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 was in choir my whole life. My family always supported singing even before I
started school (ie: singing along with movies and in the car). My grandma was an
organist so she let us go through and play on the piano and organ when we visited her.
Why do we limit child musical involvement? How can we bring out/support early
childhood musical experiences?

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

How can you have student involvement without auditions? If you want to do
something like an audition, how can you do so without creating discomfort and
separation between the students? How can you give students a full range of musical
experience and keep them interested and engaged?

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

I was excited to be in band, but my best friend and I both played the flute. She
was clearly better than I was and we had joint lessons. I stopped trying as hard as I had
when I started because I knew I wasnt going to get to play the same fun songs she
would. In elementary school people had complimented me on my singing and I had
cantered at church and school and given solos over older kids (which I thought was really
cool), but as I moved closer to middle school I started getting performance shy because I
just wanted to be like everyone else. In my middle school music class we were singing a
medly of songs, one of which was Bist du bei mir. My teacher pulled me aside at the end
of class and said, Kelsey, I need you to sing out. If you sing out, other people will feel
more confident to sing out as well. Can you do that for me? It made me scared of what
other people would think of me, but I wanted to be a good student so I obliged. In choir
when we did voicing, I was told I had more of a reedy than a flute like voice (and it was
the first time I was put as an alto) and all of my friends were like Kelsey! Are you
upset? shouldnt you be a flute sound? Why didnt he make you a soprano, you always
sing high? and it turned a simple voicing into a big deal, making me feel more self
conscious. As much as I loved music, I was going through my awkward stage; and even
though I may have been talented, I frequently felt insecure.
 How can we as teachers try to support students without making them feel
insecure? How can we create fun learning experiences that continue to foster love of
music? When you have to have pairs in lessons, how can you foster a sense of
accomplishment for both students?

4. High School Experiences: What research questions do you have that stem from
high school experiences in music?

How can we continue music education excitement from elementary school to

high school? How can we avoid making music (or the arts in general) feel like a chore for
students? How can we incorporate student involvement into what we plan?

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

How do you avoid student burnout? How do you create confidence while still
pushing students past their breaking point? How can you foster an environment of
inclusivity - allowing students to be (and to want to be) involved in subjects outside of
their concentration?

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

If there are students that doesnt want to get involved with the activities, how can
you modify to try and be more inclusive while still maintaining your original plan or
disrupting class and making the student feel singled out?

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

How do you plan a whole years curriculum? I understand there are standards that
need to be met, but how do you plan the whole year?