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?

My early childhood music memories stem from children’s’ choir at my church (first “choir” I was
a part of). My mom had me be a part of the choir because that was her way of involving us in the
church at such a young age that wasn’t just going to church every Sunday. How does teaching by
rote and teaching basic theory to younger children affect the development of the right hemisphere
of the brain as opposed to the left side of the brain? Is there a higher chance of someone
developing chromesthesia (synesthesia) when they are introduced to music at a younger age as
opposed to later on in their life?

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

In elementary school, I remember learning how to play guitar, which was very complicated and
frustrating for me, as well as listening to a symphony orchestra and picking out what instruments
we could hear. I remember playing the recorder and even participating in my first honors choir in
fifth grade. In comparison to the recorder, is there another instrument that could be taught to
young students that would be easier to teach and understand? How would that compare to the
success of the recorder in the music classroom?

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 was a part of my first “choir” outside of children’s choir at church and was
learning and performing secular music. Two years’ experience as a part of all-county chorus and
my first year as part of all-district chorus. Started learning to truly read music, started putting
much more of my focus into my choir than my core classes. What effect does the ideas of elite
auditioned choirs (i.e. all-county and all-district choruses) have on students socially, cognitively,
egotistically, etc? Why are these choirs held to high standards and do these standards put
unnecessary pressure and stress on these students?

4. High School Experiences: What research questions do you have that stem from
high school experiences in music?
My high school experiences including choosing choir as my main path in high school. Being a
part of the treble freshman choir, a member of the mixed show choir and the “elite” mixed chorus
for three years, being put in leadership roles in all choirs, becoming a senior student director for
the freshman chorus, being a part of all-district and all-state, deciding to pursue music as a career
choice and audition for 8 music schools up and down the east coast. Do leadership positions push
students more towards wanting to be involved in music, or do they associate the pressure and
stress of the leadership position to be towards music?

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

Being a part of 4 different ensembles (mixed and SA), partaking in juries and voice lessons,
starting out as a music theatre major, switching to vocal performance (very briefly), and then
becoming a music education major. Singing in multiple weddings, learning piano and various
other instruments, learning history, theory, ear training, etc. We already read so much about how
to decolonize music education, but are there more ways than we know about to decolonize all
aspects of Schools of Music? (i.e. jazz studies, theory, aural skills, piano, music history, etc.)

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

The only music job I have had so far is working in the choral library, assisting Dr. V, organizing
music, filing music away, inputting music into the database, creating music packets for individual
choirs, etc. Is there a way that written music can be distributed, acquired, and owned in a more
efficient and cost-effective way? Should there be annual music clean-outs to donate/get rid of
music that is either discriminatory in content or discriminatory in source to make sure that we are
as proactive as we can possibly be?

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

My practicum experiences have really only been with extensively (before the COVID-19 shut
down) was the Shenandoah Valley Children’s Choir. A lot of the theory the students were
learning were theory concepts that I was learning in beginner theory in my undergrad. Should
theory be taught at a younger age? Are younger children more susceptible to understand and learn
concepts such as music theory than someone who is trying to learn beginner theory at the age of
18? When is the best time to teach theory, ear training, and history?