Most information concerning teachers' attitudes regarding inclusion is dated. The present study used the interview methodology to examine issues prevalent in previous studies (e.g., support services) and issues not yet studied (e.g., parent contact, effects on teachers). Research questions focused on (a) information, support, resources, and placements; (b) parent contact and involvement; (c) outcomes on students with disabilities, typical students, and teachers; and (d) teachers' advice. Individual interviews were conducted with 43 teachers (16 elementary, 15 orchestra, & 12 band). Perceived emotional content for teachers' responses was also assessed. Results show that teachers have generally positive attitudes concerning inclusion and their access to support. Attitudes were also positive regarding outcomes for both students with and without disabilities. Several differences and consistencies among the groups lead to questions that merit the study of possible relationships among variables (parent contact, type of support, teacher attitudes).

225The purpose of this study was to examine certain effects of designated activities on attention and persevering behaviors of preschool children. Relationships between teacher reinforcement and student attending behavior were also examined. The subjects, eighty 3-to 5-year-old children, were (a) enrolled in individual Suzuki violin lessons, (b) enrolled in individual and group Suzuki violin lessons, (c) enrolled in creative movement classes, (d) enrolled in preschool activities or classes, or (e) not enrolled in any organized preschool activities or classes. Analysis of classroom and lesson videotapes provided information on teacher and student behaviors. Attention and perseverance behaviors were analyzed through observation of videotape recordings of subjects performing two tasks designed by the experimenter. Both Suzuki groups scored higher on all attention task variables than did children in the othergroups. Subjects receiving both individual and group Suzuki violin instruction spent significantly more time on the perseverance task than did all other subjects in the creative movement or preschool group. Teachers of subjects receiving both individual and group Suzuki violin instruction demonstrated significantly more teacher approval than did the preschool or creative movement teachers.

Performance assessment is an integral part of young musicians’ development. Students enrolled in music programs frequently participate in adjudication festivals and many audition for select ensembles. Outcomes of such events are deemed consequential among all concerned: students, parents, teachers, and administrators. Furthermore, the number of all-state applicants for some individual instruments in many states exceeds 100 and in some states approaches or exceeds 200. This is an inordinate number of recordings or live auditions for individuals or judging panels to evaluate. It seems paramount to utilize an efficient yet fair and accurate audition process to assess large numbers of performances in a short period of time. To explore ways of addressing this issue, the authors designed a prescreening rubric with the goal of reducing the number of full-length recordings heard by judges to a more manageable number. The authors then compared ratings of listeners who used the rubric and heard only the étude portion of the audition to scores of trained and experienced judges who heard the entire audition.

Changes that took place in the perceptions of 18 preservice music teachers during their first experiences performing and teaching in two different field experiences in elementary music classrooms were examined. Following each experience, preservice music teachers were asked to individually view recordings of their lessons, analyze the experience using specially designed observation forms, select two 12- to 15-minute excerpts (one labeled by the participant as “good” and the other as “not so good”), and write reflection paragraphs for each excerpt. The reflection paragraphs were analyzed by coding the ideas discussed in each paragraph as positive, negative, or neutral using the categories for teachers (use of strategies, affect, music skills and knowledge, other) and students (music skills and knowledge, social skills, affect, other). Of all statements, 75% were related to preservice music teachers’ perceptions of themselves as teachers and only 25% were related to their students’ behaviors. Participants’ perceptions of their young students’ music performances and students’ social behaviors were more positive in Experience II than in Experience I. In addition, the preservice music teacher comments conveyed more positive affect related to the use of their own teaching strategies and expressed less negative affect overall.

No abstract