Changing trends in preparing students for college level theory.

Changing trends in preparing students for college level theory. An article published in American Music Teacher approximately twentyyears TWENTY YEARS. The lapse of twenty years raises a presumption of certain facts, and after such a time, the party against whom the presumption has been raised, will be required to prove a negative to establish his rights. 2. ago addressed the issue of students' preparation to studycollege level music theory. Fifty-eight music majors at the Universityof Florida University of Florida is the third-largest university in the United States, with 50,912 students (as of Fall 2006) and has the eighth-largest budget (nearly $1.9 billion per year). UF is home to 16 colleges and more than 150 research centers and institutes. were surveyed in an attempt to answer the question, "Ifa promising high school music student decides to major in music atcollege, where will the necessary background in theory beacquired?" This questionnaire, distributed in March 1981, soughtmusic majors' opinions regarding the most helpful pre-collegeexperiences they had. A follow-up study was conducted in the spring of2001 to learn whether answers to survey questions had changed over theintervening twenty-year period.The 1981 StudyThe article reporting the 1981 study revealed that the privateinstrumental teacher plays a role that is as important as the theoryinstructor. The article went on to support this statement with thewritings of Frederic W. Homan, Elvina T. Pearce and Diane Hardy, and tooffer suggestions for ways in which this responsibility might be carriedout with the help of MTNA MTNA Music Teachers National AssociationMTNA Middle Tennessee Nursery Association (McMinnville, Tennessee)theory guidelines guidelines,n.pl a set of standards, criteria, or specifications to be used or followed in the performance of certain tasks. and group lessons. (1)An analysis of the 1981 survey forms revealed that studentsindicated they felt most prepared in the areas of rhythm (77.5 percent),ability to hear major and minor triads (70.6 percent) and knowledge ofscales (68.9 percent) (Table 1).Additionally, 34.4 percent of the music majors believed they hadreceived the most theory preparation from their private teacher of theirmajor instrument. Other experiences were rated for their value in theorypreparation: high school . theory class, 13.7 percent; high school bandprogram, 10.3 percent; private teacher of the student's secondaryinstrument, 6.8 percent; and private theory teacher, 3.4 percent (Table2). Although 17.2 percent of the students had participated in a highschool orchestra program, only one student who completed thequestionnaire indicated that this experience had been the most helpful.The study did not categorize cat��e��go��rize?tr.v. cat��e��go��rized, cat��e��go��riz��ing, cat��e��go��riz��esTo put into a category or categories; classify.cat students by year or number of years theyhad been in their four-year degree program.Review of Related LiteratureWith the exception of the 1981 study, none of the extant literature Extant literature refers to texts that have survived from the past to the present time. Extant literature can be divided into extant original manuscripts, copies of original manuscripts, quotations and paraphrases of passages of non-extant texts contained in other works, on theory education deal with students' opinions of their highschool preparation for college-level theory. Livingston notes that astudent's private instrumental teacher (primary performinginstrument)has a significant role in preparing high school students forfreshman music theory. As previously mentioned, her study examines theresponses to a questionnaire of fifty-eight music majors at theUniversity of Florida. Students were asked to indicate which areas oftheory study they felt well prepared for upon entering college. Resultsof the study show that 39.2 percent of wind instrument majors, 53.3percent of keyboard majors and 38.4 percent of voice majors consideredtheir private lesson instruction to be the most helpful in preparing forfreshman music theory. (2) Livingston cites Pearce (3) in suggestingprivate lesson instructors give students three individual and one grouplesson per month, with the group lesson including aural aural/au��ral/ (aw��r'l)1. auditory (1).2. pertaining to an aura.au��ral?1adj.Relating to or perceived by the ear. and writtentheory exercises. (4)Carole S. Harrison notes that many music majors are not able toperform adequately in the major components of freshman theory: writtenwork, sight reading, ear training and keyboard harmony. Musicalaptitude, pre-college musical experience, private study and ensembleexperience, and study of principal performing instrument all contributeto predicting success in undergraduate music theory. (5) Her studyfocused on a population of 178 freshman music majors at California StateUniversity Enrollment at Fullerton. The results indicate that three of thepredictive factors--general musical ability, musical experience andmusical aptitude--were significant gauges of success in freshman theoryclasses. (6)Charles W. Walton Charles Wesley Walton (December 9, 1819 - January 24, 1900) was a United States Representative from Maine. He was born in Mexico, Maine where he attended the common schools and was also instructed at home and by private tutors. states traditional theory courses often arerather narrow in scope, with the various skills taught in a discretemanner without regard to practical application, and indicates six targetareas in the teaching of collegiate col��le��giate?adj.1. Of, relating to, or held to resemble a college.2. Of, for, or typical of college students.3. Of or relating to a collegiate church. level music theory:1. Listening. The student organizes and clarifies what the earhears.2. Analysis. The method with which the student discovers thefunction of chords and symbols within a piece of music.3. Music reading. The process of having both the ear and eyerespond to music meaning.4. Creativity. Making music in a variety of original works.5. Part writing. Putting on paper what has been heard or created.6. Keyboard harmony. Enhancing the understanding of music throughthe analysis of melodies, score reading and playing by ear. (7)Robert C. Ehle states that many books purporting to be music theorytexts are de facto [Latin, In fact.] In fact, in deed, actually.This phrase is used to characterize an officer, a government, a past action, or a state of affairs that must be accepted for all practical purposes, but is illegal or illegitimate. harmony books, and there is significantly more to amusic theory curriculum than the study of harmony. He says collegiatemusic theory should be linked to the practice of music and used forfurthering basic musical concepts and skills. A college freshman theorycourse also should include sight singing, keyboard harmony, writtenharmony and dictation, Ehle says. (8)Earl Henry suggests high school music theory classes cover writtenfundamentals, basic musicianship and aural training to prepare studentsfor freshman music theory. He proposes that a high school curriculum beapproached from a melodic me��lod��ic?adj.Of, relating to, or containing melody.me��lodi��cal��ly adv. standpoint, because harmonic harmonic.1 Physical term describing the vibration in segments of a sound-producing body (see sound). A string vibrates simultaneously in its whole length and in segments of halves, thirds, fourths, etc. concepts are toodifficult for high school students to fully understand. He also statesthat triads and cadences, including the role of the tonic tonic,in music: see harmony; key; scale; tonality. and dominant,should be included. Henry concludes by saying ear training and sightsinging are the most crucial elements in the training of college boundmusic students and that a high school theory course should give studentsopportunities to improve their aural skills. (9)Judith Bowman notes that a high school music theory course shouldaccommodate the average student, as well as those who plan to studymusic in college. According to according toprep.1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians.2. In keeping with: according to instructions.3. Bowman, high school music theory needs toemphasize the fundamentals of music, such as part writing, analysis andear training. She cites the Yale Seminar on Music Education. (10) andstates that melodic and harmonic examples from a variety of periods andstyles should be included to give students a comprehensive music theoryexperience. (11)Quincy C. Hilliard cites three objectives for high school musictheory classes: development of basic musical fundamentals, developmentof each student's creative abilities and increasing students'awareness of various aspects of music as a profession. He lists keyboardskills, ear training and sight singing as essential areas of musictheory that students need to develop to prepare for music theory at thecollegiate level. He states that high school music theory studentsshould be given myriad opportunities to compose com��pose?v. com��posed, com��pos��ing, com��pos��esv.tr.1. To make up the constituent parts of; constitute or form: melodies, chorales andensemble warm-ups to develop basic compositional skills. Hilliard alsosuggests the use of guest lecturers to provide students insight into theskills and training required to pursue a career in music. (12)Bowman examines the use of computer-assisted instruction computer-assisted instructionUse of instructional material presented by a computer. Since the advent of microcomputers in the 1970s, computer use in schools has become widespread, from primary schools through the university level and in some preschool programs. (CAI (1) (Computer-Assisted Instruction) Same as CBT.(2) See CA. CAI - Computer-Aided Instruction )with,regard to preparing students for college music theory curricula.The results indicate a majority of the students answering a survey hadless than one year of pre-college music theory, and among these, therewas a preponderance pre��pon��der��ance? also pre��pon��der��an��cyn.Superiority in weight, force, importance, or influence.Noun 1. preponderance of voice majors. Bowman notes that experimental CAIis as effective as traditional instruction in preparing students forcollegiate level music theory. (13)James P. Colman states that most universities do not haveprerequisites for beginning music theory, and in colleges with noplacement procedures, the dropout (1) On magnetic media, a bit that has lost its strength due to a surface defect or recording malfunction. If the bit is in an audio or video file, it might be detected by the error correction circuitry and either corrected or not, but if not, it is often not noticed by the human rate for first-year theory students isupwards of 30 percent. Familiarity with the rudiments of music notation notation:see arithmetic and musical notation. How a system of numbers, phrases, words or quantities is written or expressed. Positional notation is the location and value of digits in a numbering system, such as the decimal or binary system. and a certain degree of aural skills are important to the success offirst-year music theory students, he says. His study examined the useand development of a computerized diagnostic test for predicting successof fifty-nine students in the first year of a four-semester music theorysequence. (14)Patricia M. Muller Mul��ler, Hermann Joseph 1890-1967.American geneticist. He won a 1946 Nobel Prize for the study of the hereditary effect of x-rays on genes.M��l��ler, Johannes Peter 1801-1858. notes a significant relationship between musicalfluency (sic) and music theory achievement of first- and second-yearmusic majors. Her study examines the responses of first- and second-yearmusic majors to test items. Muller defines fluency as "the numberof correct responses to test items within a given time" and pitchesas "pitches, scale degrees, key signatures, intervals, triads,scale degrees and diatonic di��a��ton��ic?adj. MusicOf or using only the seven tones of a standard scale without chromatic alterations.[Late Latin diatonicus, from Greek diatonikos : dia-, dia- triads." The testing instrumentFundamentals of Pitch Fluency Assessment was used for the study. (15)Most Helpful Source of Theory Preparation--2001The same 1981 location, the School of Music at the University ofFlorida, was revisited to conduct the 2001 study. A total of fiftystudents were surveyed, twenty-one freshmen and twenty-nine sophomores.Again, the private teacher of the students' major instrument wasshown to have a strong influence on their preparation, with 36 percentof students surveyed rating lessons with the private teacher as theexperience giving them the highest degree of theory preparedness pre��par��ed��ness?n.The state of being prepared, especially military readiness for combat.Noun 1. preparedness - the state of having been made ready or prepared for use or action (especially military action); "putting them .The students surveyed in 2001, however, reported that high schoolband gave them the most helpful experience in preparation for collegelevel theory, with a total of 40 percent rating it highest. Otherchanges were that high school theory class, with 32 percent, increasedin value, while the high school choral cho��ral?adj.1. Of or relating to a chorus or choir.2. Performed or written for performance by a chorus.[Medieval Latin chor program, with 8 percent,decreased. The private teacher of the students' secondaryinstrument, with 16 percent, also had an increased influence. The onlyexperience that remained the same as in the earlier study was theprivate theory teacher, at 4 percent (Table 3).ChangesA main point of interest of the replication study replication studyInternal medicine A clinical study that seeks to verify data from a prior study was whether ornot there were significant differences in the responses to thequestionnaire from the original study. An example of this is found inthe replication study, where 40 percent of the students stated that highschool band gave them the best preparation for collegiate music theory.This contrasts sharply with the original study, in which only 10.3percent rated high school band as most helpful. Another significantshift from 1981 to 2001 was high school theory class, with 13.7 percentof students in the original study and 32 percent in the replicationstudy indicating this experience as most helpful. Private instruction onthe major performing instrument remained relatively unchanged, with 34.4percent of students in 1981 and 36 percent of students in 2001indicating this as a key area in preparation for college music theory.The results total more than 100 percent because several studentsindicated more than one area they felt best prepared them for collegelevel theory.There may be various reasons for such marked changes in the area ofmusic theory. One possibility is that in the twenty years between thestudies, the National Standards for the Arts have been developed andimplemented in public school music curricula throughout the country.Course offerings in all areas of music have increased, and their scopeand content have improved dramatically as a result. Another possibilitymay be an increased emphasis with regard to comprehensive musicianship,including theory, in the content of contemporary band method books usedin secondary instrumental music programs. This is illustrated in thecontent standards for music in the National Standards for ArtsEducation: "listening to, analyzing and describing music"(content standard 6) and "reading and notating music" (contentstandard 5), (16) and is consistent with the results of the 2001questionnaire, in which students indicated knowledge of key signatures(92 percent), knowledge of scales (76 percent) and the ability to writeintervals (68 percent) as among those areas they felt well prepared toenter college music theory (Table 4).Another factor may be the emphasis on academic achievement in allareas of learning in contemporary public schools. The current trend ofscrutiny and measuring of "academic success" places a premiumon test scores and may play a role in the standardization standardizationIn industry, the development and application of standards that make it possible to manufacture a large volume of interchangeable parts. Standardization may focus on engineering standards, such as properties of materials, fits and tolerances, and drafting of musiccurricula, as well as a more stringent expectation of learning in allaspects of music education. These factors may have contributed to thediffering views of students from the two studies on what they felt bestprepared them for college music theory.Further Study NeededOne primary goal of the replication study was to determine ifshifts of emphasis in preparation for college music theory had occurredover time, and to examine indications of those portions of the highschool curriculum students felt were of the most practical value inattaining the necessary music theory skills to have success in college.The literature review suggests a number of areas for further study,among which are the role of the private instrumental music teacher, CAIand the development of a consistent preparatory curriculum of musictheory at the high school level. Other areas for research include anexamination of college prerequisites for entering freshman music majorsand the attrition rates Noun 1. attrition rate - the rate of shrinkage in size or numberrate of attritionrate - a magnitude or frequency relative to a time unit; "they traveled at a rate of 55 miles per hour"; "the rate of change was faster than expected" of first- and second-year music students.Another area of study might investigate what kinds of opportunitiesexist for students who cannot afford private lessons and if, byextension, schools discriminate against these students by not offeringtheory.There are as many differences as similarities between the originalstudy of readiness for college music theory and its replication twentyyears later. The changing patterns of responses to the latter study--incomparison with the original--strongly indicate a need for furtherresearch in the area of preparation for college level music theory.Table 1Best Prepared Subjects1981 StudyRhythm and counting 77.5%Ability to hear major and minor triads 70.6%Knowledge of scales 68.9%Knowledge of key signatures 65.5%Keyboard skills 55.1%Ability to write triads 51.7%Ability to hear intervals 44.8%Notation 39.6%Sight singing 37.9%Ability to compose melodies 35.8%Melodic dictation 24.1%Part writing 15.5%Harmonic dictation 10.3%Table 2Best Preparations for College Theory1981 StudyPrivate teacher of student's major instrument 34.4%High school theory class 13.7%High school band program 10.3%High school choral program 10.3%Private teacher of student's secondary instrument 6.8%Private theory teacher 3.4%Table 3Best Preparations for College Theory2001 Studyhigh school band program 40%Teacher of student's major instrument 36%High school theory class 32%Private teacher of student's secondary instrument 16%High school choral program 8%Private theory teacher 4%Table 4Best Prepared Subjects2001 StudyKnowledge of key signatures 92%Knowledge of scales 76%Rhythm/Counting 74%Ability to write intervals 68%Ability to hear major/minor triads 68%Ability to write triads 68%Notation 58%Ability to hear intervals 52%Keyboard skills 46%Melodic dictation 40%Ability to compose melodies 38%Part writing 34%Harmonic dictation 18%Sight singing 16%NOTES(1.) Livingston, Carolyn, "The Role of the PrivateInstrumental Teacher in Preparing Music Students for CollegeTheory," The American Music Teacher, 31 (6), (June/July 1982):14-16.(2.) Ibid., 13.(3.) Pearce, Elvina Truman, "Group Lessons: A Plus for thePrivate Student," The American Music Teacher, 27 (6), (June/July1978): 22-23.(4.) Livingston, 13.(5.) Harrison, Carole S., "Predicting Music Theory Grades: TheRelative Efficiency of Academic Ability, Music Experience, and MusicalAptitude," Journal of Research in Music Education The Journal of Research in Music Education (JRME) publishes research reports "that enhance knowledge regarding the teaching and learning of music." It is published by the National Association for Music Education. , 38 (2), (1988):124-137.(6.) Harrison, Carole S., "Relationships Between Grades in theComponents of Freshman Music Theory and Selected BackgroundVariables," Journal of Research in Music Education, 38 (2), (1989):124-137.(7.) Walton, Charles W., "Targeting the Teaching ofTheory," Music Educators Journal, 67 (6), (1981): 40-41.(8.) Ehle, Robert C., "What Should Be Taught in Freshman MusicTheory Class?" The American Music Teacher, 32 (2),(September/October 1982): 44-45.(9.) Henry, Earl, "Please Stop Teaching College Theory in HighSchool," The American Music Teacher, 31 (1), (September/October1981): 2-3.(10.) Palisca, Claude V., Ed., Music in our Schools: A Search forImprovement. Report of the Yale Seminar on Music Education, Washington:United States Government Printing Office United States Government Printing Office:see Government Printing Office, United States. , (1964): Chapter 5.(11.) Bowman, Judith, "Please Teach Music Theory in HighSchool: A Rebuttal rebuttaln. evidence introduced to counter, disprove or contradict the opposition's evidence or a presumption, or responsive legal argument. of Earl Henry's 'Please Stop TeachingCollege Theory in High School,'" The American Music Teacher,32 (1), (September/October 1982): 34-35.(12.) Hilliard, Quincy C., "High School TheoryChecklist," The School Musician, 58 (2), (1986): 16-17.(13.) Shatzkin, Merton, A Review of Judith Ann Bowman, AnInvestigation of Two Methods of Preparation for College Level MusicTheory (Precollegiate Remediation, CAI), Ph.D. Dissertation, Universityof Rochester The University of Rochester (UR) is a private, coeducational and nonsectarian research university located in Rochester, New York. The university is one of 62 elected members of the Association of American Universities. , Eastman School of Music Eastman School of Music:see Rochester, Univ. of. , University Microfilm A continuous film strip that holds several thousand miniaturized document pages. See micrographics.Microfilm and Microfiche Order No.8413064, 1984, Council for Research in Music Education, 62, (Summer1987): 62-65.(14.) Smith, Timothy Alan, A Review of James Peter Colman, TheDevelopment and Validation of a Computerized Diagnostic Test for thePrediction of Success in the First-Year Music Theory Sequence, Ph.D.Dissertation, Michigan State University Michigan State University,at East Lansing; land-grant and state supported; coeducational; chartered 1855. It opened in 1857 as Michigan Agricultural College, the first state agricultural college. , University Microfilms Order No.9028636, 1990. Council for Research in Music Education, 113, (Summer1992): 64-67.(15.) Muller, Patricia M., The Relationship of Fluency inFundamental Skills of Pitch Notation and Music Theory Achievement, Ph.D.Dissertation, Florida State University Florida State University,at Tallahassee; coeducational; chartered 1851, opened 1857. Present name was adopted in 1947. Special research facilities include those in nuclear science and oceanography. , Order Number DA9410 164, 1993.(16.) National Standards for Arts Education: What Every YoungAmerican Should Know and Be Able to Do in the Arts, Music EducatorsNational Conference MENC: The National Association for Music Education, formerly the Music Educators National Conference, founded in 1907, is an American organization for music educators that provides professional development and advocacy. External linkswww.menc.org : Reston, VA, (2001): 60-61.Carolyn Livingston is professor and director of graduate studies inmusic at the University of Rhode Island HistoryThe University was first chartered as the state's agricultural school in 1888. The site of the school was originally the Oliver Watson Farm, and the original farmhouse still lies on the campus today. . Her book, Charles Faulkner This article is about the author. For the Virginia and West Virginia congressman, see Charles J. Faulkner. For his namesake son, see Charles James Faulkner. Bryan: His Life and Music, is published by the University of TennesseePress The University of Tennessee Press (or UT Press), founded in 1940, is a university press that is part of the University of Tennessee. External linkUniversity of Tennessee Press .James Ackman holds a Ph.D. in music education. from the Universityof Florida. He has taught at Boston University Boston University,at Boston, Mass.; coeducational; founded 1839, chartered 1869, first baccalaureate granted 1871. It is composed of 16 schools and colleges. , the University of RhodeIsland and Texas A&M University-Kingsville. He is assistant directorof bands and director of percussion percussion/per��cus��sion/ (per-kush��un) the act of striking a part with short, sharp blows as an aid in diagnosing the condition of the underlying parts by the sound obtained. studies at Pittsburg StateUniversity.