IJRCS

The International Journal of Research in Choral Singing (IJRCS)  is ACDA’s scholarly publication that welcomes studies that apply rigorous, systematically-grounded methodologies, either quantitative or qualitative, to investigate phenomena of potential interest to all who sing in, work with, or are otherwise interested in choral ensembles. Below is the abstract of this article written by Elizabeth (Libby) R. Hearn titled “Assessment in the Choral Classroom: A Case Study of a Secondary Choral Program.” You can find this article and more from Volume 9 here.
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Abstract
Assessment in the large choral ensemble classroom continues to be a widely examined topic
among music education practitioners and scholars. Scholars have dedicated a significant body of
research to identifying and examining the assessment practices of music educators (Denis, 2016; McQuarrie & Sherwin, 2013) However, due to their design, a number of the studies did not thoroughly explore the why and how of music assessment through the voices and experiences of students and teachers (Kotora, 2005; McClung, 1996; McCoy, 1991; Russell & Austin, 2010). This instrumental case study (Stake, 1995) explored perceptions of assessment practices as reported by high school choir students and their choir teacher.

Research questions examined participants’ beliefs about assessment, the factors that influenced those beliefs, their experiences with assessment practices, and the challenges of assessing choral
music students. Through analysis of multiple types of data collected from various data sources, the findings revealed that the teacher used both musical and nonmusical assessment practices to evaluate student learning. Students perceived all assessment practices, musical and nonmusical, to be in support of what they viewed as the primary goal of the choral program—ensemble achievement. The study identified external and internal influences that directly affected the use of assessment practices at Allen Thomas High School (ATHS), including the choir’s role in the school curriculum and culture.

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Visit https://acda.org/2021/01/ijrcs-volume-9/ to read this article!

The International Journal of Research in Choral Singing (IJRCS)  is ACDA’s scholarly publication that welcomes studies that apply rigorous, systematically-grounded methodologies, either quantitative or qualitative, to investigate phenomena of potential interest to all who sing in, work with, or are otherwise interested in choral ensembles. Below is the abstract from this article written by Janice N. Killian, John B. Wayman, and Patrick M. Antinone titled “Choral Directors’ Self Report of Accommodations Made for Boys’ Changing Voices: A Twenty Year Replication” You can find this article and more here.
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Abstract
To explore possible changes in educators’ self-reported strategies used to accommodate changing
voices, we replicated survey data collected between 1998-2000 (Killian, 2003). The original survey,
developed from strategies of 47 experienced directors, consisted of a checklist of accommodations (treble singers only, rewrite parts, sing an octave lower, assign non-singing responsibilities, separate choirs by TB or Treble) and voicings (2-part Treble, 3-part Mixed, SAB, SATB) as well as numbers of boys taught in grades 4-9. Additional questions included challenges of teaching changing voices and needs for more information. To examine possible changes over twenty years, we made two modifications to the survey: we added “Sing Falsetto” to accommodation strategies (Wayman, 2018) and “Unison” and “TB” to voicing options.

Participants (N = 186) included attendees at music education conferences (n = 98 in Texas and New Mexico MEA, and Southwestern ACDA), and online respondents (n = 88 music educators primarily from Dallas and Fort Worth Independent School Districts). Comparisons of 2020 and 1998-2000 revealed changes between “Sing an Octave Lower” (original: 39.9%; 2020: 19.9%), “Separate Choirs” (14.8%; 21.9%), and “Rewrite Parts” (35.5%; 22.4%). Comparisons of voicings revealed differences in 2-Part Treble (original: 36.5%; 2020: 13.7%), TTB (10.0%; 15.2%), and in 3-Part Mixed (28.9%; 6.2%). Current directors desired more information about the changing voice. They seemed to recognize that information was available, but, like their counterparts 20 years earlier, seemed challenged with the task of translating information into effective teaching strategies. Discussion included implications for future research and dissemination to choral practitioners.

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Visit https://acda.org/publications/international-journal-of-research-in-choral-singing/ to read this article!

The International Journal of Research in Choral Singing (IJRCS)  is ACDA’s scholarly publication that welcomes studies that apply rigorous, systematically-grounded methodologies, either quantitative or qualitative, to investigate phenomena of potential interest to all who sing in, work with, or are otherwise interested in choral ensembles. Below is an excerpt from an article written by Andrew Sutherland titled “Guest Conductors and Choir Collaborations: Reflections from Jonathan Willcocks.” You can find this article and more at acda.org/ijrcs.
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Choirs involved in collaborative projects such as festivals and multi-choral works frequently engage guest conductors to guide the assembled ensemble. An ensemble will usually experience two conductors during the process; the regular conductor who will help the singers learn the music, and the guest conductor who will typically take over the leadership of the choir for the final rehearsals and performance (Freer, 2007). The guest conductor can bring fresh insight into the music being rehearsed and provide the regular conductor with new pedagogical perspectives (Lanier, 2007; Glosser, 2005). While the process can inject fresh enthusiasm and energy into the activities of a music ensemble, it is not always positive or successful (Khodyakov, 2014). Difficulties can arise when the conductors have different interpretations of the music and resulting tension can manifest in the singers’ performance and affect their experience of the project. Issues of territoriality and ego can influence the relationship between the two conductors bringing singers into personal conflict situations (Sateren, 1982). In exploring the emic and etic experiences of the guest choral conductor, Jonathan Willcocks reflects on his experiences and the issues associated with handing an ensemble over to a guest conductor are explored.

The guest conductor

This article adds to a small body of work that addresses musical collaboration with guest conductors (Chuang, 2005; Jansson, 2015; Khodyakov, 2014; Neher, 2011; Sutherland, 2017a). The guest conductor adopts the role of the expert teacher (Hattie, 2003), imparting wisdom as well as training to the collective ensemble. Within a short time period prior to a performance, the guest conductor often encounters large groups of new people. How the guest conductor relates to an unknown group can impact the outcome of the project as “if he is not able to establish a psychological bridge to the members collaborating with him, attempts to make music will be in vain no matter how good his musicality” (Chuang, 2005, p. 2). By necessity, the guest conductor will have a different approach to the music than the choir has become used to (Neher, 2011). Changes in conducting style, musical interpretation, and communication style need to be processed and accepted in a relatively short space of time. Sensitivity to what has occurred in the rehearsals prior must be shown by the guest conductor because “The most important person in this part of the process is not the guest conductor, but the school director who prepares the students prior to the first rehearsal” (Freer, 2007, p. 32). The process of handing over a choir to a guest conductor requires an acceptance on behalf of the regular conductor that musical differences will be communicated with the ensemble and this possibility needs to be expressed and accepted by the group to enable an acceptance of change (Marroquin Velasquez, 2011).

Encountering fresh perspectives from a guest conductor can be a positive process for a choir which has been working with the same conductor for a long time. Attitudes towards the choral experience can decline as complacency and familiarity with a regular conductor increases over time. Gleason asserts that, “Since attitudes decline as singers grow in experience with a conductor, it is recommended that directors continue monitoring attitudes, challenging singers, and striving to be sensitive to musical and emotional needs of singers” (Gleason, 1992, p. 105). Providing a renewed viewpoint for choristers can be achieved through the use of a guest conductor or by participating in a collaborative event with other choirs (Sutherland, 2015). Singers anticipate the effect good leadership can have on their vocal contribution. They are excited by it, and the conductor may reinforce or destroy their expectations. (Jansson, 2015). Good leadership in a music-making context can directly impact the sound made by the ensemble.

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Visit acda.org/ijrcs to read the rest of this article!

The editors of the International Journal of Research in Choral Singing request nominations for membership on the Editorial Board (2019–2025). Nominees should hold a completed doctorate and have a record of research publications.

Nominations must come from the nominator and include:
1) a letter of nomination that includes description of the nominee’s qualifications to evaluate quantitative and qualitative research manuscripts;
2) the nominee’s Curriculum Vitae; and
3) the ACDA membership number and membership expiration date for both the nominator and nominee. International nominees need not be ACDA members.

Nominators should highlight the nominee’s most important research publications and any previous editorial/reviewer work

Electronic files of nomination materials will be accepted through February 1, 2019, addressed to Patrick K. Freer, IJRCS Associate Editor, at .

The International Journal of Research in Choral Singing (IJRCS) is ACDA’s official scientific research publication. The second article in the 2018 Volume 6 is now live at acda.org/ijrcs. It contains the following article:
“Identification of the Adolescent Male Voice: Unchanged vs. Falsetto“
John Wayman, Department of Music, University of Texas at Arlington.

The article’s abstract is below.

Abstract
The purpose of this study was to examine the ability of preservice music educators (N = 61) to classify recordings of male adolescent singers as either unchanged or falsetto voice on identical pitches. Prior to beginning the task, a survey was given to collect demographic information (sex, major concentration, academic classification, and vocal experience), as well as pre- and post-task questions asking participants to provide descriptors of the adolescent male falsetto and unchanged voices (Price, Yarborough, Jones, & Moore, 1994). Upon completion of the classification task, participants were asked to provide confidence ratings on their responses. Participants’ responses indicated more agreement on unchanged voice samples than falsetto. Preservice males were in greater agreement
in their responses than females. Preservice males that had participated in elementary/middle school music programs were in greater agreement with the panel of experts than those who had participated only in high school programs.

Find all current and past articles in IJRCS here.

The International Journal of Research in Choral Singing (IJRCS) is ACDA’s official scientific research publication. The second article in the 2018 Volume 6 is now live at acda.org/ijrcs. It contains the following article: “A gender analysis of composers and arrangers of middle and high school choral literature on a state-mandated list” by Vicki D. Baker, Texas Woman’s University.

The article’s abstract is below.

Abstract
The purpose of this study was to compare the percentage of male and female composers and arrangers of mixed, treble, and tenor-bass choral literature listed on the 2016-2017 Texas University Interscholastic League (UIL) Prescribed Music List (PML). Compositions by women comprised 10% of the mixed choir, 15% of the treble choir, and 10% of the tenor-bass choir repertoire. Arrangements by women included 12% of the mixed choir, 23% of the treble choir, and 17% of the tenor-bass choir repertoire. A categorical analysis of the choral literature on the PML by difficulty level—Grade 1 (least difficult)—Grade 6 (extended works)—revealed that the higher percentages of compositions by female composers were found in the least difficult categories. These percentages sharply declined in the most advanced categories. A total of 144 women composers had works listed in the PML. A majority of the women (83%) had 5 or fewer compositions listed, and roughly half (73) of the women only had one work listed. The 5 most frequently listed women composers included: Emily Crocker (63), Alice Parker (37), Laura Farnell (25), Dede Duson (23), and Earlene Rentz (22). Suggestions are provided for inclusion of women composers in choral curriculum.

Find all current and past articles in IJRCS here.