James Madison University JMU Scholarly Commons Masters Theses, 2020-current The Graduate School 8-2020 Singing in the beginning band classroom Sarah Jane Moyer James Madison University Follow this and additional works at: https://commons.lib.jmu.edu/masters202029 Part of the Music Education Commons, Music Pedagogy Commons, and the Music Practice Commons Recommended Citation Moyer, Sarah Jane, "Singing in the beginning band classroom" (2020). Masters Theses, 2020-current. 15. https://commons.lib.jmu.edu/masters202029/15 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the The Graduate School at JMU Scholarly Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Masters Theses, 2020-current by an authorized administrator of JMU Scholarly Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Singing in the Beginning Band Classroom Sarah J. Moyer A thesis submitted to the Graduate Faculty of JAMES MADISON UNIVERSITY In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the degree of Master of Music School of Music August 2020 FACULTY COMMITTEE: Committee Chair: Dr. W. Bryce Hayes Committee Members/Readers: Dr. Jesse Rathgeber Dr. David Stringham ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would first like to thank my 2017-2018 band students for being the most amazing participants. You all are the foundation of this research and I couldn’t have done it without you. You inspired me every day I worked with you and you encourage me to better myself as an educator. To my advisor, Dr. W. Bryce Hayes, thank you for your patience and encouragement throughout the development of this study. I am extremely grateful for your never-ending support and positive words as I completed my graduate degree. To my reading committee, Dr. Jesse Rathgeber and Dr. David Stringham, thank you for taking the time out of your busy schedules to read and provide comments. Your knowledge and guidance led me to resources that informed my research and made me a better educator. Without your dedication, this study would not be what it is. To my James Madison University Kodály family, thank you for answering all my questions about Kodály for instrumentalists and providing me with resources to utilize in my band room. You all are inspirational, and I am a better person and educator for knowing you. Thank you to my family and friends for being my support system. Mom and dad, thank you for supporting me in all my endeavors and cheering me on throughout this process. Becky and Mady, thank you for always being just a phone call away when I needed a listening ear. Thank you to my colleagues, mentors, and graduate cohort for your dedication to music education and encouragement throughout this process and in my work as an educator. Most importantly, to Vince: I am so grateful to have you as my husband, friend, and colleague. Your constant love and support throughout this process has been appreciated more than words can express. Thank you for always being my sunshine. ii TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ......................................................................................................... ii LIST OF FIGURES ...................................................................................................................... v ABSTRACT ................................................................................................................................. vii CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................ 1 Demographics ................................................................................................................................ 4 The Band Program ....................................................................................................................... 6 The Kodály Approach .................................................................................................................. 7 Gordon’s Music Learning Theory ............................................................................................... 7 Vocal Exercises in the Band Classroom ...................................................................................... 8 Purpose Statement and Research Questions .............................................................................. 9 CHAPTER 2: REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE ....................................................... 10 The Kodály Approach ................................................................................................................ 10 Gordon's Music Learning Theory ............................................................................................. 13 Perception of Singing .................................................................................................................. 17 Breaking the Narrative ............................................................................................................... 19 Impact and Meaning of Singing in Instrumental Settings ...................................................... 21 Vocal Exercises in the Band Classroom .................................................................................... 24 Warm-ups. ............................................................................................................................................... 26 Repertoire. ............................................................................................................................................... 27 CHAPTER 3: METHODOLOGY ............................................................................................ 29 Introduction and Overview ........................................................................................................ 29 Participants .................................................................................................................................. 30 Beginning Band Setting .............................................................................................................. 32 Design and Procedure ................................................................................................................. 33 Data Collection and Analysis ..................................................................................................... 36 CHAPTER 4: FINDINGS .......................................................................................................... 38 Findings ........................................................................................................................................ 38 Pre-Survey ................................................................................................................................... 38 Motivations for singing. ............................................................................................................ 39 Participant's opinion of singing. .................................................................................................... 39 Singing to improve musicianship ................................................................................................... 40 Self-conscious of the singing voice ........................................................................................... 40 Singing activities in band. ......................................................................................................... 41 Post-Survey .................................................................................................................................. 41 Comfortability with singing ...................................................................................................... 41 Singing in Band. ........................................................................................................................ 42 Warm-ups. ...................................................................................................................................... 43 Repertoire. ..................................................................................................................................... 43 Perceived benefits of singing in band ....................................................................................... 44 Observational Data ..................................................................................................................... 45 Motivation. ................................................................................................................................ 45 Themes Across Data ................................................................................................................... 48 iii Personal motivation ................................................................................................................... 48 Singing for enjoyment .................................................................................................................... 49 Singing for educational benefits. ................................................................................................... 49 Singing activities. ........................................................................................................................... 50 Comfortability with singing. ..................................................................................................... 50 Self-awareness. .............................................................................................................................. 50 Peer support ..................................................................................................................................