This study is an investigation of the effects of short-term conducting gesture instruction on seventh-grade band students' recognition of and performance response to musical conducting emblems (gestures). Subjects were 60 seventh-grade wind instrumentalists. During 5 consecutive days, treatment-group subjects (n = 30) received instruction designed to improve their recognition and response to common conducting gestures. The control group (n = 30) participated in a warm-up routine designed to review concepts of musical expression without the use of conducting gestures. Two dependent measures of conducting-gesture recognition were used in this study: (1) a paper-and-pencil measure and (2) an individual musical performance measure. An independent t-test revealed statistically significant differences in favor of the treatment group for the paperand-pencil test (p < .001). Additional analysis by a repeated-measures ANOVA revealed statistically significant differences in favor of the treatment group for the individual musical performance test (p < .0001). Results of this study indicate that short-term conducting-gesture instruction is effective in improving the recognition of and performance response to musical conducting emblems for seventh-grade band students.Teachers of junior high and middle school bands use a variety of common conducting gestures to convey musical elements to their students. However, research indicates thatjunior high and middle school students do not recognize many of these gestures (Cofer, 1994;Mayne, 1993;Sousa, 1988). It was the purpose of this study to investigate short-Downloaded from JRME 361 term conducting-gesture instruction as a means by which recognition of and performance response to common conducting gestures could be improved among seventh-grade band students.Researchers have examined the use of expressive conducting gestures by conductors in a variety of descriptive, qualitative, and experimental studies. Observational instruments have been developed to identify, organize, and evaluate conductor behavior and effectiveness (Although previous studies have important implications for instrumental conductors, there has been little research on the effect of a conductor's nonverbal behavior on the perception and performance of junior high and middle school band students. Specifically, there has been little research to determine whether young performers understand the correct meaning of conducting gestures. One study that investigated this ability among junior high, high school, and college music students was carried out by Sousa (1988). Sousa (1988) cited an article titled "The Repertoire of Nonverbal Behavior: Categories, Origin, Usage, and Coding" by Paul Ekman and Wallace Friesen. In the article, Ekman and Friesen identified a group of nonverbal behaviors as "emblems." Sousa (1988) adapted the definition of an emblem to include the standard repertoire of nonverbal conducting gestures used by conductors. He stated, "it would ... appear ... that instrumental conductors make use of musical...

This study explored the perceived gains of postsecondary peer educators, specifically related to their views of learning,feelings of connection to campus, and feelings of fulfillment as a result of their roles. The peer educator in the campuslearning center is a critical but undervalued resource for student success. This is reflected in the literature, which has agap in the research related to the experience of the peer educators themselves. To address this problem, a survey wassent through public listservs to college learning assistance professionals, who then distributed it to their respective peertutors and SI leaders (N = 1217). Using three open-ended questions from the Peer Educator Experiences Survey, I analyzedresponses to generate several themes for each question. I identified five distinct themes from responses to the firstquestion, which asked participants about their views of learning. Of the five themes, “learned how/ways people learn”had the highest frequency of responses (n = 239). I discovered four themes from responses to the second question thatasked about the most rewarding aspect of their jobs. For this question, the theme of “helping/witnessing growth” wasthe most evident response (n = 326). The final question asked about participants’ connections to campus; again, fourthemes identified four distinct themes. The theme of “campus people/resources” proved to be the most populous (n =203). Institutions and learning center administrators should consider these results when recruiting, training, assessing,and requesting funds for these programs.

The spring of 2020 brought with it an entirely new experience for learning assistance professionals, who now had revise services for the online college experience and prepare their student staff for implementation immediately. This chapter provides a “how to” guide for these professionals in considering their services with the COVID-19 pandemic in mind and preparing for future crises. The author provides tools, platforms, and techniques that their center utilized in successfully transitioning to an online environment. While it is important to reflect on and consider the technology and facility needs for one's center, this chapter also argues for the need to support the student staff in the learning assistance center, who are navigating the experience as an employee and a student. The author not only gives tips, but also reflects on their own experience during a global pandemic. The chapter concludes with a look at learning assistance work after COVID-19.

No abstract