Update: Applications of Research in Music Education

The inclusion of musics from varied cultural traditions in school music curricula has become increasingly important. Research findings indicate that providing students with opportunities to learn musics from diverse cultures can increase acceptance and appreciation of different cultures, enrich music and cultural experiences, and nurture intercultural competence. The following research-to-resource article provides eight instructional strategies for integrating culturally diverse musics into music classes more effectively. These eight strategies can help expose students to culturally diverse musics in more traditional ways and deepen their knowledge of music styles.

I surveyed inservice instrumental music educators (N = 96) to determine their comfort level for teaching and performing on secondary band instruments. Research questions included the following: (a) How comfortable do inservice music educators feel teaching and performing on secondary instruments? (b) Does grade level affect educators’ comfort levels? (c) Does the educators’ primary instrument family relate to their perceived comfort level for teaching and playing on secondary instruments? and (d) Does the format of instrument classes during preparation programs influence educators’ comfort for teaching and playing secondary instruments? Participants reported moderate comfort on most instruments, with brass being most comfortable. Participants indicating woodwind as a primary instrument reported an overall higher comfort level for teaching and performing on brass instruments, whereas low comfort levels on double reeds. High school educators felt least comfortable teaching and performing on secondary instruments. Participants who took Split-Families and Semester-Families preservice classes felt more comfortable performing on secondary instruments versus those who took Individual-Instrument courses.

The purpose of this literature review was to examine education research on mentor identification, selection, preparation, and ongoing development. I organized the review in three main sections: (a) criteria for mentor identification and selection, (b) mentor preparation and development practices and processes, and (c) implications for music education. Potential mentors must possess a variety of professional and personal skills to effectively navigate their role and should be selected via a clearly defined and rigorous selection process. Sufficient preparation can increase mentor satisfaction, confidence, effectiveness, self-efficacy, and help enhance novice teacher effectiveness. The preparation and development process should be personalized and flexible, providing mentors a variety of materials and resources along with plentiful opportunities to reflect and interact with each other to share ideas, strategies, successes, and challenges.

The purpose of this study was to examine invited orchestras and their selected repertoire at the Midwest Clinic from 1990 through 2019. A majority of invited orchestras (N = 261) were from the United States and primarily consisted of high school musicians. The most performed piece for full orchestra was Symphony No. 8, op. 88 by Dvořák and for string orchestra was Serenade, op. 48 by Tchaikovsky. The most performed full orchestra composer was Dvořák and string orchestra composer was Balmages. The most performed arranger for full orchestra was Meyer and for string orchestra was Dackow. Female composers and arrangers were vastly underrepresented compared with males and a majority of performed pieces conformed to the Western European music tradition. Orchestra directors may use findings from this study as a reference list of the most performed full and string orchestra pieces as well as popular composers and arrangers.

The recent increase in popular music education in K–12 school music programs is in part due to the expansion of modern band programming throughout the United States. Modern band is a term used to describe school music ensembles that include popular music instruments and focus on performing music that is meaningful to the students while incorporating songwriting. The purpose of this literature review was to examine relevant research related to modern band music programs in the United States and provide implications for music teaching and learning. Music researchers and professionals have recently addressed specific issues related to increasing the diversity of school music programs, addressing elements of culturally responsive curricula, and positively affecting the social and emotional development of students through modern band. Throughout this literature review, I provide implications for music teachers and discuss areas for future research.

The purpose of this study was to examine inservice high school band directors’ perceptions and applications of democratic rehearsal procedures in concert band rehearsals. Respondents (N = 216) were members of the National Association for Music Education who were currently teaching concert band at the high school level. Respondents indicated that “identify and describe opportunities for individual and ensemble performance improvement” and “student-led sectionals” were considered the most important democratic rehearsal procedures for their students to experience. These same procedures were also the most frequently used democratic rehearsal procedures. Analysis of open-ended responses revealed that respondents believed student ownership, student engagement, and student growth as musicians and leaders were advantages to implementing democratic rehearsal procedures. Potential disadvantages included issues related to student ability, rehearsal time limitations, unfamiliar classroom dynamics, and availability of classroom resources. Implications for music teachers are discussed.

Musicians and athletes share many common traits. Both groups learn a combination of physical and mental skills to attain expert status. In this literature review, I provide a short history of research on expertise development and two models: Bloom’s model of expertise development and the Developmental Model of Sport Participation. The Bloom model categorizes learning activities between combinations of free play and deliberate practice throughout the three stages of development. However, Developmental Model of Sport Participation includes a new category, deliberate play, which combines aspects of play and deliberate practice. Research indicating music learning through deliberate practice, deliberate play, and music play is presented. If students are able to learn through the more enjoyable deliberate play and music play, teachers should consider including these activities to better match developmental stages and potentially improve retention. Implications for future research and music teachers are discussed.

COVID-19 mitigations significantly altered college marching band operations during the fall 2020 football season. Modified band operations may have affected students’ sense of community and togetherness. The purpose of this study was to investigate college marching band students’ perceptions of community and other band experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic. College marching band students (N = 765) from 10 universities across the United States responded to survey questions related to several aspects of pandemic marching band operations, including (a) mitigation strategies, (b) perceived mitigation effectiveness, (c) band community, (d) perceived band experiences, and (e) the extent to which some aspects of band modifications could continue postpandemic. Results indicated that feelings of community and opportunities for togetherness in marching band were substantially reduced during the pandemic. Implications including the importance of music performance, virtual learning, and monitoring of student physical and mental health are discussed.