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The primary purpose of this study was to describe the music experiences elementary school children in the United States receive in the academic classroom setting. The data were drawn from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study of the Kindergarten Class of 1998-1999 (ECLS-K), a nationally representative study that followed kindergarteners through to their eighth-grade school year with the last data collection wave in 2006-2007. The variables pertaining to music experiences in the academic classroom that were available in the ECLS-K were (a) the frequency and duration with which children received music instruction, (b) the frequency that music was used to teach math, and (c) the percentage of children receiving formal music instruction outside of school. Each of these variables also was analyzed as a function of child urbanicity, socioeconomic status (SES), and race. Statistically significant (p <0.001) disparities among children based on urbanicity, SES, and race were found on each of the music experience variables. Overall, White suburban students of high levels of SES tended to receive significantly more music experiences than students of color from urban and rural settings and of low SES. The findings support the need to advocate for high-quality music programs for all students and particularly for those from traditionally underserved populations.

The article discusses the importance of connecting research in music education with the practice of music teaching and learning. It references a study that raises concerns about the validity of recommendations for practice based on nonexperimental research. The author encourages readers to explore the study and its responses to consider the arguments raised. The author also reflects on the presence of experimental research in the Journal of Research in Music Education (JRME) and expresses a desire for more experiments to be submitted in the future. [Extracted from the article]

Professional discussion of curricular change and innovation is essential for maintaining and increasing the positive effects that music education can have on schoolchildren. Much recent discourse about curricular change has focused on critiques of the traditional large-ensemble model of music education, technological innovation applied to teaching music, and the incorporation of popular music idioms. I propose counterpoints to these commonly discussed topics and offer suggestions for redirecting advocacy efforts and for reconsidering dispositions toward large-ensemble instruction. Rather than discard the current curricular models as inadequate, we can exercise patience and reflect while building on what currently exists. (Contains 11 notes.)

The purpose of this study was to investigate the development of preservice music teachers' concerns using Fuller and Bown's model. Participants were 8 instrumental teachers who participated in the previous Berg and Miksza (2010) study. Data sources included goals essays, journals, a midterm growth plan, and teaching observation reports with accompanying lesson plans that were collected over a 1.5-year period. The participants expressed less concern for self-survival and more concern for making an impact on students as time progressed from their junior-level practicum experience to the end of student teaching. Concerns regarding basic competencies and professionalism ultimately gave way to specific contextual aspects of the participants' teaching placements and more nuanced instructional issues. Results indicated that the focus of the participants' concerns also was greatly affected by their teaching context. Implications for music teacher preparation as well as extensions of Fuller and Bown's model are discussed. (Contains 4 tables and 1 figure.)

The purpose of this study was to investigate advocacy influences that may impact school arts programs using data from the 2009-10 National Center for Education Statistics elementary and secondary school surveys on arts education. Regression models were employed to assess the relative effectiveness of variables representing community support, administrators' support, having arts educators in leadership roles, and school climate more generally as predictors of principals' reports of the adequacy of funding, instructional time, and number of arts specialists for arts education. Additional models were examined to determine whether these effects would remain after controlling for minority status, poverty status, and school community type. Parent/community support, including the presence of arts specialists in school leadership roles and having an arts curriculum specialist/program coordinator, had the most pronounced effects on the reported adequacy of resources. Student interest in and demand for arts education, the inclusion of arts course grades in secondary students' GPA, and the number of arts events elementary school principals attended also showed significant effects. (Contains 5 tables.)

The purpose of this study was to investigate intermediate musicians' self-regulated practice behaviors. Thirty sixth- through eighth-grade students were observed practicing band repertoire individually for 20 min. Practice sessions were coded according to practice frame frequency and duration, length of musical passage selected, most prominent musical objective, and practice behaviors. The 600 min of video were parsed into 234 practice frames for analysis. Practice sessions also were rated for overall degree of self-regulation. Reliability of the observational procedures (three observers, 95% to 100% agreement) and self-regulation ratings (two raters, coefficients of 0.89 to 0.96) was excellent. Analyses revealed an average of 7.8 practice frames with a mean duration of 2 min 45 s across sessions. Participants most frequently addressed the musical objective pitch accuracy and most commonly selected passages of nine measures in length or greater. The most common practice behaviors were varying tempo, repeating fewer than four measures, repeating more than four measures, and irrelevant playing. Significant relationships were found between self-regulation ratings and frequencies of the behaviors writing on music (r = 0.55), varying tempo (r = 0.42), repeating four or more measures (r = 0.41), and irrelevant playing (r = 0.59). Implications for future research and practical applications are discussed. (Contains 1 table and 1 figure.)

The purpose of this study was to develop and test the construct validity and reliability of a self-report measure of self-regulated practice behaviors for beginning and intermediate instrumentalists. A questionnaire was designed to assess the motive, method, behavior, time management, and social influences dimensions of the theoretical model of self-regulation proposed by McPherson and Zimmerman. The questionnaire's construct validity was tested using confirmatory factor analysis, and a preliminary assessment of predictive validity was estimated by correlating the measure with self-reported practice habits. The measure's reliability in regard to internal consistency and consistency over time was assessed as well. The sample consisted of middle school band students in grades 6 to 8 (N = 302). Confirmatory factor analyses indicated that a model including factors representing the dimensions self-efficacy, method/behavior combined, time management, and social influences was the best fit. Cronbach's alpha and test-retest reliability results indicated good to excellent consistency across all self-regulation subscales, with coefficients ranging from 0.76 to 0.90. Significant correlations (p less than 0.001) between the self-regulation subscales and self-reported practice habits (i.e., time spent practicing, average daily practice efficiency, percentage of time spent on formal practice) provided preliminary evidence of predictive validity of the measure. (Contains 3 tables.)

The primary purpose of this study was to investigate relationships between observed practice behaviors consistent with conceptions of deliberate practice (Lehmann & Ericsson, 1997) and the performance achievement of collegiate wind players (N = 55). The secondary purpose of this study was to explore relationships among observed practice behaviors, performance achievement, and individual differences in impulsivity and achievement goal motivation. Participants completed: (1) a 23-minute practice session; (2) pre- and post-test measures of performance achievement; (3) a researcher-adaptation of the Elliot and McGregor (2001) 2 x 2 Achievement Goal Questionnaire; (4) the Eysenck Impulsiveness Questionnaire for Adults (Eysenck, Pearson, Easting, & Allsop, 1985); (5) the Barratt Impulsiveness Scale (1985); and (6) a researcher-constructed practice habit questionnaire. Reliability results for all measures and observations were acceptable. Results indicated: (1) significant positive correlations between performance achievement and the observed behaviors "repeat two to four measure chunk," "whole-part-whole," "slowing," "chaining," and "use of metronome;" (2) significant negative correlations between performance achievement and the behaviors "varying pitch" and "singing, whistling, buzzing;" (3) a significant increase in performance achievement from pre- to post-test with less impulsive participants having higher scores at both points in time; and (4) several significant correlations between impulsiveness and achievement goal motivation sub-scales and observed practice behaviors. (Contains 3 tables and 2 figures.)

This study was designed to (a) gather band directors' opinions of skills and characteristics important to teaching and (b) examine the relative effectiveness of electronic versus paper survey methods. Survey respondents ranked lists of music, teaching, and personal skills or characteristics in order of importance and answered open-ended items regarding advice for 1st-year teachers and the struggles and rewards of band directing. The final response rate was 66% (N = 235). Personal and teaching skills and characteristics were ranked higher than music skills. The items "maintain high musical standards," "be able to motivate students," and "enthusiastic, energetic" were the highest ranked skills or characteristics. Perseverance, patience, and long-term vision were the most common forms of advice to 1st-year teachers. Issues related to classroom management and student success were the most-often-cited struggles and rewards of band directing, respectively. An experiment comparing response rate and response quality as a function of survey method (i.e., e-survey vs. paper survey) and follow-up notification (i.e., postnote, no postnote) also was completed using a smaller subsample of respondents ( n = 102). Response rates for the e-survey conditions were better than those for the paper survey conditions. Greater proportions of respondents from the paper survey conditions completed the open-ended items. (Contains 6 tables and 1 figure.)

This study is an investigation of relationships among impulsiveness, locus of control, sex, observed practice behaviors, practice effectiveness, and self-reported practice habits in a sample of 40 college brass players. Practice effectiveness was defined by the amount of change in pretest and posttest performance achievement scores over one 23-minute practice session. Each subject's practice session was analyzed for frequency of practice behaviors. Measures included the Eysenck Impulsiveness Questionnaire for Adults (1985), the Nowicki-Duke Locus of Control Scale for Adults (1974), and a researcher-designed practice questionnaire. Results indicated (a) a significant interaction effect (p less than 0.01) between performance achievement and impulsiveness, with subjects in the low-impulsive group outperforming those in the high-impulsive group; (b) a significant relationship (p less than 0.01) between subjects' locus of control and impulsiveness scores; (c) no significant differences (p greater than 0.05) in impulsiveness, locus of control, or performance achievement by sex; (d) significant relationships (p less than 0.05) between performance achievement and the observed practice behaviors "repeat section," "whole-part-whole," "marks part," and "varying pitch"; and (e) no significant relations (p greater than 0.05) between amount of time spent playing during the practice session in the study and performance achievement. (Contains 1 figure and 4 tables.)

We employed the PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) method to systematically review research on music practice from 1928 until June 2020 and identified a total of 3,102 records using our inclusion criteria, of which a total of 296 were eventually selected for the final analysis. We tabulated percentages and frequencies of (a) publications in ten-year periods, (b) type of publications, (c) sampling by geographical location, (d) methodologies used, (e) the top tenth percentile of the most highly cited research, and (f) topics covered. Our analyses reveal that particularly strong growth occurred in the literature between 2000 and 2020. In the literature we retrieved, the most commonly sampled research participants were those in the United States, followed by the United Kingdom and Australia. Quantitative research designs were most prevalent, accounting for two-thirds of all studies reviewed (66.2%), with questionnaires and recordings being the most common methods of data collection. Non-empirical papers (17.5%) as well as studies incorporating qualitative (13.5%) and mixed-methods designs (3.1%) were much less prevalent. Ericsson et al.'s (1993) seminal study of deliberate practice, Driskell et al.'s (1994) review of the research literature on mental practice, and Sloboda et al.'s (1996) study of young musicians were by far the most often cited. Overall, the most common topics addressed were deliberate practice, practice strategies, mental practice, the benefits of practice, metacognition, self-regulation, and self-efficacy, suggesting that music practice is a rich, multifaceted, and complex activity. In light of the findings, recommendations for practice and implications for future research are provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted many aspects of life, including the instructional practices of music educators. The purpose of this study was to examine music teachers' well-being following the disruptions in schooling that resulted from the pandemic in the Spring of 2020. We also investigated how disruptions may have affected music teachers' perceptions of their efficacy and the status of the profession. A questionnaire was completed by 2,023 music teachers who were members of the National Association for Music Education. We collected data related to (a) demographic and institutional information, (b) well-being, (c) teaching efficacy, (d) the impact of the pandemic upon the profession, and (e) the impact of the pandemic upon student learning. The questionnaire included the PERMA Profiler, a measure of well-being, and a portion of the Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale (DASS-21). Both PK–12 and collegiate teachers reported significantly lower levels of overall well-being and significantly higher levels of depression than published norms. Additional analyses examined the relationship of individual difference and teaching context variables to the well-being measures, perceptions of teaching efficacy, and perceptions of the pandemic's impact on student learning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The primary goal of this study was to examine relationships among observed practice behaviors, self-reported practice habits, and performance achievement of high school wind players (N = 60). Participants practiced [...]

This study is an investigation of relationships among impulsiveness, locus of control, sex, observed practice behaviors, practice effectiveness, and self-reported practice habits in a sample of 40 college brass players. [...]

The purpose of this study was to explore the effects of using a self-directed practice diary on conservatory pianists' self-regulated learning tendencies. We sought to determine whether the implementation of a self-directed practice diary based on the three-phase model of self-regulated learning would lead students to gradually demonstrate more self-regulated learning tendencies across a semester of practicing, and if the type and quality of their self-regulated learning tendencies varied as a function of performance ability. A marked and consistent improvement in metacognitive monitoring skills was observed across the semester for all seven participants. Variations between lower and higher ability students were most pronounced in the Forethought stage, with higher ability pianists reporting fewer goals and strategies and higher self-motivational beliefs than their lower ability counterparts. In the Performance phase, higher ability students invested more effort in help seeking and structuring their practice environment, and lower ability students reported more self-instruction. In the Self-Reflection phase, higher ability pianists reported being more focused in the practice session. Suggestions for further refinement of the technique to improve musicians' ability to master their learning and achieve their personal best are provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For many music students, the transition to university-level studies can be a time characterized by high levels of stress as they adjust to academic standards and the challenges of demanding performance assessments. Given this context, this study investigated the impact of stress on students' well-being, specifically the facet of subjective vitality, defined in the literature as a feeling of energy and aliveness. Our focus was to explore whether certain psychosocial traits would moderate the negative effects of stress on vitality. Working from an empirically derived conceptual model, our central hypotheses were: (a) that stress and self-oriented perfectionism would be negatively related to vitality, whereas adaptability and quality of peer relationships would be positively related to vitality; and (b) that the relationship between stress and vitality would be moderated by students' self-oriented perfectionism, adaptability, and quality of peer relationships. Participants were 293 undergraduate and graduate music majors from university schools of music and conservatoires in the United States and Australia. Findings revealed that stress was a significant negative predictor of vitality, but self-oriented perfectionism was not. In addition, both adaptability and quality of peer relationships were significant positive predictors of vitality. However, neither self-oriented perfectionism, adaptability, nor quality of peer relationships moderated the effects of stress on vitality. These findings are discussed with regard to practical recommendations for helping students deal with the stressors in their environments and potential theoretical avenues to explore through future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study was twofold: (1) to describe university music students' perceptions of competitiveness, perfectionism, and teacher control in conservatory-style learning environments, and (2) to test a theoretical model of a network of relationships among perceptions of competitiveness, perfectionism, teacher control, quality of motivation, and intentions to pursue a career in music. Participants were undergraduate and graduate music majors from schools of music in the Midwestern United States and Australia. Results revealed that commitment to a career in music was strong, autonomous motivation orientations were more strongly endorsed than controlled motivation orientations, reports of teacher control and socially prescribed perfectionism were weak, whereas reports of competitiveness were strong. Path analyses indicated that those with stronger career intentions also have stronger autonomous motivation orientations and perceive their teachers as more controlling. Autonomous motivation orientations were stronger for those who perceive their environment to be more competitive and weaker for those who experience more perfectionism and teacher control. Participants reporting greater perceptions of teacher control and more perfectionism tended to report weaker career intentions by virtue of the indirect relationships of the variables through autonomous motivation. In contrast, those who experienced greater degrees of perfectionism tended to report stronger controlled motivation orientations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Previous research suggests that musicians modulate a predictable set of acoustic cues to convey distinct emotions. The current study focuses on singers, testing the validity of cues previously reported for a wide range of instruments. The study also asks: What effect might a musician's mindfulness have on their expressive performance? Two groups of highly skilled vocalists recorded performances of a novel melody with four distinct emotions. Prior to the performance task, an experimental group took part in a guided mindfulness induction, while a control group engaged in a self-selected relaxation activity; state mindfulness was assessed immediately after. Recordings were analyzed for tempo, temporal variation, intensity, mean centroid, vibrato rate, vibrato extent, and attack slope; individual notes with particular scale-degree functions were also compared. Results show that the two groups of participants had similar cue usage, although those in the experimental condition had higher mindfulness scores and attributed improvements in focus and awareness to the induction task. Participants as a whole used cues in the predicted directions, and significant differences were found on all acoustical measures, except vibrato rate, as a function of expressed emotion. Results also indicate that participants modified intonation to distinguish between positive and negative emotions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]