Honors College Theses

Publication Date

11-1-2022

Major

Music Education: Choral/Instrumental (B.M.)

Document Type and Release Option

Thesis (open access)

Faculty Mentor

Dr. David Langley

Abstract

The voice change process is a treacherous time, and the female voice change process is underrepresented in literature and often ignored in classrooms (Sweet, 2018). The purpose of this study is to explore the psychological effects of the voice change process in female students and identify current pedagogical trends as used by current secondary choral music educators. Participants included a) Choral music education students who experienced a female voice change and b) Current secondary choral music educators. Choral music education students responded to a background survey which collected voice change process self-efficacy data. Selected informants underwent semi-structured interviews about their voice change experience. Current secondary choral music educators responded to an attitudinal/pedagogical survey of both Likert-type and open-ended prompts. An overarching theme for choral music education students included the aspects of typical adolescent psychological development. This includes perceptions of fear, a “violation of the ensemble” (Sweet, 2015), negative self-efficacy, the “imaginary audience” (Elkind, 1967), and the negative influence from family and teachers. Secondary choral music educators showed differences in levels of preparation and confidence with the female voice change. These findings are most likely directly related to the lack of Social Emotional Learning techniques in past and current classrooms. Applications of this study may continue to inform the field of music education of the effects of the female voice change and pedagogical changes that can be made to lessen negative psychological effects. Future researchers may focus on the effectiveness of pedagogical approaches in use by secondary choral music educators.

Thesis Summary

The voice change process is a treacherous time, and the female voice change process is underrepresented in literature and often ignored in classrooms (Sweet, 2018). The purpose of this study is to explore the psychological effects of the voice change process in female students and identify current pedagogical trends as used by current secondary choral music educators. Participants included a) Choral music education students who experienced a female voice change and b) Current secondary choral music educators. Choral music education students responded to a background survey which collected voice change process self-efficacy data. Selected informants underwent semi-structured interviews about their voice change experience. Current secondary choral music educators responded to an attitudinal/pedagogical survey of both Likert-type and open-ended prompts. An overarching theme for choral music education students included the aspects of typical adolescent psychological development. This includes perceptions of fear, a “violation of the ensemble” (Sweet, 2015), negative self-efficacy, the “imaginary audience” (Elkind, 1967), and the negative influence from family and teachers. Secondary choral music educators showed differences in levels of preparation and confidence with the female voice change. These findings are most likely directly related to the lack of Social Emotional Learning techniques in past and current classrooms. Applications of this study may continue to inform the field of music education of the effects of the female voice change and pedagogical changes that can be made to lessen negative psychological effects. Future researchers may focus on the effectiveness of pedagogical approaches in use by secondary choral music educators.

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