During the COVID-19 pandemic, most students in the United States experienced full school closure followed by a hybrid of online and in-person learning before ultimately returning to fully in-person instruction in the Fall of 2021. I investigated the experiences of three high school choir teachers during the 2021-2022 academic year to examine their…

The purpose of this descriptive phenomenological study was to examine the co-teaching experiences of secondary choir teachers in associate director positions in the state of Texas. We interviewed 12 participants, who had held an associate director position for at least 3 years, two times across a 4-month period. Three themes emerged from the data:…

In this study, I examined the awareness, perceptions of required knowledge, and perceived competency of Texas secondary choral music educators concerning the new musician health objectives included in the revised Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills standards (TEKS). A secondary purpose of this study was to identify the activities and variables…

When the Coronavirus Pandemic made its way into the United States in 2020, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommended that all schools pivot to an online learning format as the country entered a lockdown in March 2020. The Coronavirus Pandemic made it harder for music educators to retain and recruit students into their upper…

The purpose of this exploratory study was to examine variables that contribute to burnout among Texas choral teachers. Specific research questions included: (1) What demographic variables predict burnout in Texas choir teachers? and (2) How do perceptions of teacher agency impact Texas choir teachers' experience of burnout? After providing…

This article investigates the language practices of a bilingual mariachi instructor teaching mariachi music to Latinx English dominant students. This ethnographic study draws on the concept of chronotope (Bakhtin 1981) to explore the spatiotemporal aspects of learning, particularly in terms of the teachers' selective use of language correction…

Music education has been shown to be related to a variety of positive outcomes, including student achievement in math. This study was conducted to examine the effect of integrating Hip Hop Literacy songs on fourth grade reading achievement scores. The framework for the study was Miendlarzweska and Trost's model of musical instrument training.…

Many attendees of live classical music concerts are experiencing programmed music for the first time and some are unfamiliar with the performance genre itself, particularly if their backgrounds do not include formal music training. Because listeners are less likely to enjoy music they are hearing for the first time, it could be beneficial for…

Socioeconomic Status (SES) is defined as "the relative position of individuals, families, or groups in stratified social systems where some societal values (e.g., occupational prestige, education) are not uniformly distributed" (Bornstein & Bradley, 2003). The relationship between student achievement and SES has been a focus in…

This review of literature is a synthesis of research surrounding the production of superior choral performance. Findings described in this review suggest director characteristics, rehearsal techniques, singer behaviors, and auxiliary supports that are important to, or common in, the creation of meritorious performance. Effects of instructional…

Carlos moved his fingers up and down the fretboard of his guitar as he plucked out the notes of Niccoló Paganini's Sonata (Op. 3, No. 1). The piece was one of several classical guitar selections that comprised his senior recital, a capstone project for his music education degree. He executed the Paganini with ease, and it was evident that he was…

Sight-reading is widely considered one of the most important parts of a choral music education and plays an important role in developing independent music learners (Collins, 1993) and a good indicator of music achievement (Hayward & Gromko, 2009). It has also been said that better sight-readers tend to be better performers (Lehman &…

The importance of music education in American schools is well established, with 93% of Americans agreeing that music should be a part of a well-rounded education (Harris, 2005). Students preparing to teach in the elementary classroom (elementary education majors) in American colleges and universities typically take a music class (sometimes two) as…

Between 2006 and 2012, 9% of all middle school choral entries in the Texas University Interscholastic League (UIL) Concert and Sight Reading Contest consisted of mixed choirs (N = 842) (Texas UIL, 2012a). Middle school mixed choirs pose unique pedagogical problems for directors. One such challenge lies in the determination of whether to perform…

As a result of high-stakes testing pressure and financial strain within schools, fine arts programs continue to be cut from K-12 education. While research indicates the benefits of music related to learning, brain development, and reading (Kraus, Hornickel, Strait, Slater, & Thompson, 2014), many students do not receive instruction in the fine…