Sophia Anzalone

MUED 376: Choral Music, Materials & Techniques (M​2​ & T) 
A. 1a. WORKSHEET: Madsen- Research-A Personal Perspective 
What  are  the  influences  of  family  or  lack  of  family  participation  in  our  music  programs?  When  do  children  begin  to  come  to know 
music,  and  when  do  they start to make meaningful connections between music and their separate experiences? What are the changing 
social  and  familial  contingencies  that  make  a  child  want  to  participate  or  not  participate  in  our  music  programs or to change their 
participation?  When  is  the  best  time  to  start  various  music  activities?  When  and  how  do  we  get  every  child  involved  in  music  and, 
much  more  important,  how  do  we  ensure  keeping  each  child  with us? How might we best use technology to capture and hold student 
interest  and  to  teach  students?  How  do  we  get  them  through  the  difficult  years? Is it appropriate for fast fingering and loud notes to 
prevail,  if  but for a short time? What are the relationships between a child's needs at different times? Why do children accept or reject 
"our"  music  as opposed to theirs? How do we equip them so that as adults they have their own personal relationship with music and a 
firmly developed desire for lifelong involvement? 

“Developing a research perspective starts from our own experience.” C. Madsen

1. Early Childhood Experiences: What were some of your pivotal early childhood
music experiences and what research questions stem from them?

While I can’t remember much about the beginning of my early childhood music
experiences, I do remember listening to the music my mom listened to. Essentially, I
grew up listening to the music of John Mayer, Tom Jones, Jimmy Buffet, Norah Jones
and Bill Withers; I still listen to these artists to this day. I can also remember my interest
in the guitar starting here; I would stand on our stairs and pretend to strum a guitar and
sing, “Oh baby, baby,” mocking the Britney Spears song. I received my first guitar at
around the age of 9 and immediately began taking lessons; the rest is history. Based on
this, my research questions are: How, if at all, are children influenced by the music their
parents played growing up? Is there a typical age that students choose their ‘instrument
for life’ by?

2. Elementary School Experiences: What research questions do you have that stem from
early elementary school experiences in music?

At what age do children begin taking a liking to music? How much do early elementary
school experiences in music influence a child’s overall view of music later in life? Do
they at all? Do children ‘choose their path’ in music at this young of an age (i.e. band,
choir, etc.)?

3. Middle School Experiences: What were some of your pivotal middle school
music experiences and what research questions stem from them?

In middle school, I surprisingly ​didn’t ​participate in choir, just the general music class we
were required to take. I did, however, very much enjoy that class. I was still taking guitar
lessons this time and had even upgraded to a more advanced style of guitar, an
acoustic-electric. I had a particular obsession with the Jonas Brothers, as any adolescent
teen girl would/did. My questions are: What is an appropriate middle school general
music curriculum? At what age should a child begin music lessons?
4. High School Experiences: What research questions do you have that stem from
high school experiences in music?

How important is it to incorporate solfege into a high school music classroom? How can
students who aren’t interested in the performing aspect of music find a place in the music
program? What is an appropriate curriculum for a high school general music class?

5. Undergraduate Experiences: What research questions do you have that stem from
your undergraduate music experiences?

What type of repertoire should students on a Vocal Music Education track mainly sing?
How can students work together to create a positive, non-egocentric environment in the
music department?

6. Music Job Experiences: What research questions do you have that stem jobs you
may have already had in music?

How can the music department in a school collaborate with other departments? How can
teachers find a balance between using the old paradigms and incorporating new
techniques and styles into the classroom?

7. Pre-teaching Experiences: What research questions do you have that stem from
pre-teaching experiences (camps, practica, etc.) in music?

How important is it to use formal language in a teaching environment? In other words,

when is it ok for the teacher to speak to the students as if they are friends or peers? How
can teachers motivate and better-include the students who are just in music class ‘for
credit’?