Piano literature (or keyboard repertory studies) is commonly included in piano performance and some piano pedagogy degrees in the United States. This single or sequential course is required by the National Association of Schools of Music (NASM) at both undergraduate and graduate levels. While most universities include such courses in their degree…

Undergraduate applied saxophone study revolves around the conservatory model. This inflexible model, often referred to as a master-apprentice relationship, can create an instructor-centric power dynamic which does not address the needs of the modern student. A classroom where the power lies so heavily with the instructor can stifle student…

Currently, there exist little materials to introduce elementary students to auxiliary percussion instruments. There is a need for the creation of more instructional material for this age group that provides pedagogy descriptions for the instruments as well as playing examples. The purpose of this project is to create a method book that provides…

Violin repertoire composed in the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries placed new demands on performers. While numerous pedagogues have written etudes and treatises analyzing traditional techniques, far fewer have thoroughly examined contemporary techniques. Many of the existing etudes and exercises inspired by contemporary violin…

This dissertation aimed to better understand how violin and viola private instructors teach Mental Practice in their studios, investigating different approaches on how to apply and teach auditory, motor, and visual imagery, score study, and auditory modeling, as well as its benefits. This research was divided into two different stages. In the…

The purpose of this qualitative descriptive study was to explore how high school marching band instructors described extra-musical life skills teaching strategies in Northern California within the Western Band Association (WBA) organizational circuit. Theoretical foundations of this study were social emotional learning (SEL) based on the seminal…

Elementary general music focuses on the comprehensive development of skills over a wide range of musical possibilities. Even as elementary general music expands to embrace a myriad of ways of making music that do not involve traditional Western staff notation, teaching students to read staff notation still seems to be common in elementary general…

This study investigates the impact of the Trinidad and Tobago Panyard steelpan experiences on the development of the secondary school, forms one to three (middle school), music teachers' pedagogical implementation, and how these pedagogical practices are represented in today's classroom or not. The case study exploration acknowledges that while…

Online distance learning, a modern educational practice, has influenced music pedagogy in the past several decades. It involves synthesizing interdisciplinary studies in philosophy, music, technology, and sociology. In this study, an integrated approach has been developed to create a unique curriculum for an online group piano course in a…

Music educators are guided by learning standards designed to foster comprehensive music literacy through development of four artistic processes: "Create," "Perform," "Respond," and "Connect." In-service teachers, however, cite lack of comfort and insufficient preservice preparation to engage students with…

Clarinet articulation is a process that uses the tongue to create an interruption in sound production either by contacting the reed or disrupting the air stream. This process occurs inside the mouth and is hidden from direct view. As a result, various solutions were developed in clarinet pedagogy to address the issue of teaching with no visual…

The COVID-19 pandemic greatly affected instructional practices at universities around the world, necessitating mostly virtual instruction for safety reasons. Particularly impacted were the performing arts, which often rely on live, in-person interaction. In the field of music, professors of conducting were forced to reconsider their teaching…

In the study of percussion instruments as a part of a collegiate education, the focus is usually placed upon performance of literature from four major areas: snare drum, mallet percussion, timpani, and multiple percussion. This often leaves an instructional gap in the field of performance on percussion accessory instruments, including performance…

Education reflects the realities of the times and should evolve as circumstances change. As technological innovations (e.g., computers, mobile devices, Internet connectivity, and video conferencing) continue to saturate daily life, the inclusion of technology into United Stated educational curricula has gained increased attention. In music…

Applied music faculty are expected to have the skills necessary to oversee the development of young musicians upon employment. New professors, however, likely spent the majority of their musical life on the receiving end of the teaching dynamic and may find it difficult to adjust to their new position as purveyors of information. This document…