The author investigated the effects of three syllabic recitation systems on skills associated with the ability to read rhythm notation. Subjects were 160 second- and third-grade children enrolled in public schools in southern Maine. Twelve rhythm patterns containing half, quarter, eighth, and sixteenth notes were used. Random combinations of the twelve patterns were combined into complete measures of 4/4 or 6/8. Subjects were tested on their ability to recognize, write, and clap these patterns. Evaluation of these three skills was based on experimenter-designed tests, and a pretest-posttest experimental design was used. Results showed that a syllabic system that differentiated between duple and triple subdivisions of the beat improved recognition skills to a greater degree than one that did not. Furthermore, a system in which specific words were assigned to intact rhythm patterns improved performance and notation skills to a greater degree than did the two systems that used monosyllables.

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This article constitutes the second stage in an ongoing investigation of alternative instrumental ensembles in schools. First, interview data from the previous stage, which documented cases in Massachusetts, Kentucky, Washington, and Nevada, where individual music teachers began and successfully sustained alternative ensembles for the past 5 to 10 years, summarize the genesis, growth, and sustenance of these ensembles. The current article presents data relating to the K-12 policy decisions made by these teachers and then examines these policy decisions with a focus on their implications for music teacher preparation. Implications for music teacher education are considered in light of enhancing music teachers' understanding of policy choices in the areas of (a) program design, (b) student participation, (c) conceptualizations of musicianship, and (d) cultural and aesthetic appropriateness. Finally, differences in inherent assumptions between alternative ensemble practice and traditional ensemble practice are set forth, ending with recommendations for specific teacher education reforms and action initiatives. ContextInitial reactions among music teachers and arts administrators to the term alternative prefixed to school ensembles can range from enticing to threatening, depending on one's experience, situation, and point of view. Despite whether alternative ensembles enjoy support or face resistance at the local level, recent Music Educators National Conference (MENC) publications indicate that music programs in schools are expanding beyond the traditional band-orchestra-chorus trilogy to include, and

Collaborative partnership is becoming an increasingly popular instructional method in arts education. This article examines the relationship between policy agendas and creativity in music education partnerships. It presents four cases from Ireland, Hong Kong, Norway, and the United States. When viewed as a policy option, partnerships—despite their varying missions, structures, participants, forms, processes, and functions—share the key component of commitment to creativity.

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