An Exploratory Study Of A Rating Scale For Piano Improvisation Performance

The purpose of this study was to construct and examine a rating scale for collegiate piano improvisation performance. The 14-item Piano Improvisation Evaluation Scale (PIES) was constructed and refined through a facet-rational approach to scale development. Statements descriptive of piano improvisation were collected through analysis of pedagogical materials, piano educator descriptions, published interviews of piano musicians, and research articles. Decisions to retain, combine, modify, or reject items were made largely based on input from accomplished piano musicians and the knowledge and expertise of the researcher. Five piano major students and one professional piano educator were asked to record two unfamiliar improvisations as well as twelve participants'improvisations. Sixty-three adjudicators with varying degrees of piano experience evaluated the 12 improvisations using the PIES. Reliability was good, with alpha values ranging from .87 to .95. Construct Validity for the PIES was confirmed through the analysis of a multitrait-multimethod matrix (MTMM). The results of this study indicate that the facet-rational approach is an effective method of developing a rating scale for collegiate piano improvisation performance. The findings also suggest that:(a) advanced piano improvisation is closely related to elements associated with creativity and expression, and (b) adjudicators might benefit from structured training sessions prior to judging piano improvisation performance.This thesis is divided into five parts:The first chapter characterizes the backgrounds, purposes, theoretical framework as well as the related concepts with the piano improvisation.The second chapter reviews the related literature about the evaluation rating scale.The third chapter addresses the method to explore the reliability and validity of the rating scale.The forth chapter focuses on outlining the results that explain for the reliability and validity in terms of the rating scale.The fifth chapter estimates this dynamic rating scale of the piano improvisation as well as suggests about the future study.