Michael Trey Miller MUE 6785 University of Florida Effective Sight-Reading Methods

Sight-reading is part of most school music curriculum at the middle- and high-school levels.Sight-reading is part of most school music curriculum at the middle- and high-school levels. Teachers struggle to find time to teach sight-reading.Teachers struggle to find time to teach sight-reading. New teachers do not receive much training in how to effectively teach sight-reading.New teachers do not receive much training in how to effectively teach sight-reading. The Need

Smith (1998): “Teachers value sight singing and music literacy, but do not allot much time for accomplishing that goal.” McClung (2001): Mixed results as to the most common teaching method in the southern United States. Numbers: Alabama, Arkansas, Mississippi, Tennesee Solfege: Louisiana Review of Literature

Floyd and Bradley (2007): 75% of Kentucky choral directors use solfege to teach sight-reading. Killian (2005): 70% of Texas high schoolers use solfege to sight- read. Kuehne (2007): 78% of Florida middle school choral directors use solfege to teach sight-reading. Review of Literature

SOLFEGE NUMBERS

Cassidy (1993): Non-music majors at LSU sight-read unfamiliar music better using solfege. Reifinger (2012): Study supports the use of solfege as effective teaching strategy with second grade students Review of Literature

McClung (2001): Positive correlations between the use of solfege and sight-reading accuracy. Henry & Demorest (1994): Negative correlations between the use of solfege and sight-reading accuracy. Smith (1998): “… no one method of sight-singing instruction has proven the most effective…” Review of Literature

McClung (2010): “Teachers should choose a method, use it consistently, and teach their students to prepare effectively.” Review of Literature

The purpose of this study is to determine which methods are currently being used to teach sight-reading in Louisiana classrooms and to examine if these methods are effective. The Purpose

Research Questions:Research Questions: What methods are currently being used in Louisiana classrooms to teach sight-reading?What methods are currently being used in Louisiana classrooms to teach sight-reading? How does the teaching method being used correlate to scores received at District and State MPA’s (music performance assessments)?How does the teaching method being used correlate to scores received at District and State MPA’s (music performance assessments)? Do teachers feel that they received adequate training in the teaching of sight-reading while in college?Do teachers feel that they received adequate training in the teaching of sight-reading while in college? The Purpose

Methodology

Participants: Middle- and High- school choral directors from Louisiana Active members of the Louisiana chapter of ACDA Methodology

Procedures: Initial survey sent out in August. Includes open- and closed-ended questions. Four-week response time If not enough responses, survey sent out again for additional two weeks. Participants broken into subgroups based on their preferred sight- reading teaching method. Phone interviews conducted. Classroom observations conducted. Methodology

Procedures: Sight-reading scores from District and State-level MPA’s collected for classrooms that were observed. Scores compared to each other and to the teaching method used for sight-reading. All data analyzed and checked for correlations. Methodology