COMPARISON OF THE LONG-TERM EFFECTS OF THREE DIFFERENT BEGINNING

BAND PEDAGOGICAL APPROACHES

A Thesis Submitted to the

Graduate Faculty

of Jacksonville State University

in Partial Fulfillment of the

Requirements for the Degree of

Master of Arts

with a Major

in Music Education

By

CALEB HOWARD

Jacksonville, Alabama

December 3, 2019
 TABLE OF CONTENTS

Page

TABLE OF CONTENTS………………………………………………………………………….1

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION………………………………………………………………………………...2

Introductory Paragraphs…………………………………………………………………………...3

Need Statement……………………………………………………………………………………3

Problem of Study……………………………………………………………………………….....4

Purpose of Study…………………………………………………………………………………..6

Hypothesis and Research Questions………………………………………………………………6

Definition of Terms………………………………………………………………………………..7

Limitations, Delimitations, and Assumptions……………………………………………………..7

CHAPTER TWO

RELATED LITERATURE………………………………………………………………………...9

Introduction………………………………………………………………………………………..9

Related Studies…………………………………………………………………………………….9

Summary of Studies……………………………………………………………………………...13

CHAPTER THREE

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METHODOLOGY………………………………………………………………………………15

Subjects…………………………………………………………………………………………..15

Description of Method…………………………………………………………………………...15

Procedures………………………………………………………………………………………..16

Research Design………………………………………………………………………………….16

Proposed Thesis Chapters………………………………………………………………………..17

BIBLIOGRAPHY………………………………………………………………………………..18

2
 INTRODUCTION

In the case of teaching beginning band students, there are many methods that have been

used by beginning band directors. The beginning wind band in the school curriculum has not had

as much pedagogical research conducted as certain other subjects. This is due, in part, to its

comparatively short history when compared to subjects such as vocal pedagogy. Wind bands in

the school curriculum did not become commonplace until the late 1800s. However, different

methods have been developed throughout time as to the best possible way to teach beginning

band. Some directors have found success in teaching music to students first with no instruments.

This has been done in several ways, including working with elementary schools in their area to

develop necessary music skills for beginning band. Another way this has been implemented is by

simply teaching music skills first in the classroom and implementing the use of instruments later

in the school year. Others spend much of the beginning of the semester teaching instrument

techniques to their students. While a few musical concepts may be taught, the focus is primarily

on proper instrument care and technique. Still, others have found success in teaching both

musical concepts and instrument techniques in tandem, with an equal amount of focus being

applied to each.

Need Statement

What has been discovered in the conducting of this research is that a need exists to fully

determine what the long-term effects of different beginning band teaching methods can be. Many

of the researched articles address certain methods of teaching beginning band and their

3
effectiveness, and some of them even analyze the certain aspects of the methods in individual

band programs. However, most of this research examines the immediate short-term effects of

these teaching methods. A need exists to determine what the long-term effects of these different

methods are. A causal-comparative study is being proposed to analyze and compare the success

of band programs who use these different methods. “Success”, while typically a subjective term,

will be measured in this case by band MPA scores, grade level of music being played, and the

number of major scales the students know. These criteria will be tested with the eighth-grade

ensembles of each school.

Problem of Study

With so many methods of teaching beginning band available, it is difficult for the

beginning band director to decide which method to choose. Much of the previous research in this

field has not isolated the teaching method to compare what long-term effects this has on band

programs. One article that addressed the effectiveness of different teaching methods on student

success is “Comparison of Two Approaches to Teaching Beginning Band” by William Whitener.

Within this research, two groups of middle school band students were given different forms of

instruction. One group was taught using the comprehensive musicianship approach while the

other group was taught using the performance-based approach used by many bands today. It was

found that the students who were taught using the comprehensive approach were much more

well-rounded in their musical knowledge and performed just as well as the students who received

performance-based instruction at the end of the semester. This is very interesting in that it

suggests teaching students a wide array of musical concepts rather than just their instruments can

4
yield better overall musicians. This does not, however, show what the long-term effects of these

different styles of teaching are as the experiment only lasted for a single semester and there was

no follow-up with the students at a later date. Yet another article, “Observation and Analysis of

Expert Teaching in Beginning Band” by Michael Worthy, analyzed different middle school band

directors teaching styles. This article did not go in-depth about any specific methodology,

however, as it merely explained common rehearsal techniques among the different directors

(Worthy 2009). A dissertation by Leslie Benson suggested that curricular alignment between

elementary and secondary music programs would be beneficial in advancing student rhythmic

achievement (Benson 2016). While this approach seems practical and beneficial, it does not take

into account how the mechanics of learning an instrument can bring an added level of difficulty

to learning rhythms. It also dismisses the fact that many school systems have done away with

music at the elementary level, making this approach impossible in many areas. An interesting

concept can be gleaned from this, however. That concept is that teaching students without the use

of an instrument at first can produce greater results at a faster pace. This is related in many ways

to the Music Learning Theory by Edwin Gordon. He believes in what is called an

audiation-based approach to teaching music. In this particular concept, “students build a strong

audiation foundation through singing, chanting, and rhythmic movement” all before working on

their instruments (Gordon). The goal of this is for the students to have a strong musical

foundation so that transferring it to the instrument will be easier. In this case, the instrument is

merely a tool through which the students express the music inside of them. Audiation and the

idea of learning through aural skills have also been addressed by Ann Musco in “Playing by Ear:

Is Expert Opinion Supported by Research?” and Erika St. Denis in her dissertation. Denis, in her

5
study, examined and compared how three different beginning band directors used aural skills in

their classroom. All three directors explained their thoughts on the importance of teaching aural

skills in the classroom as a way to help students to hear and understand music before they play it

on their instruments. It seems that this is clearly a useful method even once the students are more

proficient on their instruments (Denis 2018). However, what are the long-term effects of

beginning students in this way? Also, at what stage is learning to read music more advantageous?

Many beginning band methods books encourage students to learn to read music as early as day

one (Watkins 2011). Other methods, such as the Music Learning Theory and Suzuki Method,

stress the importance of learning music by ear with no notation at first.

Purpose of Study

The purpose of this study is to analyze and compare the long-term effects of different

pedagogical approaches to teaching beginning band.

Hypothesis and Research Questions

The hypothesis behind this research is that band programs who experience different

beginning band instruction will obtain different levels of success once the students reach eighth

grade. The criteria of success will include higher MPA scores, higher individual music

achievement, and higher grade level music being played. The research questions that guide this

research process are the following: What are the long-term effects of the different approaches to

teaching beginning band? Which pedagogical approach yields the greatest results over time?

6
How do band programs who use these different pedagogical approaches compare in MPA scores,

grade level of music being played, and number of major scales the students know?

Definition of Terms

Pedagogical Approach- This term refers to the way in which directors teach their students. These

different approaches include teaching musical concepts before instrument technique, teaching

instrument technique first, and teaching musical concepts and instrument techniques in tandem.

Beginning Band- This refers to the first year of music instruction in a band class. For the

purposes of this study, that will be sixth grade.

Long-term effects- For this study, this will refer to the period from sixth grade beginning band to

eighth grade. This is to ensure that a change in directors and teaching style once students get to

high school is not a factor.

Causal-comparative research- Causal-comparative research is research that seeks to explain

relationships between an independent and dependent variable on an ex-post facto basis.

Limitations, Delimitations, and Assumptions

Limitations in this study include MPA judge discrepancies. Generally, a sense of how the

band performed at MPA can be gleaned from the judges’ scores. It is understandable that an

unusually poor performance can occur at MPA for reasons outside of the director’s control.

However, this data will still be used to determine the band’s success. The budget of a band

program can also play a major factor in the grade level of music that the band plays. Certain

7
schools may not be able to purchase music for their band, but rather play what the school already

has in the library. For this study, schools with similar demographics will be chosen to lessen the

factor that this will have on the study. Another limitation is the possibility of students joining

band at a later grade or transferring schools. Certain students within the programs may not have

received the same beginning band instruction as the other students. Overall, however, most of the

students within each band will have received the same beginning band instruction.

Delimitations in this study include the schools that are being examined. There may be

schools with great success that have used one of the teaching methods described. However,

school demographics and funding played a part in the schools selected for the study so that these

factors would not play a major role in the discrepancies of the study. The schools have also been

chosen based upon the amount of time the band meets each week. The schools that were chosen

meet for band the same amount of time. Another factor is that there are other aspects of a band

program that can define it as “successful.” For this study, though, only the three criteria of MPA

scores, grade level of music being played, and number of major scales each band can play will be

factors in determining the success of each band program. Another delimitation is the use of

schools whose directors have been there for at least three years. This ensures that the

eighth-grade students have the same director that they had in sixth grade beginning band.

It can be assumed that there will be great delineations in individual student achievement

within each program, as this is a factor unique to each student and is oftentimes outside the

control of the director. It is also assumed that the most recent MPA scores are an accurate

reflection of the band’s progress.

8
 RELATED LITERATURE

Introduction

Many books have been written on beginning band pedagogy, and a few studies have been

done. Many of the studies have focused on the teaching of instrument technique first, teaching

aural skills in the band classroom, practicing and analyzing comprehensive musicianship, and

teaching musical skills before the instrument. The summarization and analysis of these studies

will be divided according to those subjects. Much of the research focuses on the short-term

effects of these different techniques. Other studies do not examine the effects on students, but

rather observe how they are used by directors. Still, others examine different beginning band

method books to analyze how they apply to these pedagogical approaches.

Related Studies

In Worthy and Thompson’s “Observation and Analysis of Expert Teaching in Beginning

Band”, the researchers observed three beginning band directors across three consecutive classes.

They took field notes and observed videos of the directors teaching. Through organizing their

notes, they found that student behavior and the production of “fundamental tones” through the

focus of breathing, embouchure, and posture were main focuses in their teaching. It was also

found that the directors’ main rehearsal targets were pitch accuracy, multiple targets, and

posture/instrument carriage (Worthy 2009). In Chad West’s “Developing Internal Musicianship

in Beginning Band by Teaching the Big 5”, he explains how when he began his teaching career

his main focus was ensuring that his students could play their instruments and read music.

9
Through observation of his own students and students of other programs, he realized that his

students were lacking in any form of aural skills (West 2015). In Whitener’s study, “Comparison

of Two Approaches to Teaching Beginning Band”, beginning band students were separated into

two groups, an experimental and a control group. The experimental group was taught using a

comprehensive musicianship method while the control group was taught using a band method

used by many band programs. A pretest and posttest were given at the beginning and end of the

semester, respectively, to both groups of students. It was found that the experimental group had

greater posttest scores in the fields of music theory, while the playing posttest yielded similar

results for both groups (Whitener 1983). In Riddell’s, “Beginning Band Pedagogy: Starting

Students on the Path to Success”, he sent surveys to twenty different beginning band directors.

These surveys included questions such as which method books the directors used and common

weaknesses they observe in young players. He also asked how long they had been teaching and

which instruments are best for beginners to start. He then analyzed his data by including the

answers in charts (Riddell 2016). In Watkins’ dissertation, she analyzed different beginning band

method books published from 1995-2010 to see how well each book covered national standards

for music. The data were then analyzed according to standard and which exercises from each

book met that standard (Watkins 2011). In Heavner’s, “An Analysis of Beginning Band Method

Books for Principles of Comprehensive Musicianship”, she analyzed beginning band method

books against a comprehensive musicianship model. Instrumental educators served on a panel to

answer five survey questions concerning beginning band method books presenting principles of

comprehensive musicianship. It was found that “Standard of Excellence” was the primary book

that had the highest comprehensive musicianship scores (Heavner 1995).

10
 In “Playing by Ear: Is Expert Opinion Supported by Research?” by Musco, she examines

literature written on the subject of playing by ear, which she defined as “...performance from

memory of pre-existing music that was learned aurally without the aid of notation, without the

visual stimulus of watching a live model, and without verbal hints such as being told the

solfege.” (Musco 2010). In Millican’s, “Describing Instrumental Music Teachers’ Thinking:

Implications for Understanding Pedagogical Content Knowledge”, he shows expert beginning

band directors videos of beginning band students playing. It was found that the directors already

had clear images of what they expected to see from students before they ever witnessed the

videos. It showed that the focus of the directors was mainly on instrument carriage and tone

production (Millican 2013). In Denis’ dissertation, “Aural Skills in Beginning Band: A

Comparative Case Study”, she studied how beginning band directors implement the use of aural

skills in their teaching. She observed four experienced beginning band directors once in person

and each submitted three videos of themselves demonstrating how they incorporate aural skills

learning in class. Each director placed great emphasis on how important teaching aural skills in

the band class is. When asked about when notation should be introduced to the students, answers

ranged from the second lesson all the way until the second year. A few of the interviewed

teachers agreed that learning to read music while also learning to play an instrument is too much

of a demand on students (Denis 2018). Haston’s, “Beginning Wind Instrument Instruction: A

Comparison of Aural and Visual Approaches”, explored the differences between students given

instruction with an aural concentration and students with a visual/reading notation concentration.

Ten students were in each group, with two posttests given to each group following a fifteen-week

11
period of instruction. It was shown that, while the differences were not drastic, the students that

were taught with a concentration on aural practices scored higher on the posttests (Haston 2010).

In Weidner’s dissertation, “Musical Independence in the Large Ensemble Classroom”, he

led three different studies. The third one was a quasi-experimental design in which five different

middle school band programs were given one of three conditions to teach their students sight-

reading. Two of the conditions involved the directors giving precise and repeated instruction on

sight-reading strategies. Students from each school were given ten minutes to practice a new

piece of music and then perform it. It was shown that there were no significant differences in

how the students played (Weidner 2018). This has interesting applications in that it explores how

students apply what they are taught in class to individual musicianship. The book, “Just Good

Teaching”, by Sindberg explores the Comprehensive Musicianship through Performance (CMP)

model. This model includes five points: selection, analysis, outcomes, strategies, and assessment.

This book gives an in-depth look at how to apply the CMP model in the classroom as well as the

theory behind why this approach is useful and practical (Sindberg 2012). Gleason’s “Effects of

Whole Music Instruction on Knowledge, Performance Skills, Attitudes, and Retention of

Sixth-Grade Beginning Band Students”, he analyzes two different groups of beginning band

students. One group was given a year of instruction using the comprehensive musicianship

model. The other group was given instruction through performance only. At the end of one year,

the post-tests showed no significant differences between the two groups in the areas of music

history, music theory, general knowledge, or performance (Gleason 1998).

In Benson’s dissertation, “Teaching Methodologies in Elementary Music and Beginning

Band: The Effect on Student Rhythmic Achievement”, she presented seven rhythmic patterns

12
from the fifth-grade music curriculum to fifth-grade general music students and sixth-grade

beginning band students. The fifth grade students scored “significantly higher” in playing these

rhythms. The idea behind this study was to show that continuous instruction can lead to greater

rhythmic achievement (Benson 2016). Millican’s “Starting Out Right: Beginning Band

Pedagogy” seeks to join the idea of “sound to sign to theory” with the practical knowledge he

has gained from peers. In this book, he speaks on the language-based approach to teaching

music, explaining that music should be learned in the same way a language is learned. Those

ways are through speaking, then reading, and then writing (Millican 2012). This is similar in

many ways to the teachings and writings of bass player Victor Wooten, who has been a strong

advocate for teaching music in the same way a language is taught.

Summary of Studies

It is apparent that many studies have been done in regards to beginning band pedagogy

and the most effective ways to teach students. One of the major differences seen here is between

the works of Whitener and Gleason. Whitener’s research showed that students who were given

comprehensive music instruction showed better results in the fields of music theory and history,

while Gleason observed that there were no significant differences between the comprehensive

group and the performance group in those areas. Overall, some conclusions can be drawn from

studying all of these articles and books. One of those conclusions is that the use of aural skills in

the classroom, especially when used before music notation, is a very useful tool. It also seems

that a comprehensive approach to music can yield players who are just as successful at playing,

while also obtaining a greater overall knowledge of music. It can also be concluded that many

13
active band directors do not always actively pursue a comprehensive approach to music, but

rather focus on instrument carriage and tone production. This may be due in part to the way that

many beginning method books are organized. Many directors follow what they are given in the

method books, which is not a very enriching music education experience to the student as it

mainly teaches them instrument technique and music reading. Overall, an approach in which

aural skills are used before notation is introduced seems to be beneficial. This summarization and

analysis of these resources set the stage for the research questions within this study to be

explored. What are the long-term effects of the different approaches to teaching beginning band?

None of these studies showed the impact that these pedagogical approaches have over the course

of more than one year. Which pedagogical approach yields the greatest results over time? Only

two studies compared different teaching methods and their effects. However, these were

short-term effects. How do band programs who use these different pedagogical approaches

compare in MPA scores, grade level of music being played, and number of major scales the

students know? These criteria have not been used to measure band success in any of these

previous studies.

14
 METHODOLOGY

Subjects

The subjects in this causal-comparative study will be three eighth grade bands who have

similar demographics and funding. Each band will have received a different form of instruction

while they were in beginning band. Band A received an instrument-first instructional approach;

Band B received an aural skills/musicianship-first instructional approach; Band C received a

more comprehensive musicianship instructional approach in which they were taught instrument

technique and music skills in tandem. The sources for this study will include the bands’ MPA

scores and a survey to each band director that has them explain their beginning band teaching

methodology, the number of major scales their eighth grade ensembles can play proficiently as a

class, and the grade level of the pieces of music that their eighth grade ensembles are playing.

Description of Method

The method that will be used will be a causal-comparative study. It is this because

comparisons are being made through the collecting of information on an ex-post facto basis. This

is a form of qualitative research that finds relationships between an independent (teaching

method) and dependent (success of band programs) variable after the events have already

occurred. The purpose is to see if different beginning band pedagogical approaches have

different long-term effects. Data will be drawn from these three different schools to compare the

effects of beginning band pedagogical approaches on eighth grade MPA scores, grade level of

music being played, and number of major scales the ensembles can play.

15
 Procedures

To begin the study, three middle school band programs will be selected based upon their

director’s teaching method, demographics, and funding. It is important that the schools have not

undergone a change in director within the past three years to ensure that the eighth-grade

students all received the same beginning band instruction from the same director. Once the

schools are selected, the eighth-grade ensemble’s MPA scores will be collected from the band

directors. A survey will then be sent to the directors with the following prompts: 1) Describe

your philosophy on beginning band pedagogy. 2) What is the grade level of each of the pieces of

music your eighth-grade ensemble is playing? 3) How many major scales can your eighth-grade

class, as an ensemble, play proficiently?

Three tables will be created that each includes schools A, B, and C. The tables will be

separated according to the criteria of MPA scores, grade level of music being played, and the

number of major scales each band can play proficiently. Conclusions will then be drawn based

upon the results of the scores and the surveys.

Research Design

This research is a causal-comparative design. Data will be collected from each of the

three band programs and organized into tables in order to draw comparisons between the three

programs. Three tables will be created that each includes schools A, B, and C. The tables will be

separated according to the criteria set forth previously (MPA scores, grade level of music being

played, and number of major scales being played proficiently). The first table will be a

comparison of the ensembles’ MPA scores. The second table will be a comparison of the grade

16
level of music that each ensemble is playing. The final table will be a comparison of the number

of major scales each ensemble can play proficiently. Conclusions will then be drawn based upon

the results of the scores and the surveys. Some of the conclusions that can be drawn from this

data will include the long-term effects of different beginning band instruction, which pedagogical

approach yields the greatest results over time, and how the effects of these approaches compare

to each other.

Outline of Proposed Thesis Chapters

I. INTRODUCTION

II. REVIEW OF LITERATURE

III. METHODOLOGY

IV. ANALYSIS OF DATA

V. CONCLUSIONS

REFERENCE LIST

17
 REFERENCE LIST

Benson, Leslie M. “Teaching Methodologies in Elementary Music and Beginning Band: The
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Benson_Dissertation.pdf.
Denis, Erika St. “Aural Skills in Beginning Band: A Comparative Case Study.” PhD diss.,
University of Michigan, 2018. In DeepBlue,
https://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/handle/2027.42/148269.
Gleason, Bruce. 1998. Effects of Whole Music Instruction on Knowledge, Performance Skills,
Attitudes, and Retention of Sixth-Grade Beginning Band Students. Contributions to
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Weidner, Brian Nikolas. “Musical Independence in the Large Ensemble Classroom.” PhD diss.,
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