School Band Research Articles

Influences of Segregation and Integration on the Bands at Historically Black High Schools in Duval County, Florida

Segregated schooling in Florida was initially a concession to gain public acceptance of free public education. Its effects can be seen in the band programs of many high school bands. This study looks at the effects of segregation and integration on bands at black high schools in Jacksonville, Florida (Duval County Public Schools). Much of the story echoes the history of Tampa’s desegregation, though Duval County’s age, location, demographics, and politics helped shape a different story. The story of the bands’ origins highlights some noteworthy directors, including the distinguished Kernaa D. McFarlin of the Stanton High School band. This study describes how the Stanton band would shatter prejudices about black schools by becoming the first black high school band to earn a Superior rating at state in a newly integrated Florida Bandmasters Association in 1966. Lawsuits compelled the district to integrate, though traditions and prejudices led to massive white flight from the public schools which continues today. The black student population became the majority demographic in 2006, and musical traditions reflecting those at many Historically Black Colleges and Universities are now the “tradition” at many formerly all-white high schools.

Music Practice Instruction in Middle School Instrumental Ensembles: An Exploratory Analysis

Abstract The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of music practice instruction on middle school band and orchestra students’ practice behaviors. Participants received 4 weeks of practice strategy instruction. Prior to, and following the intervention, self-reported practice strategy lists (N = 136) and video of individual practice sessions (n = 35) data were collected from 7th- and 8th-grade band and orchestra students. Self-reported data were coded and analyzed using descriptive statistics. More than 23 hours of video data (participants’ independent practice sessions) were analyzed using a practice frames evaluation scheme. Video data were further analyzed using an observational measure of self-regulation. Analyses revealed that participants identified and employed significantly more practice strategies following the intervention. Although repetition was the most commonly observed practice strategy overall, posttest practice sessions included more strategic forms of repetition (e.g., repetition of shorter sections and whole-part-whole repetition). Video analysis further revealed that following practice strategy instruction, participants exhibited significantly fewer and longer practice frames as well as more varied practice objectives. Weak relationships emerged between participants’ practice behaviors and their overall degree of self-regulation. Implications for classroom practice and future research are discussed.

Reviewing Practices: Engagement and the Middle School Band

Reviewing Practices: Engagement and the Middle School Band

Middle school band students’ self-determination to practice

The purposes of this study were to examine factors that motivate middle school band students to practice their instrument and to validate a researcher-modified survey instrument for use with middle school music students, using self-determination theory as a theoretical lens. Fifth (10–11 years old, n = 444) and eighth grade (13–14 years old, n = 352) band students from the state of Ohio, United States’ public school districts completed a researcher-modified questionnaire that was used to collect data to determine (a) students’ levels of self-determination for practicing their instrument, (b) the relationship between students’ self-determination for practicing their instrument and the number of years they have played their instrument, (c) the relationship between students’ self-determination for practicing their instrument and the amount of time they reported practicing their instrument per week, and (d) the effect of grade level, gender, instrument choice, and private lesson study on the students’ self-determination for practicing their instrument. Positive significant relationships ( p < .05) were found between middle school band student participants’ motivation to practice and (a) their years of experience playing their instrument, and (b) the amount of time spent practicing. Significant differences were also found for the variables (a) grade level for six of the seven self-determination subscales, (b) gender for two intrinsic and one extrinsic motivation subscales, (c) instrument for one intrinsic, two extrinsic, and the amotivation subscales, and (d) private lesson study for one intrinsic motivation and the amotivation subscales.

Peer connectedness in the middle school band program

Previous research suggests that students participating in school-based musical ensembles are more engaged in school and more likely to connect to their peers in school; however, researchers have not specifically investigated peer connectedness among adolescents in school-based music ensembles. The purpose of this study was to explore middle school band students’ perceptions of peer connectedness. Participants ( N = 317) indicated moderately high levels of peer connectedness both within the concert band and school. Levels of peer connectedness differed between schools; however, no statistical difference was found by grade/band level or SES. Suggestions for future research and implications for youth development and music education professions are discussed.

The Time Usage of College Music Majors, Non-Music Majors, and Marching Band Participants

College marching bands face recruitment challenges each year. Many high school band students may not participate in college marching band due to concerns about adequate study time. This research wa...

Hong Kong secondary school students’ attitudes towards science: a study of structural models and gender differences

ABSTRACTThis study explored two under-researched areas on students’ attitudes towards science, that is, the structural models representing these attitudes and the role played by school bands in moderating the gender differences in such attitudes. The participants were 360 ninth graders in Hong Kong from 3 school bands. The structural equation modelling method was adopted to compare four hypothetical models for students’ attitudes towards science. Results reflect that (i) the data supported the three-factor structure of the behavioural domain of students’ attitudes towards science; (ii) the four lower level dimensions of the attitudes towards science (i.e. value of science to society, self-concept in science, anxiety towards science and enjoyment of science) could be further integrated into broader categories; (iii) male students demonstrated significantly more positive attitudes towards science in five dimensions (i.e. self-concept in science, enjoyment in science, learning science in and outside the classroom and future participation) and (iv) school bands played a prominent moderating role in gender differences in students’ attitudes towards science. Implications for studying and developing students’ attitudes towards science are discussed in the paper.

Evaluation of Intrarehearsal Achievement by Listeners of Varying Levels of Expertise

The primary purpose of this study was to investigate expertise-related differences in the evaluation of moment-to-moment rehearsal achievement. Nonmusic majors, music education majors, and expert music teachers ( N = 60) listened to 18 “before” and “after” pairs of rehearsal trials of various high school bands in their pursuit of proximal rehearsal goals, or targets. These pairs of rehearsal trials (“dyads”) were presented to participants on audio compact discs without evidence of the band directors’ intervening rehearsal procedures. The performance quality of the ensembles heard on the recordings was either high or low, and the targets they pursued addressed Tone Quality/Intonation, Musicianship/Expressiveness, or Rhythm/Articulation. The dependent measure was participants’ evaluation of the extent of improvement heard within each dyad. A significant main effect was found for listener expertise, with experts evaluating ensembles’ achievement on these targets most critically (i.e., lower), and with nonmajors offering the highest evaluation scores. No main effect on evaluation scores was found for ensemble performance quality. Results suggest that expert music teachers exercise judgments about moment-to-moment rehearsal achievement according to an internalized standard rather than to the immediately preceding rehearsal trial. Findings are discussed in consideration of the Model of Expert Teaching (Berliner, 1986).

Middle School Students’ Perceptions of Bullying

Abstract This descriptive study explored middle school band students’ (N = 291) perceptions of bullying behavior. Research questions were designed to generate data regarding the frequency of physical, verbal, and socially aggressive acts self-reported by middle school students enrolled in the band class while in the band classroom, during band-related activities, as well as within the school setting. Using a researcher-modified version of Parada’s (2000) Adolescent Peer Relations Instrument (Cronbach’s alpha = .95 Perpetrator Scale / .95 Victimization Scale) with a response rate of 88%, adolescents in 6th–8th grade were asked to report the frequency of aggressive behaviors. Participants reported experiencing peer victimization more frequently outside of the band classroom than inside the band classroom. Male participants reported slightly higher frequencies of physical victimization than females and Minoritized band students reported slightly higher frequencies of social aggression than White band students. Results suggest that band students’ experiences with bullying behaviors differ depending on biological sex and self-reported race. Suggestions for future research and implications for the profession are discussed.

Career Intentions and Experiences of Pre- and In-Service Female Band Teachers

The purpose of this study was to examine pre- and in-service female band teachers’ perspectives regarding their experiences in realizing their professional goals. Domains guiding this inquiry included (a) gaining entry into the profession of band teaching, (b) navigating the profession, and (c) gender issues. Findings from this multiple case study indicated that numerous outside factors affected the career paths of the participants, resulting in all of the women pursuing elementary, middle, or multi–grade level jobs. These factors included (a) the positions available at the time of the initial job search, (b) family responsibilities, (c) the perceived time commitment thought to accompany high school band teaching positions, and (d) the desire to witness musical and social growth in students. Some of the participants believed the band profession was increasingly welcoming to women; however, several of the participants reported challenges of being a woman in band teaching. These challenges included the struggle to network with those perceived to be in power, fitting in at professional development events, and gaining respect from students and colleagues. Although some of the women found their gender could be an asset, they also found themselves restricted by social constructs and stereotypes of gender.

Do goals lead to outcomes or can it be the other way around?: Causal ordering of mastery goals, metacognitive strategies, and achievement.

Goal theory research has mostly focused on the unidirectional effects of goals on learning strategies and academic achievement. Reciprocal relationships have mostly been neglected. The primary aim of this study was to examine the reciprocal relations and causal ordering of mastery goals, metacognitive strategy use, and academic achievement. A total of 8,773 secondary students drawn from three cohorts in Hong Kong participated in the study. We found that mastery goals and metacognitive strategy use exhibited reciprocal effects. Interestingly, and contrary to previous research, academic achievement was shown to predict mastery goal adoption and metacognitive strategy use but not the other way around. Results of the model were shown to be invariant across students of different genders, year levels, and school bands. Implications for goal theory research are discussed.

Effects of Conductor Expressivity on Secondary School Band Members’ Performance and Attitudes Toward Conducting

We investigated the effects of expressive and unexpressive conducting on secondary school band members’ and experts’ audio evaluations of band performance expressivity. A conductor, who demonstrated either expressive or unexpressive conducting techniques, led both an eighth-grade and a high school band in four separate “run-throughs” of a one-minute excerpt from David Holsinger’s A Childhood Hymn. Each excerpt was conducted both expressively and unexpressively at two separate rehearsals, resulting in four performances for each band. Participants ( N = 165) involved with the audio evaluation task included the band members as well as experts (i.e., public school band directors). Results indicated significant main effects for evaluator group (eighth grade, high school, or experts) and ensemble level (eighth grade or high school). No significant main effect was found for conductor expressivity, but a significant three-way interaction between conductor expressivity, evaluator group, and ensemble level was found, with experts assigning lower ensemble expressivity scores than the band members. To determine whether the performers in this study would notice any differences between the conducting conditions, we replicated a survey from Price and Winter to gauge their opinions about the conductor. Our results indicated that eighth-grade and high school students preferred being conducted expressively rather than unexpressively.

Book Review: Clark, James. Connecticut’s Fife & Drum Tradition

Clark, James Connecticut's Fife & Drum Middletown, CT: Wesleyan University Press, 2011, 196 pp. ISBN 978-0819571410, $26.96 (hardcover). parade audience in New England may be startled to hear a group with only high-pitched, flute-like fifes and accompanying drums, especially if they are not from New England. Their curiosity may be further aroused when they see large drums attached to the performers' legs and the heads of the instruments struck by a drum stick gripped upside down in the left hand--contrary to contemporary marching drum practice. pieces performed and visual image are very different from today's brass-heavy marching bands; audience members may consider the group unique and untraditional, even anachronistic. This is wrong thinking. fife and drum corps has been around a long and is the predecessor to contemporary high school bands, military bands, and drum and bugle corps. It is an active type of ensemble. James Clark, in Connecticut's Fife & Drum Tradition, seeks to preserve the uniqueness of the tradition as it has appeared in Connecticut. Connecticut, the third smallest state of the United States, is named after the long, tidal river that divides the state in half. Connecticut River, known for a wealth of history, marks an eastern boundary line to western Connecticut's rich music heritage. Clark, an active ancient fife and drum participant since 1965, recounts the legacy of large 17 to 19 snare drum corps and its fifes in Connecticut. He includes historical discussions of the fife--evolved from the medieval pipe--and the modified fourteenth-century rhythmic patterns, known as rudimental drumming. Clark also includes the social and historical significance of drum and fife groups in the Revolutionary and Civil War militias. Clark arranges his chapters in largely chronological order beginning with the Origins of the Fife and Drum during the Medieval Era, then proceeds to A New Nation, Early National Period and Civil War, The Connecticut Fifers and Drummers Association, Ancient Corps, and Contemporary Tradition. Clark explained concepts such as open drumming--a relaxed, smooth drumming technique (p. 48)--within the chapters addressing Connecticut's music heritage. publication enables readers to make contemporary connections to several ideas, including rhythm tempi such as quick time, equivalent to modern cut time tempi. Though Clark explains the fife and drum tradition through the eyes of fairly recent participants, he contextualizes their comments with discussions of ancient and modern corps. discussion provides a thorough overview of the larger drums and sticks, rudiments, militia calls, the march repertoire, and how ancient fifers played the melodic line. Older groups began with militia members but grew to using trained musicians following the wars. In contrast, more modern fife and drum corps used smaller drums, performed different music styles, and utilize tonal structures to divide fifers' musical lines into harmonies. Clark's work includes illustrations of period notation, discussions of out-of-print music, and provides a connection to General Friedrich Wilhelm von Steuben, George Washington's military training officer. Songs such as the College Hornpipe, transcribed during the American Revolution in Rhode Island by Thomas Remington, enable readers to examine early notation. well-placed pictures of historical ensembles and performers tell the story of the corps tradition more effectively than any narrator. Clark's connection to Connecticut's heritage icon, Nathan Hale, provides interest not only for Connecticut natives, but connects to scholars of early American history. …

Leo L. Beranek: Biographical and autobiographical perspectives.

PrologueThe life story of Leo L. Beranek deserves more than a few journal pages. Having put off a request from his family for some time, at the age of 93 years, Dr. Beranek wrote his memoir Riding the Waves. Its 10 spellbinding chapters were published by the MIT Press in 2008. Countless other pages, however, have been written about him, such as the many encomia in connection with the awards and recognitions he has received. Last year, Acoustics Today dedicated its entire fall issue to him, coinciding with his 100th birthday (cf., Rosenberg & Cavanaugh, 2014). It contained six chapters each focusing on a particular dimension of his accomplishments. Tying the entire issue together was a pictorial series of waves, one wave for every year of his life that, in sequences of 5, graced the bottom of 22 pages of the publication (Cavanaugh & Carballeira, 2014). Many of these years highlight special accomplishments and significant events. The visual series helps to capture the almost unfathomable scope of Leo's life. Thanks to the American Institute of Physics, our own special issue of Psychomusicology: Music, Mind, & Brain, on the topic of Performance Spaces for Music: Acoustic and Psychological Measurements and Their Interactions, which is dedicated to him, has the opportunity to present a composite of Dr. Beranek's 100 waves. See Figure 1 on the next four pages.Dr. Beranek has kindly provided our special issue with a condensed autobiography of his professional life. This material is dense and begins just after he received his doctoral degree. A journal which implies the word psychology in its title surely needs to offer some information about the early, formative years. I have therefore attempted to provide this. The content comes from a variety of sources including Riding the Waves and its reviews; interviews on the websites of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the American Institute of Physics; the special issue of Acoustics Today; histories of Bolt, Beranek, and Newman; various newspaper and other resources found on the Internet; as well as several communications with Dr. Beranek. The document ends with a summary of Dr. Beranek's achievements, honors, awards, and credentials. Together with Dr. Beranek's own story, the material must surely inspire readers of this journal through not only the accomplishments represented but also the opportunity to learn more about an extraordinary human being and exemplary devotee to the combined fields of music and science.Early YearsLeo Beranek was born in 1914 into modest and rugged circumstances in Solon, Iowa, a town of 400 people. His mother had been a school teacher there before her marriage, but this ended with her moving from Solon to the farm and becoming a housewife caring for her husband, who worked the farm, and Leo, and eventually a second child. Early education for Leo, when he became five, was a one-room schoolhouse. Leo's mother was a fairly accomplished pianist, and she gave him some piano lessons that provided an elementary grounding in music. When Leo was only 11 years old, his mother passed away. She left him with the advice to get a college education, something he never forgot. Her death led his father to give up the farm and move in with Leo at his parents' home in Solon. Leo's enterprising nature at the age of 12 resulted in his responding to an ad for a salesperson, placed by the Real Silk Company in the Saturday Evening Post. Having no idea that the applicant was a child, the company sent Leo a brown leather briefcase with supplies of silk stockings and related items, all that was needed for a fledgling door-to-door salesman. Working part time for 2 years in this job, he was able to be independent and purchase extras as his family took care of his basic needs but gave him no allowance.1Around this time, a teacher needing to complete the Solon high school band encouraged him to take up a musical instrument. Of a few choices, Leo chose drums. …

Self-Efficacy, Self-Evaluation, and Music Performance of Secondary-Level Band Students

In the present study, relationships between two components of self-regulation (self-efficacy and self-evaluation) and gender, school level, instrument family, and music performance were examined. Participants were 340 middle and high school band students who participated in one of two summer music camps or who were members of a private middle school band program. Students indicated their level of self-efficacy for playing a musical excerpt before performing it and then self-evaluated their performance immediately afterward. Findings suggest that there is a strong and positive relationship between self-efficacy and both music performance and self-evaluation. There was also a strong negative relationship between self-evaluation calibration bias and music performance, indicating that as music performance ability increased, students were more underconfident in their self-evaluations. Gender differences were found for self-evaluation calibration accuracy, as female students were more accurate than males at evaluating their performances. Middle school males were more inclined than females to overrate their self-efficacy and self-evaluation as compared to their actual music performance scores. These gender differences were reversed for high school students. There were no other statistically significant findings.

Early gene–diet interaction between glucokinase regulatory protein (GCKR) polymorphism, vegetable and fish intakes in modulating triglyceride levels in healthy adolescents

Background and aimsThe benefits of dietary vegetable and fish consumptions on improving glucose and lipid metabolism have been well established. Recently, the T-allele of a common genetic variant rs780094 at glucokinase regulatory protein (GCKR) was reported to be associated with elevated triglyceride (TG) levels but reduced fasting plasma glucose (FPG) and type 2 diabetes risk. However, the dietary modulation on genetic risk is not clearly understood. Methods and resultsA cohort of 2095 Chinese adolescents (mean age 15.6 ± 2.0 years, 45.3% male) recruited from a population-based school survey for cardiovascular risk factor assessment, with dietary data including weekly vegetable and fish consumptions as well as clinical data were genotyped for the GCKR rs780094 polymorphism. In the linear regression analysis with adjustment for sex, age, body mass index, and socioeconomic status (school banding, paternal and maternal education levels), the frequency of vegetable intake per week was inversely associated with FPG (P = 0.044). Individuals with low fish intake generally had elevated TG levels but reduced TC, HDL-C and LDL-C (0.006 < P < 0.029). We also observed significant associations of the minor T-allele of GCKR rs780094 with decreased FPG (P = 0.013) and increased TG levels (P = 2.7 × 10−8). There were significant gene–diet interactions between rs780094 and vegetable consumption (Pinteraction = 0.009), and between rs780094 and fish consumption (Pinteraction = 0.031) in modulating TG levels. The T-allele of GCKR locus was associated with higher TG levels amongst individuals with ≥7 vegetable meals per week (P = 6.4 × 10−9), and among individuals with <7 fish meals per week (P = 0.020 and 7.0 × 10−7 for 4–6 and ≤3 meals per week, respectively). High intake of vegetable exerted a reduction in TG levels only among CC genotype carriers (Ptrend = 0.020), while high intake of fish was associated with reduced TG levels only among TT genotype carriers (Ptrend = 0.026). ConclusionsIn summary, our data indicated that the favorable associations of higher vegetable and fish intakes on TG levels are dependent on the genetic background of an individual. In particular, at-risk TT- genotype carriers of the GCKR variant may derive more benefits from a high fish intake, while the CC-genotype carriers may find further benefits from a high consumption of vegetable.

A Theoretical Structure of High School Concert Band Performance

This study used exploratory (EFA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) to verify a theoretical structure for high school concert band performance and to test that structure for viability, generality, and invariance. A total of 101 university students enrolled in two different bands rated two high school band performances (a “first” band’s Performance 1, and “second” band’s Performance 2) using items from Sagen’s Band Performance Rating Scale. EFA methods verified a structure consisting of three interrelated primary-order factors. Items did not have the same factor loadings in both performances. For Performance 1, the factor accounting for the most variance was Expression/Tone Quality, followed by Intonation and then Rhythm. For Performance 2, the factor accounting for the most variance was Tone Quality/Intonation, followed by Expression and then Rhythm. Both performances’ structures exhibited a strong second-order general factor ( g). CFA demonstrated that models consisting of three interrelated primary-order factors and one second-order g fit both sets of data. Regarding generality, the Performance 1 model did not fit Performance 2 data, whereas the Performance 2 model did fit Performance 1 data. The Performance 1 model demonstrated a high degree of invariance between the two sets of evaluators; the Performance 2 model did not.

Developing Musical Independence in a High School Band

Abstract This qualitative case study describes how a band director, whose objectives included the development of musical independence, designed his classroom, curriculum, and instruction and how his students experienced this pedagogical practice. Teachers and students of a secondary-level concert band were observed and interviewed over the course of an 8-week concert cycle. The lead teacher utilized a constructivist approach comprised of three interrelated elements: a deliberately structured band environment, teacher-moderated instruction, and student-led engagement. The teacher-moderated and student-led elements were situated within an educational space that emphasized musical rigor, social engagement, and extramusical skills. This environment promoted students’ musical growth with support from social and extramusical resources. The teacher facilitated learning through scaffolded instruction that included modeling, guided problem solving and decision-making, and intentional vagueness. These strategies invited students to actively engage in critical thinking and take personal responsibility within the large ensemble setting. Students applied their learning from teacher-moderated instruction to student-led music opportunities in both large and chamber ensembles. The teacher monitored but did not participate in student-led activities, allowing the students to make their own musical diagnoses and decisions. He used his observations to determine specific student needs and inform his own instructional practice. Students demonstrated musical independence to varying degrees as the teacher facilitated learning differently dependent on student, content, and situation.

Gender and Musical Instrument Stereotypes in Middle School Children

Previous studies have established that gender stereotypes are associated with children’s choice of musical instrument. Though some have suggested that these gender stereotypes may be trending toward change, other studies have indicated that gender stereotypes are long-standing and still very much at issue. This descriptive study of middle school band students ( N = 99) examined instrument gender stereotypes using improved methods of measurement and found evidence that instrument gender stereotypes remain entrenched and pose a persisting problem facing music educators. Importantly, younger and more inexperienced band members may be more open to counterstereotypical views. Suggested changes in research methods and directions for future study are discussed, as are implications for music educators.

A Survey Study of U.S. Collegiate and K–12 Steel Band Directors’ Attitudes Relating to Steel Band Curriculum and Pedagogy

Steel bands were introduced into U.S. schools and universities during the 1950s and 1960s. There are now more than 600 U.S. school and university steel bands. The range of teaching methods and repertoire choices must be examined to more fully understand the variety of steel band traditions present in K–12 schools and universities. U.S. steel band directors responded to Likert-type, yes/no, and open-ended items about their curriculum and pedagogy as part of a March 2012 survey ( N = 216). Some of the main issues examined include methodology, the balance of genres programmed, the inclusion of contextual information, and directors’ steelpan performance backgrounds. Recommendations for the field, including suggestions for professional development opportunities for steel band directors, are included.