The teaching of choral sight singing Analyzing and understanding experienced choral directors perceptions and beliefs

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BOSTON UNIVERSITY

COLLEGE OF FINE ARTS

Dissertation

THE TEACHING OF CHORAL SIGHT SINGING:

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ANALYZING AND UNDERSTANDING EXPERIENCED

CHORAL DIRECTORS’ PERCEPTIONS AND BELIEFS


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by
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RONALD BYRON SANDERS

B.S., Charter Oak State College, 2002


M.M., University of Houston, 2003

Submitted in partial fulfillment of the

requirements for the degree of

Doctor of Musical Arts

2015
ProQuest Number: 3708172

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© 2015 by
RONALD BYRON SANDERS
All rights reserved
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Acknowledgements

I am indebted to Dr. Manny Brand who inspired me to accomplish

more than just writing a document, but to make research meaningful

and relevant. He was truly a kind gentleman and thoughtful mentor.

His understanding of the application of qualitative research was

inspiring.

I also greatly acknowledge the expertise of Dr. Bunbury who

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improved upon a few of my superficial ideas and suggested ways to make
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them more significant in the field of music education. I thank him for

his drive for perfection, which inspired me through the final phases of
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this process. I also want to thank Dr. Vu for his comprehensive analysis.

This document is more relevant because of Dr. Vu. I also want to thank
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the other faculty members at Boston University, namely Professors de

Quadros, Goodrich, Colley who’s professionalism, encouragement and

insight will always serve as a model for me as an educator.

I acknowledge my residency cohorts, especially Kim Cozart, Adrian

Guerra, Joy Hirokawa, Bill and Jana Williams who, through sleepless

nights and lots of coffee, made residency in Boston an unforgettable

experience. We are friends for life!

I would also like to express my gratitude to three of my former

music teachers, Mrs. Irma Taute, Drs. Robert Matthews, Kenneth Fulton

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and Charles Hausmann who, through their encouraging words,

unparalleled skills as musicians and genuine care inspired me to study

music as a profession and eventually to enter into the field of music

education.

Special thanks to the focus group members who took part in the

data collection. Thank you for your kind participation and professional

insights. I hope you felt your time was used wisely.

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I wish to also express my heartfelt thanks to all my colleagues who

are currently serving as music educators. I salute you for your tenacity
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and genuine care you show your students every day. I am encouraged
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by your skills, your ability to problem-solve, and by your insatiable

desire to give - even when there is nothing left!

Finally I want to thank the dozens of family members and friends


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who, through your kindness and unconditional love, supported me in

this research and encouraged me to finish this degree. I raise my glass

of iced tea to you all.

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THE TEACHING OF CHORAL SIGHT SINGING:

ANALYZING AND UNDERSTANDING EXPERIENCED

CHORAL DIRECTORS’ PERCEPTIONS AND BELIEFS

RONALD BYRON SANDERS

Boston University College of Fine Arts, 2015

Major Professor: Manny Brand, Ph.D., Director and Professor,


School of Music, Stephen F. Austin State University

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ABSTRACT

The purpose of this study was to analyze and understand experienced


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choral directors’ perceptions and beliefs on a variety of topics

surrounding the teaching and learning of secondary choral music sight


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singing or sight reading. A focus group of eight highly successful college,

high school and middle school choral music educators addressed seven
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questions. The investigation gathered qualitative data that covered the

purposes of teaching sight singing, the positive or negative attributes of

movable Do, fixed Do and numbers, and a review of sight-singing

curricula. Further, the investigation gathered data on the effect, if any,

of an instrumental student’s sight-singing ability and the use and

effectiveness of Curwen or Kodály hand signs and sight-singing

assessment for students. Additional data was gathered concerning how

secondary music educators were evaluated. Results suggested that the

focus group’s purpose in teaching sight singing was to produce

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independent, self-reliant musicians. Individual sight-singing assessment

was deemed important and should focus on how singers progressed.

Music composed specifically for sight-singing contests or festivals should

contain challenging notes and rhythms, dynamic changes, phrase

markings and at least one tempo or meter change. Further, music

teacher evaluations were discussed, coded and analyzed. Twenty-nine

recommendations are offered that are designed to make sight singing

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more efficient and more effective in today’s choral music classrooms.

While there are some very good sight-singing materials in print, music
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publishers who contemplate printing new instructional material should
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offer a holistic approach to musicianship. Adjudicators for choral sight-

singing festivals and contests should be trained. Choirs entering a sight-

singing performance should be adjudicated on musical elements such as


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meter changes, correct tempi, phrasing, tone, articulation and dynamics,

not merely on performing the correct notes and rhythms. Many more

recommendations were offered to secondary and college choir teachers,

supervisors, contest chairmen, adjudicators, composers, music

publishers and students. The investigation was not intended to

determine a recommended method for sight-singing instruction nor

assessment. The purpose of this study was to understand and analyze

experienced choral directors’ perceptions and beliefs concerning sight

singing on secondary campuses.

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Table of Contents

CHAPTER I ............................................................................................ 1
Introduction .......................................................................................... 1
Purpose of the study. ................................................................ 5
Rationale for the study. ............................................................. 7
Methodology .............................................................................. 9
Delimitations. ......................................................................... 11
Importance of the study. ......................................................... 12
CHAPTER II ......................................................................................... 15
Literature Review ................................................................................. 15
Sight singing history in the United States. ............................... 15

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Sight singing research. ............................................................ 19
Sight singing assessment. ....................................................... 31
Sight singing in choral music education. ................................. 39
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Summary of the review of literature. ........................................ 45
CHAPTER III ........................................................................................ 48
Methodology ........................................................................................ 48
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Overview and identification of research design......................... 49
Identifying the subjects. .......................................................... 51
Research procedure................................................................. 59
Pilot study. .......................................................................... 59
Enlisting the subjects........................................................... 60
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Assurance of confidentiality. ................................................ 62


Interview approach............................................................... 62
Interview process. ................................................................ 64
Recording the interview. ....................................................... 65
Interview questions. ............................................................. 66
Interview analysis. ............................................................... 67
Summary. ............................................................................ 69
CHAPTER IV ........................................................................................ 71
Results ................................................................................................ 71
Focus Group Members. ........................................................... 72
Wilson Bradley ..................................................................... 72
Kayla Vincent....................................................................... 73
Mason Levine ....................................................................... 75
Lora Makinic ........................................................................ 76
Barbara Anderson ................................................................ 78
Angela Mack ........................................................................ 79

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Dolores Peadmont ................................................................ 80
Elise Whitenhauser .............................................................. 81
Research question number one. .............................................. 83
Creating self-reliant singers. ................................................ 83
Confirming self-reliant singers. ............................................ 89
Cultivating self-reliant musicians. ........................................ 92
Developing a musical ear. ................................................. 92
Developing a confident musician. ...................................... 93
Research question number two. .............................................. 94
Moveable Do - understanding its benefits and limitations. .... 95
Fixed Do - understanding its benefits and difficulties. ........ 101
Numbers - understanding its benefits and limitations. ....... 105
Research question number three. .......................................... 107
1. Sing at Sight .................................................................. 108

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2. Songs for Sight Singing .................................................. 112
3. University Interscholastic League Sight Singing Pieces ... 115
4. InSight-Singing - Volume I & II....................................... 117
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5. Keys to Sight Singing Success ........................................ 120
6. The Folk Song Sight Singing Series, Grade I–IV .............. 122
7. Music Reading Unlimited ............................................... 125
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8. Patterns of Sound .......................................................... 126
9. Music Literacy for Singers, Volumes I – IV ...................... 127
10. Ninety Days to Sight-Singing Success........................... 128
11. Rhythmic Training ....................................................... 129
12. Sight Singing................................................................ 129
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13. Voice for Life ................................................................ 130


Research question number four. ........................................... 131
Research question number five.............................................. 138
Advantage using hand signs - intentional. .......................... 139
Advantage using hand signs - unintentional. ...................... 141
Auditation .......................................................................... 146
Research question number six. ............................................. 151
Assessment - individually................................................... 151
Assessment - in a group setting. ........................................ 152
Assessment - individually within a group setting. ............... 153
Assignment - individual placement in graded choirs ........... 157
Research question number seven. ......................................... 161
CHAPTER V ....................................................................................... 170
Summary, Conclusions and Recommendations .................................. 170
Summary. ............................................................................. 170
Conclusions. ......................................................................... 178
Recommendations. ................................................................ 186

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Secondary choral music teachers. ...................................... 187
College and university choral music educators. .................. 187
Public school principals and fine arts administrators. ........ 188
High school sight-singing contest boards of governors. ....... 189
Adjudicators of choral sight-singing contests. ..................... 190
Composers of sight-singing music. ..................................... 192
Publishers of sight-singing materials for classroom use. ..... 192
Publishers of sight-singing music for contests and festivals.195
Students. ........................................................................... 196
Future research. ................................................................ 197
Final thoughts. .................................................................. 200
APPENDIX A ...................................................................................... 202
IRB Approval ..................................................................................... 202

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APPENDIX B ...................................................................................... 204
First Contact Letter ........................................................................... 204
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APPENDIX C ...................................................................................... 205
Follow Up Electronic Mail .................................................................. 205
APPENDIX D...................................................................................... 206
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Informed Consent .............................................................................. 206
APPENDIX E ...................................................................................... 210
REFERENCES ................................................................................... 225
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VITA .................................................................................................. 241

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Chapter I

Introduction

Many people enjoy singing as a pastime for personal pleasure and

for others, formal singing as an art form may take years of study to

master. According to Grunwald (2009), an estimated 32.5 million adults

and 10.1 million children in the United States participate in some form of

ensemble singing on a regular basis. As the nation has extended this

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interest in singing into public education, music educators have sought

the most effective means for educating young singers in the art of
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singing.
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MENC, the Music Educators National Conference (now known as

The National Association for Music Education [NAfME]) published nine

specific musical skills that each state should adopt in their standard
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curricula (MENC, 1994). These guidelines, known as the K–12 National

Music Standards, recommended each state to teach students to:

1. Sing, alone and with others, a varied repertoire of music;

2. Perform on instruments, alone and with others, a varied

repertoire of music;

3. Improvise melodies, variations, and accompaniments;

4. Compose and arrange music within specified guidelines;

5. Read and notate music;

6. Listen to, analyze, and describe music;


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7. Evaluate music and music performances;

8. Understand relationships between music, the other arts,

and disciplines outside the arts; and

9. Understand music in relation to history and culture

(MENC 1994).

In 2014, the NAfME replaced the 1994 standards with what are

now called the National Core Music Standards (NAfME, 2014). These

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new standards of music education reflect a more technology-enhanced

learning environment and develop an arts-advocacy sense of awareness.


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Further, the new standards focus attention upon musical literacy - that
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is, the ability for a student to convey music as well as to understand

artistic concepts and ideas conveyed by others. The new standards also

place a new focus on college and career readiness and place a greater
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emphasis upon student assessment in the classroom (Shuler, Norgaard

& Blakeslee, 2014).

The new standards focus upon three artistic processes: creating,

performing and responding (NAfME, 2014). According to the new

standards, the notion of performing includes “realizing artistic ideas and

work through interpretation and presentation” (NAfME, 2014). Further,

the new standards place an emphasis upon the development and refining

of artistic techniques for presentation which include that skill of singing

at sight (NAfME, 2014). The present study considered the fifth element
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of the 1994 MENC standards and focused on the Common Anchor #5 -

the process of performing music in the 2014 standards.

Given the importance of sight singing in choral music education, it

was surprising that, according to Demorest (2004, 1998), no single

method of teaching sight singing was overwhelmingly preferred by choral

directors (Demorest 2004, 1998; Kuehne 2003; May 1993).

Demorest (2004) found that 70% of choral directors who responded

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to his survey included sight-singing instruction as a regular part of their

curriculum. Casarow (2002) reviewed a body of literature on the subject


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of sight-singing instruction and found that the teaching and learning of
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sight singing was important to secondary choral directors across the

United States. For example, in 1992, the Texas Education Agency (TEA)

mandated choral sight singing in secondary schools (TEA, 1992).


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Textbooks were adopted and curricula were written to promote a climate

of sight singing in the state. Secondary choral directors were formally

expected to teach sight singing in Texas public schools. This expectation

to teach singing at sight in the secondary level generated discussions

among choral directors concerning the nature of sight singing itself, its

purpose, methodologies, materials, perceived benefits, how students who

have played a musical instrument may be more adept at sight singing,

student assessment, and administrative expectations.

For example, for what purpose was sight singing taught? Were
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there goals or rubrics that enabled a teacher to achieve levels of success?

Also, what contributions could successful choral directors offer that

would assist in explaining how different reading systems can produce

successful student outcomes? Further, what were the inherent intrinsic

qualities in each of the melody reading systems - fixed Do, movable Do,

and Numbers? How were they different? How were they the same? How

were they viewed and what were the perceived contributions they each

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made in choral music classrooms?

Along these lines, was it possible for two or more methods of


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instruction to exist simultaneously where they satisfy the sight-singing
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component of teaching and learning and remain mutually effective?

Were there ancillary materials published that were viewed as more

advantageous to student learning than others? What were the relative


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attributes of each of these instructional materials?

Concerning students’ backgrounds in music, was there a benefit

that increases a student’s ability to learn to sing at sight if he or she has

previous instrumental experience. In other words: do instrumentalists

make better sight singers (Parker, 2007; Potts, 2009)? Further, there

was no small disagreement whether singers who sight read using

Curwen hand signs were able to read music at sight with greater

accuracy than those who do not use hand signs (Durocher, 2006;
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McClung, 2008, 2001). What professional experiences have shaped this

mindset?

Additionally, how does one assess a student who had been taught

how to sing at sight? Why have some choral music educators believed

that group assessment would more accurately ascertain a student’s skill

level than with individual assessment? Finally, what were the

expectations and musical values concerning sight singing (Battersby

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1994)? How did directors prioritize the teaching and learning of sight

singing? How have these priorities been formed? What was a director’s
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level of expectation regarding sight singing? What contributions and
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insights could experienced choral directors offer concerning these

issues?

To address these kinds of questions and issues, and to answer


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Kuehne’s (2003), Smith’s (1998), and Demorest’s (1998) calls for further

research concerning sight singing, this study explored choral director’s

practices, perceptions and beliefs about the teaching and learning of

sight singing.

Purpose of the study.

The purpose of this study was to analyze and understand

experienced choral directors’ perceptions and beliefs on a variety of

topics surrounding the teaching and learning of choral music sight


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singing. Using the narrative research method that included qualitative

focus group interviews (Creswell, 2013) data were gathered and analyzed

in order to address the following research questions:

1. A. What are the purposes in teaching sight singing?

B. Describe observations that have shaped this belief.

2. A. What are the positive or negative attributes of movable

Do, fixed Do and numbers?

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B. Describe observations that have shaped this belief.

3. A. What are the relative attributes of these selected sight


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singing materials?
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B. Describe observations that have shaped this belief.

4. A. Is there a discernible advantage in singing at sight when

a student is proficient in playing a musical instrument?


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B. Describe observations that have shaped this belief.

5. A. Are there discernible advantages in sight-singing

proficiency when a singer actively uses Curwen hand

signs?

B. Describe observations that have shaped this belief.

6. A. How important is it to assess students’ sight singing

abilities?

B. Describe effective procedures in sight-singing

assessment.
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7. A. How much weight do Fine Arts administrators and/or

principals place in your students’ sight singing abilities?

B. Is there a documented or implied expectation that

outlines this expectation?

Rationale for the study.

The Music Educators National Conference (MENC) called sight

singing, a “specialized component of music literacy whereby singers were

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given the paper music and expected to perform the correct notes and

rhythms with relative accuracy in the first reading (McClung, 2008;


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MENC, 1994). The purpose of this study was to analyze and understand
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experienced choral directors’ perceptions and beliefs on a variety of

topics surrounding the teaching and learning of choral music sight

singing. It was generally acknowledged that, although some rote learning


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activities should be incorporated in the choral rehearsal, students should

become fluent sight singers (Hayward & Gromko, 2009). Experienced

choral directors often had a rich background and knowledge of the

teaching and learning of sight singing.

This study focused on the extensive knowledge possessed by

experienced secondary and collegiate choral music educators. After all,

the wisdom and depth of professional knowledge of choral directors, as

well as other music educators, should be recognized, understood, and

even honored. There were numerous studies concerning effective sight-


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singing methods (Folkerts, 1998; Goss, 2010; Kuehne, 2003; May, 1993;

McClung, 2008; Munn, 1990; Norris, 2004; Smith, 1998; Snider, 2007;

White, 2009). Yet, apparently there was little current data on

experienced choral director’s beliefs and practices concerning sight-

singing methods and teaching materials. Demorest (1998) listed the

Oxford Series as popular but only a limited group of sight-singing

materials were offered to respondents for evaluation. Hylton (1983)

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conducted a survey of choral education research but his dates of

research were limited to 1972 – 1981. May (1993) investigated


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instructional materials that have changed over the years. Materials that
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were evaluated in May are now outdated and do not reflect current

practices or methodologies of sight-singing instruction.

May’s research had some methodological limitations. Each


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respondent was given equal weight among all respondents. A teacher,

for example, with one year experience was weighted the same as a

teacher with twenty or more years experience. Responses from teachers

with more experience should be given a greater weight than teachers

with little or no experience. Further, May’s (1993) instrument was

mailed to 927 teachers [N=927]; however, only 192, just over 20%, had

qualified responses. This low response rate limits the ability to

generalize to a larger population. Further, this data will respond to

Council’s (2000) call for a


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qualitative study to examine the overall choral

music teaching methods of choral directors

whose choirs have experienced success at music

festivals. The findings could be presented in an

effort to help prospective choral music educators

as they train for a career in choral music

teaching. (p. 59)

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Finally, Demorest suggested “more studies … could be done using

a variety of qualitative research methods to record in detail what good


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sightsinging teachers do and believe, the school and communities in
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which they flourish and how their students respond” (Demorest, 1998, p.

11).
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Methodology

Based on the purpose of this study and the stated research

questions, a series of questions were developed and a pilot study was

undertaken in order to refine and improve discussion questions. For this

pilot study, a focus group, consisting of two highly qualified choral music

educators, was tasked with reviewing the discussion questions for

appropriate wording, meaning and the degree to which the questions can

successfully direct conversations that could provide sufficient and

appropriate content for the study. The focus group was also asked to
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determine the extent of the alignment between the discussion questions

and the research questions in this study. After the pilot study was

completed, study participants (N=8) consisted of experienced choral

directors. The eight study participants were interviewed together in a

manner that would evoke discussion, interaction and content for

analysis.

Focus group interviews were an effective way to gather qualitative

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data. Criteria for Clark (1998) were set for the focus group, and the

discussion was recorded, transcribed and analyzed by topic and pre-


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coded interview questions. According to Connelly and Clandinin (1990),
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the interviewees would respond to questions that reveal how they

“experience the world” (p. 2), thus, for this study, how they experience

the nature of teaching singing at sight.


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It was my intent to take full advantage of the extensive

backgrounds and rich experience of each of these choral music

professionals. Several criteria were established that narrowed the

qualification of participants exclusively to those who had a long record of

achievement and success in sight-singing instruction documented by

sight-singing contest scores and choral achievement awards. A

purposeful sample of one university choral music professor, three high

school choral directors, three junior high choral directors and one

teacher who taught in a high school and middle school daily were
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selected for this study. Numerous stories, backgrounds and narratives

were told during the interviews. Data were categorized according to the

research questions and coded into sub-categories based upon recurring

patterns that accurately characterize the data (Merriam 2009).

Delimitations.

This study investigated the perceived nature of the teaching and

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learning of sight singing in secondary public schools from a purposeful

sample of experienced choral professionals. The study also discussed


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experienced choral directors’ perceptions and beliefs on a variety of
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topics surrounding the teaching and learning of choral music sight

singing. The following delimitations assisted the researcher to

purposefully narrow the topics of discussion so questions could be


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treated clearly and equitably. These delimitations placed appropriate

parameters on the discussion questions, which allowed for a more

focused discussion and subsequent evaluation.

1. The study convened eight experienced choral music

professionals.

2. The research inquiry was limited the sight-singing

methods to fixed Do, movable Do and numbers. Due to

its relative archaic nature and usage mostly in


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congregational singing, shaped note singing was not

discussed.

3. Inquiry was made of published sight-singing instructional

materials; however, no consensus was offered that

ascertained the most effective sight-singing materials. An

attempt to find the most effective sight-singing books and

materials available was beyond the scope of this study.

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4. Sight singing approaches of teachers in K–5 music

programs were not discussed.


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5. Private and home schools, their teaching methods,
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materials and teacher perceptions were not covered in the

discussion questions.

6. The discussion was not intended to determine a


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recommended method for sight-singing instruction nor

assessment. The purpose of this study was to

understand and analyze experienced choral directors’

perceptions and beliefs concerning sight singing on

secondary campuses.

Importance of the study.

A thorough analysis of research literature found no contemporary

framework existed that explored the perceptions and beliefs attributed to


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the teaching and learning of sight singing in secondary choral music

classrooms from highly successful teachers. Responding to Demorest’s

(1998) suggestion for future research, this study’s qualitative

descriptions should reflect a more complete picture of successful

secondary choral music programs. Further, Demorest’s (1998) call for

future research supported this study in that “more studies should be

done using a variety of qualitative research methods to record in detail

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what good sight-singing teachers do and believe” (p. 11).

The common use of hand signs through the history of music


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education is multifaceted. Originally, teachers would guide the notes of
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a melody using hand signs as students were learning music notation

skills. Using a kinesthetic and visual gesture, teachers and students

would benefit from the use of hand signs in a classroom setting. Some
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teachers; however, mandate that singers use them as an aid in sight

singing. Further research is needed to address the efficacy of hand signs

in the classroom used as an aid in singing at sight. McClung (2008)

suggested further research should be conducted concerning the use of

Curwen hand signs and whether teachers should require students to

sing at sight using hand signs, or whether teachers believed students

could achieve success in sight singing without the use of hand signs.

Goss (2010) suggested further research concerning whether

student assessment was best achieved using group or individual

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