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High school singers ( N=198) individually sang two melodies from notation, with and without a 30-second practice opportunity. Overall accuracy scores were significantly higher with preparation time. The less accurate singers, however, did not benefit from practice time. Analysis of videoed tests indicated that high scorers tonicized (vocally established the key), used hand signs, sang out loud during practice, physically kept the beat, and finished practicing the melody within 30 seconds significantly more frequently than did low scorers during practice. Similar strategies were used during performance, with the addition of tonicizing before singing. Sight-singing system used made no significant difference. Characteristics appearing significantly more often among high scorers included: region/state choir, private voice or piano lessons, playing an instrument, membership in instrumental ensemble, sight-singing individually outside class, and director giving individual sight-singing tests. Results are discussed in terms of strategies for teaching individual sight-singing and recommended areas of future research. August 11, 2004 January 18, 2005.

Bruner (1977) observed that "Americans are a changing people; their geographical mobility makes imperative some degree of uniformity among high school and primary schools. Yet the diversity of American communities and of American life in general makes equally imperative some degree of variety" (p. 9). These observations also pertain to teacher credentialing practices in the United States. A mobile society will see not only students relocating from state to state, but teachers as well. While uniform teacher certification procedures, as called for by the Carnegie Task Force on Teaching as a Profession ( 1986), the Holmes Group (1986), andGallegos (1978), may seem accommodating to teachers, the diversity of school settings and student populations among the states necessitates variety in certification practices.Each state determines its own standards for certifying teachers. Consequently, certification practices among states vary significantly. Differences in standards appear even more varied when looking at a single certification area, such as music. For those involved in music teacher education, knowledge of the various certification practices is an important tool in providing quality, relevant preparation for future music educators. While it is expected that those involved with music educator training be familiar with certification practices for the state in which their college or university is located, an awareness of requirements in other states is also valuable, particularly for private schools and programs serving a large number of out-of-state students.Knowledge of certification practices can shape assignments and activities within methods courses. While students planning to reside and teach in the same state as the college or university may use state goals and standards when planning lessons and identifying lesson objectives, students planning to teach in other states may benefit from citing standards or criteria from other states or the National Standards for Music Education (Coalition of National Arts Education Asoociations, 1994). In addition, those serving as advisors to students can offer accurate and helpful information to students interested in teaching in other states, particularly in terms of testing and additional course requirements.

This study was designed to determine a pitch skill hierarchy for string sight-reading, to determine the effects of key on string sight-reading achievement, and to determine the validity of a tonal pattern system as a measurement of melodic sight-reading skill for string players. High school string students ( n = 94) obtained a mean score of 27.28 out of 31 on a modified version of the Vocal Sight-Reading Inventory. Success rates ranging from .99 to .72 were established for 31 pitch skills, grouped into eight tonal categories. Significant differences were found between skills appearing in the keys of D and E, with 11 of 31 skills obtaining significantly differing results by key. A .95 correlation between note-by-note and skill-based scoring systems indicates that skill-based scoring is a valid measurement of string players’ sight-reading of tonal pitch skills within a melodic context. Researchers should explore whether these pitch skills hold their relative difficulty level with less accomplished players and between instrument types, establish a hierarchy for rhythm skills, further investigate the effect of key, and identify anxiety levels for sight-reading when the consequences of performance quality vary.