PEDAGOGICAL PRACTICE IN THE TEACHING OF MUSICIANSHIP TO INSTRUMENTALISTS AND VOCALISTS IN HIGH SCHOOL MUSIC EDUCATION SETTINGS: A COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to compare the ways high school instrumental teachers and high school vocal teachers teach musicianship skills. The study also compares secondary music teachers' perceptions of the effectiveness of their teaching of musicianship skills with college students' perceptions of how effectively they were taught these skills. I examined how instructional time, teaching methodology, and availability of small-group and private lessons factor into (1) teacher perception of student understanding of musicianship, and; (2) college students' perception of remembered musicianship education experienced while in high school. I distributed a survey designed to examine the pedagogy of specific musicianship skills. This survey was sent to 75 vocal teachers and 75 instrumental teachers who teach ensemble music classes (band, orchestra, and choir) in urban and suburban areas in Pennsylvania. A similar measure designed to examine college students' remembered perception of the effectiveness of their high school musicianship education was sent to 150 vocal college music majors and 150 instrumental college music majors in Pennsylvania and Delaware. The survey was designed for students and instructors to rate musicianship training using a five point Likert-type scale and a six point Likert-type scale. The skills assessed included: reading notation from treble and bass clefs; sight-reading and sight-singing; recognizing and interpreting music symbols; identifying key signatures and time signatures; working independently on a musical task; and recognizing and performing dynamics, articulations, and common tempo markings. Data were analyzed using a Chi-square test to determine what, if any, significant results negating the null hypothesis are present.