting. Attending to all fundamental components of the…

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of three schedules of practice on high-level violinists' learning. The contextual interference (CI) effect occurs when two or more tasks are practiced in an interleaved manner, which has been shown to impair initial learning but improve retention. How a musician alternates between tasks…

In this study, we investigated how musicians use descriptive imagery to perform expressively. The study's procedure was carried out by university musicians alone in a naturalistic practice environment. They recorded their performance of two melodies both before and after receiving imagery-based instruction designed to make performance of the…

Music reading is a central part of most band programs, yet research about music reading has rarely included articulation markings. The purpose of this study was to explore the effect of four experimental practice conditions to a control condition on woodwind players' performance of slur, accent, and staccato markings. A secondary purpose was to…

Interactive learning environments have become important components for teaching pianists, which determines the relevance of the research topic. The study was conducted in Faculty of Piano of the Shenyang Conservatory of Music, and 87 first-year undergraduates participated in it. A positive effect of interactive teaching aids on professional skills…

Coursework across the music education curriculum provides teacher educators an opportunity to introduce and reinforce a range of instructional practices (i.e., creating, performing, responding to, and connecting with music) into the music classroom. Although instrument techniques courses are a foundational part of an undergraduate music education…

This study aimed to empower piano students and explore their understandings of how teaching and learning of musical interpretation of Western classical music could be developed to foster autonomy and a personal, authentic artistic voice. Two research questions were formulated: How have students experienced teaching and learning of musical…

Conducting courses are a common component of undergraduate instrumental music education programs. The experiences students have in those courses vary across and sometimes within institutions. This variation is due to many factors including choice of instructional materials and sequences, as well as whether textbooks or other instructional…

This study addressed how faith integration (FI), service-learning (SL), and academic learning can be combined for deeper engagement in an undergraduate music education instrument techniques class. Often instrument techniques classes are seen as consisting of learning the basics of an instrument (facts, knowledge, and basic skills), but not…

Few studies have explored feedback methods in undergraduate instrumental conducting courses. The purpose of this quantitative study was to investigate the various methods of verbal (spoken/written) and nonverbal feedback and to compare and contrast instructors' perceptions of feedback based on their attributes, school, and course characteristics.…