Effects of teaching intensity on high school band students' music achievements and attitudes

The purpose for this dissertation was to investigate the effects of teaching intensity on ninth to twelfth grade band students' music achievements, music attitudes, and instrument performance. The primary research question to be examined was "Do variations in teaching intensity affect music achievement, music attitudes, and instrument performance?" The secondary research questions to be examined were "Does gender affect music achievement, music attitudes, and instrument performance?" and "Does music background affect music achievement, music attitudes, and instrument performance?";In order to establish a realistic setting for the study, 45 ninth through twelve grade students (n=45) in an intact concert band class served as the subjects. One group (n=24) was engaged by the researcher employing a high teaching intensity treatment; a second group (n=21) was introduced to a low teaching intensity treatment. The first group included twelve males and twelve females and the second group consisted of eleven males and ten females. Prior to the treatment phase of the study subjects' music achievement, attitudes, and music background were measured via the researcher-developed Music Achievement Test, Music Attitudes Profile, and Music Background Questionnaire . During the ten day treatment phase of the study, subjects received an intense twenty-minute period of instruction each day; focusing on background knowledge of percussion history and background information, as well as performance skills with instruction. In order to determine the effects of teaching intensity, gender and music background on subjects' music achievements and attitudes analyses were performed employing post-treatment testing via the Music Achievement Test, Music Attitudes Profile, and Keyboard Percussion Performance Test scores.;Data were analyzed via descriptive statistics and t-tests. Post-treatment Music Achievement Test, Music Attitudes Profile, and Keyboard Percussion Performance Test scores were analyzed via a 2 (high and low intensity instructional treatment) x 2 (gender) x 3 (background category) multivariate analysis of covariance (MANCOVA). The pretreatment Music Achievement Test scores were employed as the covariate to control statistically for differences due to novice music performance achievement or due to using an intact concert band class. The results of the Pillai's Trace statistic in the MANCOVA indicated that the effects of high intensity teaching on subjects' Music Achievement Test scores, Music Attitudes Profile scores, and Keyboard Percussion Performance Test scores were significant ( p < .001). To this end, the null hypothesis that there is no significant effect of teaching intensity on ninth to twelfth grade band students' music achievement, music attitudes, and instrument performance was rejected (p < .05). While a univariate analyses indicated no significant differences between teaching intensity with music achievement and attitudes (p = .130 and p = .243), the analyses yielded a significant different between teaching intensity with total keyboard performance and verbal keyboard performance scores ( p = .003 and p < .001).;Research in identifying, not just what an expert teacher "is" but how to guide a novice teacher to navigate through a teaching career to becoming an expert teacher is crucial. Teaching behaviors have an effect on students' achievement and attitudes---positive or negative---research defining and strategies for matriculating such instruction is paramount in the present education landscape. To this end, research illuminating the effects of teaching intensity on music learning and teacher education in a variety of conditions is paramount.