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The purpose of this study was to examine featured articles ("n" = 376) and authors ("n" = 415) published in the "American String Teacher" from 2000 through 2019. Articles were coded into 1 of 24 categories using a researcher-designed codebook based on article content. Authors were coded into one of four professional position categories based on information provided in their biographies and by gender based on included pronouns. Article content codes with the highest overall percentages included profession (14.86%), instrument pedagogy (13.83%), and repertoire/instructional materials (11.44%). Within the instrument pedagogy category, articles that primarily focused on violin (23.08%) were the most common, and those focused on the guitar (3.85%) and harp (1.92%) were the least common. Article content codes with the lowest overall percentages included exceptional learners (0.53%), assessment (0.53%), and administration/business (0.80%). Authors were primarily men ("n" = 53.49%) and held positions in higher education ("n" = 54.22%). A significant negative trend was found for authors categorized as applied arts, where applied arts authors decreased from 23.81% in 2000 to 21.74% in 2019.

The purpose of this study was to examine participating orchestras and performed repertoire at the American String Teachers Association's (ASTA) National Orchestra Festival from 2004 through 2020. Participating orchestras (N = 309) primarily consisted of string orchestras and high school-level orchestras with a majority originating from the Southern region of the United States. The most performed full orchestra pieces included Symphony "No. 9, op. 95" by Dvorák and "Symphony No. 2" by Tchaikovsky, and the most performed string orchestra piece was the "Holberg Suite, op. 40" by Grieg. The most frequently cited composers were Dvorák for full orchestra and Mozart for string orchestra. The most frequently cited arrangers were Isaac for full orchestra and Dackow for string orchestra. Female composers and arrangers were highly underrepresented compared with males. Performed repertoire primarily consisted of pieces that conformed to European music traditions. Directors who are unfamiliar with orchestra literature could use these findings as a resource for commonly selected repertoire suitable for high-achieving school orchestras. In addition, findings could provide a catalyst for directors to select music that is more representative of their student population.

Self-care is a topic that has gained traction among helping professionals. It is considered a preventive health care measure used to promote physical and mental health as well as personal well-being. In this article, I use a self-care framework created for social workers and adapt it to music educators with the intention of aiding music teachers in practicing and maintaining their own self-care. The self-care framework is categorized into two dimensions--personal and professional self-care--which each contains various domains. Pragmatic strategies grounded in relevant literature in music education are described in each category within the self-care framework. By providing a self-care framework and relevant strategies, I aim to improve knowledge of self-care practices of music teachers.

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 Dvorák and for string orchestra was "Serenade, op." 48 by Tchaikovsky. The most performed full orchestra composer was Dvorák 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 purpose of this study was to survey collegiate string musicians on their use of drone accompaniments to improve intonation. A questionnaire was developed and distributed to collegiate string musicians (N = 152). Most participants reported that they used a drone accompaniment as a tool to improve their intonation and that they were introduced to it in high school. Participants indicated they used a drone accompaniment more regularly when practicing scales and arpeggios. Additionally, they believed that it was an effective technique for improving intonation, especially for scales and arpeggios. A positive-moderate relationship between reported use of a drone accompaniment in practice and its perceived effectiveness to improve intonation was found for fast passages, slow passages, and solo repertoire. A majority of participants reported that they used a tuning application on their mobile device and a dedicated metronome and tuner to produce a drone accompaniment.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of tonic drone accompaniment on the intonation of violinists and violists. Twenty-eight middle and high school students performed an ascending diatonic line and a descending dominant 7th arpeggio on the violin or viola in three trials: pretest, posttest accompanied with drone, and posttest unaccompanied. The students were grouped based on age and years of experience. A significant difference in cent deviation scores was found between age groups but not years of experience. Post hoc analysis revealed a significant difference between the middle-age group and the youngest group. No significant difference was found overall between pretest, drone accompanied posttest, and unaccompanied posttest conditions.

The purpose of this study was to examine featured articles (n = 376) and authors (n = 415) published in the American String Teacher from 2000 through 2019. Articles were coded into 1 of 24 categories using a researcher-designed codebook based on article content. Authors were coded into one of four professional position categories based on information provided in their biographies and by gender based on included pronouns. Article content codes with the highest overall percentages included profession (14.86%), instrument pedagogy (13.83%), and repertoire/instructional materials (11.44%). Within the instrument pedagogy category, articles that primarily focused on violin (23.08%) were the most common, and those focused on the guitar (3.85%) and harp (1.92%) were the least common. Article content codes with the lowest overall percentages included exceptional learners (0.53%), assessment (0.53%), and administration/business (0.80%). Authors were primarily men (n = 53.49%) and held positions in higher education (n = 54.22%). A significant negative trend was found for authors categorized as applied arts, where applied arts authors decreased from 23.81% in 2000 to 21.74% in 2019. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]