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 from this article written by Karen Howard titled “Knowledge Practices: Changing Perceptions and Pedagogies in Choral Music Education.”

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ABSTRACT

Preparing choral music educators who are sociocultural pedagogues requires the development of a knowledge base of diverse singing traditions, the meaningful inclusion of culturally diverse content in the choral curriculum and rehearsal, and thoughtful adaptation in the delivery of instruction that shows a sensitivity both to the learners and the represented music cultures. The purpose of this case study was to analyze the outcomes of a newly designed graduate course for choral conducting students as they engaged in singing traditions from marginalized and lesser-known music cultures.
The research focused on inequities in music education based on race, ethnicity, and music cultures that have resulted in asymmetric power relationships between choral directors and students. I applied Maton’s (2016) Legitimation Code Theory (LCT), a research framework inspired by Bourdieu’s (1986) work with “rules of the game” and Bernstein’s (2000, 2003b) work with knowledge codes.
LCT allows examination of knowledge practices and can be used to shape teaching practice and curricular content. The research was guided by the following questions: (a) what beliefs do music educators hold about repertoire and music cultures that they do and do not include in their choral curricula in relation to the place and time in which they teach, and (b) what can be discovered regarding successful pedagogical strategies based on knowledge and knower structures. Two relevant themes emerged including the impact of cultural elitism in the choral conducting community with subthemes of perfectionism and concerns related to performance practice, and the development of a reflective praxis.

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

**The ACDA Symposium on Research in Choral Singing will take place April 29, 2022. Find out more here.**

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 Antonis Ververis titled “Male adolescents’ narratives about their choral (non)participation in public secondary music schools of Greece.”

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The purpose of the present study was to investigate boys’ views about their participation in
secondary school music ensembles with emphasis on the factors which influenced their decision
whether to join school choirs. To fulfill this aim, the researcher conducted individual semi-structured interviews with 17 boys, students and graduates of two provincial public secondary music schools in Greece. These boys seemed to avoid their school choir, suggesting that enrollment in an instrumental ensemble and playing a musical instrument are activities of a higher social status, in comparison to participation in choirs and singing, respectively. Furthermore, according to their narratives, they seemed to choose music ensembles that (a) balance individuality with teamwork, (b) instill a sense of duty (“to feel needed”), (c) assign distinct individual roles, and (d) provide opportunities for personal expression, as well as (e) opportunities to distinguish themselves. In addition, they preferred ensembles which (f) do not have a mandatory character, (g) possess a high social status, and (h) provide opportunities for interaction with older individuals who are role models. This study aims to contribute to the international discussion about the reasons which prompt boys to avoid choral singing.

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

**The ACDA Symposium on Research in Choral Singing will take place April 29, 2022. Find out more here.**

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 Sandy P. Hinkley titled “Effects of Vibrato and Pitch-Varied Vocal Models on Acoustic Measures of High School and Undergraduate Singers’ Vocal Performance.”

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ABSTRACT

The primary purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of vibrato and pitch-varied vocal
models on high school and undergraduate singers’ intonation and use of vibrato. The secondary
objective of this research was to examine participants’ perception of vocal models to explore a
possible relationship between perception and production. Participants (N = 76) were undergraduates (n = 40) participating in a choral ensemble at a large university and high school students (n =36) currently enrolled in a nearby choral program. Male (n = 38) and female (n = 38) participants responded to 12 same-gender vocal models, stimuli that varied in melody, vibrato, and intonation conditions. Model singers recorded vocal models without accompaniment on the neutral syllable “tah” in both vibrato and minimal vibrato conditions. Select pitches were mistuned ±25 cents to create the pitch-varied models. High school and undergraduate singers showed differences in vibrato rate, vibrato extent, and intonation in response to vibrato-varied models. Both groups also showed differences in response to pitch-varied models, with flat models producing the greatest deviation in pitch. Participants indicated on a post-stimuli questionnaire that they perceived differences in vibrato more readily than in intonation.

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

**The ACDA Symposium on Research in Choral Singing will take place April 29, 2022. Find out more here.**

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!