Rationale Study Design Findings Implications

Supporting Comprehensive Musicianship Through Laptop Computer-Based

Composing in Rehearsal

Rick DammersRowan University/

University of Illinois

ATMI 2006

Rationale Study Design Findings Implications

Overview

• Rationale

• Study Design

• Findings

• Implications

• Questions

Rationale

Rationale Study Design Findings Implications

Comprehensive Musicianship

• Broad concerns– Grout (1966)– Typically, a person studying music “is engaged in

perfecting his skills at manipulating some kind of instrument for the purpose of producing musical sounds… But really it is as if one were to say, ‘I am studying English literature,’ when in fact he is cultivating his voice so as to pronounce words and sentences in as pleasing a manner as possible. “ (p.132)

– Grout, D. (1966). The divorce of music and learning. In B.C. Kowall (Ed.), Perspectives in music education: Source book III. (pp. 131-138). Washington D. C.: Music Educators National Conference.

Rationale

Rationale Study Design Findings Implications

Comprehensive Musicianship

• Personal discovery • student-centered• active learning

• Multiple modes• composition• analysis• performance

• Gestalt psychology • music is approached as a totality• “explorative and creative enterprise”• not “ a mechanistic or an atomistic process”

• Willoughby, D. (1990). Comprehensive Musicianship. The Quarterly, 1(3), 39-44.

Rationale

Rationale Study Design Findings Implications

Comprehensive Musicianship

• Impact– Ideals/ educational theory

• National Standards

– Largely unrealized in practice

Rationale

Rationale Study Design Findings Implications

Obstacles

• Efficiency– Paper and pencil– Lack of immediate sound feedback– Large class sizes– Performance orientation

• Tradition– Performance emphasis– We teach as we were taught

Rationale

Rationale Study Design Findings Implications

What’s changed?

• Ubiquitous Computing (in the band room)• Laptops• Wireless Networks• Headphones• Free notation software

Rationale

Rationale Study Design Findings Implications

Technology as Change Agent

• Efficient composing– Immediate sound feedback– Simple interfaces

• Changes students’ relationship to music• Removes ‘real time’ demands• Work with the whole• Students make the musical decisions• Divergent thinking

• Realize aims of Comprehensive Musicianship

Rationale

Rationale Study Design Findings Implications

The Study

• Composition Project– Eighth grade band– In rehearsal– Laptops

Study Design

Rationale Study Design Findings Implications

Composition Problem

• Compose a melody– Model piece

• The Cowboys (Williams/Bocook)

• Specific concepts– ABACBA Form

– Tonal Form (Eflat- Bflat-F- Eflat Major)

– Dotted Eighth-Sixteenth

• Small Ensemble Option– Harmony

Study Design

Rationale Study Design Findings Implications

The Band

• Middle School– Affluent Midwestern suburb– Available laptops and wireless network

• Experienced director– 28 years

• 50 students– N=24

• “Classroom management challenge”

Study Design

Rationale Study Design Findings Implications

Composition Problem

• Two Introductory Presentations– Cowboys/ Williams Overview

• Full band

– Project and Notepad Instructions• Subjects only

Study Design

Rationale Study Design Findings Implications

Rehearsal Composing Procedures

• Equipment– 10 iBook laptops

– Headphones

– Finale NotePad

• Four groups– 6-7 students

– Seated in back corner

– Once per week

– 14 weeks (11 weeks)

Study Design

Rationale Study Design Findings Implications

Research Questions

• Student Compositions

• Enabling Skills and Conditions

• Student Experiences and Beliefs

Study Design

Rationale Study Design Findings Implications

Student Compositions

1. To what extent do students’ compositions provide evidence of musical craftsmanship?

2. To what extent do students’ compositions provide evidence of creativity?

3. To what extent do students’ compositions provide evidence of conceptual understanding?

4. How are the ratings of craftsmanship, creativity, and conceptual understanding related?

Study Design

Rationale Study Design Findings Implications

Enabling Skills and Conditions

5. To what extent do students revise their compositions?

6. Do students’ performance skills provide them with enabling skills that allow them to successfully complete the assignment?

7. Do students’ other prior musical experiences provide them with enabling skills that to allow them to successfully complete the assignment?

8. Are the enabling conditions in the band rehearsal context conducive for successful composing?

Study Design

Rationale Study Design Findings Implications

Students’ Experiences and Beliefs

9. To what extent do students enjoy the composition process?

10. Do students believe that they can compose successfully?

11. Do students believe that composing affects their performance ability?

Study Design

Rationale Study Design Findings Implications

Data Collection

• Compositions– Early and final drafts– Three rating scales

• Field Observations

• Director Interview

• Performance Ranking

• Student Surveys

Study Design

Rationale Study Design Findings Implications

Rating Scales

• Craftsmanship – Exam the extent to which students have written phrases

in their piece that connect to the larger structural form. Are their phrases cohesive and the piece musical?

– 0 (unstructured) to 8 (cohesive)

• Creativity– Amabile’s consensual assessment

– In relationship to the other compositions in the study:– 0 (least creative) to 8 (most creative)

Study Design

Rationale Study Design Findings Implications

Rating Scales

• Conceptual understanding– Sub-scales

– 0 (not evident) to 8 (clear)

• Form

• ABACBA Form

• Tonal Center

• Cowboys Harmonic Form

• Dotted Eight-Sixteenth– not present (0) or present (8)

Study Design

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Judges

• Three middle school band directors

• Refined scale through pilot study

• Concurrently viewed and listened to compositions– Random order– Independently rated

• High level of inter-judge reliability

Study Design

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Inter-judge Reliability

0

0.2

0.4

0.6

0.8

1

Judge 1-2 0.78 0.77 0.67 0.8 0.73 0.69

Judge 1-3 0.77 0.73 0.75 0.74 0.66 0.73

Judge 2-3 0.75 0.78 0.63 0.83 0.62 0.7

Craft. Creat. Form ABACBA Tonality Cowboys Tonality

Findings

Rationale Study Design Findings Implications

Craftsmanship

To what extent do students’ compositions provide evidence of musical craftsmanship?

• Moderate level of craftsmanship– 0 (unstructured) to 8 (cohesive)– M=3.62 (s= 2.02)

Findings

Rationale Study Design Findings Implications

Craftsmanship

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

Findings

Students

Rating

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Creativity

To what extent do students’ compositions provide evidence of creativity?– Moderate level of creativity– M=3.62 (s=2.20)

Findings

Rationale Study Design Findings Implications

Creativity

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

Findings

Students

Rating

Rationale Study Design Findings Implications

Conceptual Understanding

To what extent do students’ compositions provide evidence of conceptual understanding?

• Low level of conceptual understanding– M=2.67 (s=1.92)

Findings

Rationale Study Design Findings Implications

Conceptual Understanding

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

Findings

Students

Rating

Rationale Study Design Findings Implications

Scale RelationshipHow are the ratings of craftsmanship, creativity, and

conceptual understanding related?

• Highly correlated– Craftsmanship and creativity

• Similar scores

– Conceptual understanding • Lower scores

Findings

Rationale Study Design Findings Implications

Scale Relationship

Ratings Correlations

Scale Craftsmanship Creativity Conceptual Understanding

Craftsmanship 1 .954** .817**

Creativity - 1 .855**

Conceptual Understanding

- - 1

•Note: Final compositions (N=23).

•** p<0.01, two-tailed.

Findings

Rationale Study Design Findings Implications

Gender

• No significant differences– Mann Whitney U

Findings

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Examples

• Example #1– Craftsmanship (0)– Creativity (0)– Conceptual understanding (.07)

• Form (.33)• ABACBA (0)• Tonal center (0)• Cowboys tonal form (0)• Dotted eighth-sixteenth (0)

Findings

Rationale Study Design Findings Implications

Examples

• Example # 2– Craftsmanship (2.67)– Creativity (3.67)– Conceptual understanding (3.33)

• Form (5.67)• ABACBA (4)• Tonal center (3)• Cowboys tonal form (4)• Dotted-eighth sixteenth (0)

Findings

Rationale Study Design Findings Implications

Examples

• Example #3– Craftsmanship (8)– Creativity (7.67)– Conceptual understanding (6)

• Form (7.67)• ABACBA (3)• Tonal center (7.67)• Cowboys tonal form (3.67)• Dotted eighth-sixteenth (8)

Findings

Rationale Study Design Findings Implications

Enabling Skills & Conditions

Findings

Rationale Study Design Findings Implications

Revision

5. To what extent do students revise their compositions?

Findings

Rationale Study Design Findings Implications

Revision

• High level of self-reported revision– Final survey

• I changed or revised parts of my composition after I first entered the notes.

• Likert Scale (0= Disagree to 5= Agree)

• M=3.71 (s=1.45)

• (n=21)

Findings

Rationale Study Design Findings Implications

Revision

• Low level of observed revision• Early vs. final draft observations

– Addition of new material 65%– Complete replacement of existing material 25%– Revision of existing material 10%– (n=20)

Findings

Rationale Study Design Findings Implications

Revision

• Students tended to revise– within a composing session– not material from prior sessions

Findings

Rationale Study Design Findings Implications

Performance Skills

Do students’ performance skills provide them with enabling skills that allow them to successfully complete the assignment?

• Director ranking & composition ratings

• Moderate correlation

Findings

Rationale Study Design Findings Implications

Performance Skills

• Correlation– Spearman Rho

• p<.01

• Performance ranking and:– Craftsmanship

• r=.524

– Creativity• r=..584

– Conceptual Understanding• r=.608

Findings

Rationale Study Design Findings Implications

Performance Skills

Findings

Rationale Study Design Findings Implications

Outside Musical Experience

Do students’ other prior musical experiences provide them with enabling skills that allow them to successfully complete the assignment?

• Outside musical activities– Pre-survey responses

– High, medium, low

• No significant differences in composition ratings– Kruskal-Wallis

Findings

Rationale Study Design Findings Implications

Rehearsal Conditions

Are the enabling conditions in the band rehearsal context conducive for successful composing?

• Positive observations– High level of composer engagement

• More engaged than performing students

– Rehearsal continued unimpeded• While I was playing in rehearsal, I found it distracting to have

other students composing. • M=.33 (s=.58)

– No behavior issues observed

Findings

Rationale Study Design Findings Implications

Rehearsal Conditions

• Challenges– Rehearsal Sound

• While composing, I was distracted by the sound of the band rehearsing

– M= 4.52 (s=.602).

• I was able to hear the computer play back my piece, met with a lower response

– M=2.10 (s=1.41)

• Hands over headphones

– Disconnect with rehearsal

Findings

Rationale Study Design Findings Implications

Student Experience

To what extent do students enjoy the composition process?

•Positive responses

Findings

Rationale Study Design Findings Implications

Student Experience

To what extent do students enjoy the composition process?

•Pre-survey–I think I will enjoy composing in band–M=4.17 (s=.857).

•Post-survey -I enjoyed composing in band–M=3.29 (s=1.64)

Findings

Rationale Study Design Findings Implications

Student Experience

Do students believe that they can compose successfully?

•Pre-survey•I think that I will be proud of my composition•M=3.5 (s=1.10)

•Final survey•I am proud of my composition•M=2.56 (s=1.58).

Findings

Rationale Study Design Findings Implications

Student Experience

Do students believe that composing affects their performance ability?

•Final Survey•The composition project helped me become a better player•M=1.62 (s=1.32)

Findings

Rationale Study Design Findings Implications

Implications for Practice

• Feasible– High level of engagement– Does not disrupt rehearsal

• Modest compositional ability– Long term composition sequence

• Wide range of ability• Differentiation

Implications

Rationale Study Design Findings Implications

Implications for Practice

• Structure large group instruction– Connect performance and composition

• Conceptual focus in rehearsal

– Play student compositions– Support revision

• Feedback mechanisms

• Weak transfer of learning– Supports need for composition activities

Implications

Rationale Study Design Findings Implications

Further Research

• Experimental Research– Improved transfer?– Improved conceptual understanding?

• Pre-service teacher attitudes

Implications

Rationale Study Design Findings Implications

Summary

• Laptop-based composing– Feasible– Needed– Realize aims of Comprehensive Musicianship

• Students – Wide range of composing ability– Typically not skilled composers– Positive attitude toward composing

Implications

Rationale Study Design Findings Implications

Questions/ Comments