MUED 376: Choral Music, Materials & Techniques (M2 & 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? I worked at a
preschool and they had a person come in to have students engage with music and
dance using a variety of toys and props.

Question: How can students begin to associate movement with sound in their early
childhood?

2. Elementary School Experiences: What research questions do you have that stem from
early elementary school experiences in music? During elementary school, we were all
required to buy recorders and learn songs on them using a karate belt system.

Question: What other pitched instruments can be studied other than the recorder at the
elementary age?

3. Middle School Experiences: What were some of your pivotal middle school
music experiences and what research questions stem from them? In middle school choir
was split by grade rather than having just trebles or just men. Additionally, only the
auditioned after school group really did a cappella music.

Question: Should choirs be mixed or split by voice part at the middle school level?
Question: At what skill level is a cappella appropriate?

4. High School Experiences: What research questions do you have that stem from
high school experiences in music? In my high school, students with special needs
would stay in the treble choir and never move to the next level. The repertoire my
high school sings now has much more popular repertoire than when I first started
high schools. This could be due to a change in students or a change in teacher.

Question: How do we integrate students with special needs into a choir?

Question: How do we create a healthy balance between classical and popular
musical genres in choir?

5. Undergraduate Experiences: What research questions do you have that stem from
your undergraduate music experiences? I feel that it was hard for me to practice my
solo repertoire on my own time. I needed a way to keep track of the music that I was
learning and progress in voice lessons.

Question: What incentives or methods can be given to college students to practice for
their own vocal repertoire and ensembles?
6. Music Job Experiences: What research questions do you have that stem jobs you
may have already had in music? I am a substitute teacher and I had to run a band
rehearsal with music that the students were already working on. I did not want to
make mistakes and then have the band director come back and have things to fix in
the music.

Question: What basic conducting gesture can help students develop their
musicianship without altering their previous work?

7. Pre-teaching Experiences: What research questions do you have that stem from pre-
teaching experiences (camps, practica, etc.) in music? It was always easy for teachers to
bring history into choir rehearsals but I wonder if there are ways to incorporate
science or math for students to better understand how their voice functions.

Question: What subjects can be connected into the music classroom to create
transfers?