Cornelia Yarbrough

Sequential Patterns of Instruction in Music

The purpose of this study was to examine extant research in effective teaching and to determine the extent to which results were being applied in music teaching. Rehearsals (N = 79) were analyzed to determine time spent in and correct sequencing of presentation of task, student responses, and reinforcement. Results demonstrated that (a) time spent in presenting musical information and appropriate reinforcement was about one-fourth of total rehearsal time, (b) an almost equal amount of time was spent giving directions as compared to musical information, (c) almost half the rehearsal time was devoted to performance, and (d) experienced teachers were highly disapproving of student responses, whereas preparatory teachers were highly approving.

The Effect of Sequential Patterns on Rehearsal Evaluations of High School and Elementary Students

The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of sequential patterns on evaluations by high school and elementary students of teaching in rehearsal. Subjects (N − 536) evaluated a high school choral music director conducting a scripted rehearsal containing 10 sequential patterns of instruction identified in previous research. Subjects were randomly assigned to one of four presentations of the taped rehearsal: (1) audio and video; (2) audio only; (3) video only; or (4) script only. Results demonstrated that students rated presentations of script only and audio-video higher; presentations of audio or video only produced lower evaluations, as well as comments indicating frustration in deciding evaluation scores. In addition, patterns beginning with musical information were graded higher than those beginning with directions, those ending in approvals were graded higher than those ending in disapprovals, and those ending in specific reinforcement were graded higher than those ending in nonspecific reinforcement.

A Content Analysis of the Journal of Research in Music Education, 1953-1983.

The purpose of this study was to review the Journal of Research in Music Education from 1953 (the first issue) through 1983, a 31-year period, with particular attention to editorial policies, content analysis, and organization of research topics. Specifically, frequencies and percentages of articles and pages were determined for (a) articles based on dissertations and theses and (b) articles using historical, philosophical, experimental, descriptive, and behavioral research methodologies. Furthermore, articles within each methodology were categorized by general subject matter topic, by the sample characteristics of age and training, and by specific research technique where applicable. All articles (N = 658) were reviewed.

The Effect of Vibrato on the Pitch-Matching Accuracy of Certain and Uncertain Singers

The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of vibrato on the pitch-matching accuracy of certain and uncertain singers. Subjects were in kindergarten through Grade 3 (N = 200). They responded to three different models singing a descending minor third from G to E above middle C: (1) a child model with 100% pitch accuracy; (2) an adult female model singing with vibrato and 79.53% pitch accuracy; and (3) the same adult female model singing nonvibrato and with 100%) pitch accuracy. Results demonstrated significant differences between percentages of correct responses by certain (M = 78.48 %) and uncertain singers (M = 40.89%}) and among correct responses to the three models. There were more correct responses to the nonvibrato model than to either the vibrato or child model Further analyses demonstrated that certain singers seemed to produce a high percentage of correct responses regardless of sex, grade level, or model presented. In contrast, uncertain singers | responded most correctly to the nonvibrato model and least correctly to the child model. In | addition, responses to the child model presented first were less accurate than those to either I the second or third presentations. Accurate responses to the vibrato model seemed to be greater in third position than in second and greater in second position than in first. Responses to the nonvibrato model were the most consistent across the three positions as well as more accurate than responses to the other two models.

The Relationship of Behavioral Self-Assessment to the Achievement of Basic Conducting Skills

The purpose of this study was to explore relationships between two types of behavioral self-assessment and posttest conducting achievement scores. Students in six different conducting classes observed videotapes of themselves conducting, used observation forms for self-evaluation, wrote self-critiques, and conducted a posttest. Relationships between correct self-observation marks, verbal reinforcements in self-critiques, and correct posttest scores were examined. Analyses demonstrated a significant and positive correlation between correct posttest scores and correct self-observation marks, and a nonsignificant but positive correlation between correct posttest scores and verbal self-reinforcements.

“The Future of Scholarly Inquiry in Music Education”: 1996 Senior Researcher Award Acceptance Address

Cornelia Yarbrough is the recipient of the MENC 1996 Senior Researcher Award. The following speech was presented on April 19, 1996, at a special session of the Society for Research in Music Education at MENCs National Biennial In-Service Conference held in Kansas City, Missouri.

The Effect of Observation Focus on Evaluations of Choral Rehearsal Excerpts.

Seven rehearsal excerpts demonstrating research-identified teaching characteristics were presented to university music majors (N = 176) for ratings. Subjects watched either a videotape focused on the teacher or another focused on students. Numerical ratings from 1 to 10 were assigned by subjects to 10 categories of student and teacher behavior: time use, musicianship, accuracy of presentation, student attentiveness, student performance quality, enthusiasm, intensity, pacing, personality, and overall effectiveness. Results demonstrated that subjects gave their highest ratings when viewing the teacher and lowest ratings when viewing students. The highest-rated excerpt contained a hw percentage of student off-task behavior (6.53%), a high percentage of approvals (71%), moderate eye contact (2730%), many activity changes (27), a high percentage of student response time (66%), and rapid pacing, as indicated by an average length of both teacher and student activities of 5-6 seconds.

Effects of Male Timbre, Falsetto, and Sine-Wave Models on Interval Matching by Inaccurate Singers

This study compared the effects of male timbre, falsetto, and sine-wave models on pitch-matching skills of inaccurate boy versus girl singers in Grades K—8. Subjects were 216 inaccurate singers in Grades K-8 (n = 12 boys and 12 girls from each grade). They were presented descending minor thirds sung by a tenor and a bass in their regular octaves (G3—E3) and in falsetto (G4—E4), as well as two sine-wave stimuli in the same octaves. Subjects were recorded singing back the presented intervals. The recordings were digitized and analyzed for pitch and interval cent deviation. Responses to male stimuli were more accurate than were responses to sine waves. Girls responded more accurately to higher stimuli, and boys responded more accurately to lower stimuli. The octaves of the stimuli also affected the octaves of the responses, and the subjects had a tendency to sing intervals that were larger rather than smaller than the minor-third models.