Sarah J. Bartolome

“It’s Like a Whole Bunch of Me!” The Perceived Values and Benefits of the Seattle Girls’ Choir Experience

The purpose of this ethnographic study was to explore the perceived values and benefits associated with participation in a highly successful community-based girls’ choral ensemble. The benefits of membership in the Seattle Girls’ Choir organization were explored, with particular attention to the expressed values and observed behaviors of choristers. Regular choir rehearsals, musicianship classes, festival and summer camp experiences, concert performances, faculty, staff and board meetings, and other community events were documented carefully and examined during a yearlong period of fieldwork. Semistructured interviews with choristers, faculty members, parents, and staff members were used to elicit participant perspectives on the girls’ choir experience and the perceived values and benefits of participation. Emergent themes included music, personal, social, and external benefits, which were examined in an effort to augment an ever-growing understanding of modern music-making and the value of music engagement in the lives of participants.

Growing Through Service Exploring the Impact of a Service-Learning Experience on Preservice Educators

The purpose of this case study was to explore the experiences of undergraduates enrolled in a music education fundamentals course featuring a significant service-learning component. In addition to attending weekly class meetings, students provided 30 minutes a week of classroom support for teachers at a preschool center serving students with and without disabilities. Student reflective writings collected throughout the semester, formal observations, and semistructured interviews with students, cooperating teachers, and the principal formed the pool of data. The data set was analyzed for themes relating to the perceived benefits of the service-learning experience, the undergraduates’ perceptions of children with disabilities, and undergraduates’ attitudes toward civic engagement. The value of service-learning projects, and the effect of these experiences on the learning and personal growth of undergraduate music education majors are discussed in an effort to augment a growing understanding of the role of service-learning in the preparation of preservice music educators.

Naturally emerging self-regulated practice behaviors among highly successful beginning recorder students

The purpose of this research study was to extend current scholarship on self-regulated practice behaviors of young instrumentalists to the general music recorder classroom. This qualitative study explored the reflections of successful beginning recorder players in relation to the self-regulated practice model. Interviews were conducted with three high-achieving third-grade recorder players and responses were coded for themes relating to self-regulated practice. Results support the notion that self-regulation is an important component of effective practice and implications for music educators are explored. The study represents an unprecedented examination of the practice behaviors of children just beginning recorder study, and provides music educators with practical, research-based strategies for improving group recorder instruction in the elementary grades.

Beyond Guided Listening: Exploring World Musics with Classroom Instruments.

This article explores issues of authenticity related to adapting world music examples for classroom instruments and suggests ways to engage students in active, participatory music-making activities derived from diverse musical cultures. Several lesson plan segments are provided to aid general music specialists in implementing “play along” activities and performance-based recreations of listening examples.

Effect of Intensive Instruction on Elementary Students’ Memory for Culturally Unfamiliar Music

Previous researchers have found that both adults and children demonstrate better memory for novel music from their own music culture than from an unfamiliar music culture. It was the purpose of this study to determine whether this “enculturation effect” could be mediated through an extended intensive instructional unit in another culture’s music. Fifth-grade students in four intact general music classrooms (two each at two elementary schools in a large U.S. city) took part in an 8-week curriculum exclusively concentrated on Turkish music. Two additional fifth-grade classes at the same schools served as controls and did not receive the Turkish curriculum. Prior to and following the 8-week unit, all classes completed a music memory test that included Western and Turkish music examples. Comparison of pretest and posttest scores revealed that all participants (N = 110) were significantly more successful overall on the second test administration. Consistent with previous findings, participants were significantly less successful remembering items from the unfamiliar music culture, a result that was consistent across test administrations and between instruction and control groups. It appears that the effect of enculturation on music memory is well established early in life and resistant to modification even through extended instructional approaches.

Comparing Field-Teaching Experiences: A Longitudinal Examination of Preservice and First-Year Teacher Perspectives

The purpose of this longitudinal study was to examine preservice and first-year music educators’ perspectives on fieldwork activities embedded within a music teacher preparation program. One cohort of students was tracked for 2.5 years as they participated in an elementary teaching practicum, fulfilled the student teaching internship, and ultimately entered the field. Drawing on data from a previous study of the same cohort’s perceptions of a service-learning project (2013), this report provides a comparative analysis of the students’ evolving perceptions of fieldwork over time. The perceived transfers of emergent skills and dispositions to the first year of practice also are explored with particular attention to the voices of first-year teachers. Findings suggested a wide range of benefits associated with each type of fieldwork, including overlapping and unique constructs. Perceived collective transfers included comfort and experience, habits of self-reflection, skills and knowledge for job interviews, and comfort with the observation process. These findings may assist higher education professionals as they design field-teaching activities and make informed decisions about best practices in music teacher preparation.

Do-It-Yourself World Music Curriculum: Collecting Children's Musical Culture for the Classroom.

Your integration of children’s musical culture into the general music curriculum does not need to end with the song collections on your bookshelf. Consider expanding on the materials available by reaching out to friends, students, colleagues, and elders and collecting children’s musical culture for yourself and your classroom.

The New National Core Music Standards in Practice Your Classroom, Your Voice

Halfway through our first year of teaching with the New National Core Music Standards, it is time to reflect on our work and share our experiences with general music colleagues across the country.

The Power of Play Connecting and Re-Connecting Through Music

Explore musical play as a means of making meaningful connections in the elementary general music classroom. Usher in the Spring with joyful singing, dancing, and playing!

Back to School and Beyond: Using Professional Resources to Overcome Everyday Challenges

As the excitement of the Back to School season begins to wane, connections with colleagues and professional development opportunities provide support in the face of everyday challenges.