2001 Annual Grant Issue
Chris Horner: Kast Grant Report
Middle School String Ensemble Curriculum

I. Introduction

This project was a great opportunity for me to become more familiar with the many issues involved in teaching strings in a class setting at the middle school level. I was able to find quite a bit of useful material on this subject; in fact I quickly discovered that to thoroughly review and digest all the material available on teaching strings would take considerably more time than this project encompassed. I therefore had to make choices on which resources to examine in the course of the project and which to leave for future work.

I have divided this report into six areas based on the work that I did. 1) A report on the results of a survey I conducted of other middle school level string teachers; 2) a report on what I learned from examining a wide range of music arranged for grades 2 - 4 string ensembles; 3) a summary of what I learned from my review of string instruction methods and music curriculum guides; 4) a description of the scale study component of the curriculum; 5) a description of the sight-reading component of the curriculum; and 6) a description of the assessment components of the curriculum. I will also include a "wish list" of work I would like to do in the future.

II. School survey results

I designed a survey to send out to middle school string directors.

My goals were to find some general information in order to get a picture of the kinds of issues string teachers are dealing with, as well as to get more specific information on resources and assessment strategies. I sent these surveys to string orchestra directors at middle schools in Bucks and Montgomery counties.

I found that string programs vary widely from school to school. For instance, in the Norristown School District, very few students take private lessons, whereas at Episcopal Academy students are required to take private lessons (as is the case at GA). Most teachers that responded have considerably less than 50% of their students studying privately, so these teachers are responsible for providing all instruction. I also found that the majority of programs have performance preparation as the most important focus of students' work. Most directors make a solid effort to provide instruction in areas such as music theory and sight-reading, but this work is done within the context of rehearsing for performances.

The surveys were most helpful to me by giving me suggestions for pieces for ensemble work. For example, I was led toward the arrangements and compositions of Robert Washburn, whose work both the middle school and the upper school string groups will be rehearsing and performing this year.

III.Repertoire examination

While a good part of this project has been spent on developing ways to enrich the middle school strings course of study, the repertoire that the students learn is still central to their work. This summer I ordered over 50 pieces of grade 2 - 4 string ensemble music to examine. This process helped me not only to choose music for the upcoming year but also to get a better sense of what is out there in terms of repertoire. I also developed a better idea of how publishers determine the level of difficulty for pieces of music. In general, I found that music at grade 2 is well within the range of almost all of my middle school string students; music at grade 3 usually contains passages that less experienced players will find challenging; and music at grade 4 is usually more suited to upper school level study. I found that there were exceptions in all grade levels. It was particularly interesting to me that some pieces which are labeled grade 2 call for skills which I would consider to be more appropriate to grade 3, such as 3^rd position work and more challenging accidentals. I also found that some grade 4 pieces are potentially accessible to a more experienced middle school string group.

IV. Review of String Instruction Methods and Music Curriculum Guides

My past experience with using string method books in class was a large part of my initial impetus for pursuing this project. I used the Strictly Strings method for one full year and part of another year. I also became familiar with the Essential Elements method for band in my work with the concert band. I found that, while these methods contained a good deal of valuable material, their sequential structure never rang completely true for me. I used this project as a way to look for what is best in a variety of method books and adapt these to my teaching. I found that most method books contain a good deal of quality musical material, especially short tunes from the classical and folk traditions that I feel are best used for sight reading purposes. I also found that most books had a carefully organized sequence of scale study. Most books try to do it all - they present tunes and scales, as well as technique exercises, theory concepts, and music history lessons. I believe that this type of presentation tends to make the material run together for students. I developed the idea of having separate "books" for each aspect of students' study.

I also studied a couple of music curriculum guides as a part of this project. MENC's Performance Standards for Music was helpful, as was a curriculum guide prepared by the music teachers of the Abington School District. The most helpful source, however, was The New ASBDA Curriculum Guide. The acronym stands for American School Band Directors Association. While some of the material in this guide was indeed geared solely toward band directors, most of it is easily applicable to string orchestra work. I found it especially helpful in developing ways for students to study their repertoire more thoroughly and to assess their own work meaningfully.

V. Scale Study

I believe that it is important for string students at the middle school and upper school levels to study scales as a regular part of their daily work. I have found that not all students receive the same kind of guidance in this area from their private teachers; in fact, I feel that the quality and quantity of my students’ scales work varies too widely. I am therefore committed to including scales work as an important part of the middle school strings course. As a part of this project I made a detailed study of the scales curriculum of several different string methods. I modeled my scales curriculum in large part on the scales curriculum of The Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music, which is the organization that sets the standard for many aspects of musical instrument study in the United Kingdom. The essential feature of the system I devised is that there will be three levels of scales study for middle school students. Each level will include a number of scales and bowing exercises, and each level calls for progressively more advanced skills. While I do not expect that this year's curriculum will be the final word in scales study, I feel I have gotten much closer to a workable system than I have in years past.

VI. Sight-reading material collection

Another skill that is essential to the development of young musicians is the ability to sight-read. This skill is too often left undeveloped by both private teachers and school instructors. An important part of my work this summer was the collection and classification of a body of music for use in creating a book for students to use in practicing sight-reading. I focused on finding as many classical and folk tunes as possible. I was particularly excited to discover a book called The Fiddler's Fakebook. This book contains over 500 tunes from a variety of folk traditions, many of which call for the same skills that are called for in traditional etudes. I have not yet completed the sight-reading books, but I am excited about beginning to use them when they are completed.

VII. Assessment components

One of the areas that I have given a lot of consideration to, in my teaching of all performance groups, is assessment. While there are a number of aspects of students' work that are fairly easy to assess, developing the appropriate complement of assessment tools is a challenge that I am still working to meet. For the coming year, I am using some assessment tools I have used in the past as well as experimenting with some new tools.

One of the most important tools I have used and will continue to use is a daily grade for each student. After each class I give each student a grade based on preparedness, behavior, and positive participation. This year I am giving students the opportunity to assess themselves as well on the same criteria. These self-assessments, completed once a rotation, will help students to actively examine their work, and will help me to gain an understanding of the students' perceptions of their work. Another important tool I will continue to use is the practice record. This year I have encouraged students to use the practice record as a planning tool rather than as just an accounting of their out-of-school work (although the accounting aspect remains an important feature in terms of evaluating students' work habits). I have also tied the practice record to the self-assessment so that students will regularly have the opportunity to examine their work habits.

Listening to students play will always be a vital component of assessing their work. This year I am experimenting with recording students so that our time may be used as efficiently as possible. This will give students the opportunity to listen to their own playing and become more intimately aware of their strengths and weaknesses. Students will also listen to and watch videotapes of their group performances and use this experience to reflect on their individual work as well as the work of their section and the group as a whole.

A final experiment this year is the repertoire information worksheet. This activity will give students the opportunity to take a more active role in studying the music in their repertoire. It will allow students to discover some background information about composers, examine pieces to determine the most important areas to practice, and reflect on the affective possibilities of pieces.

VIII. Further work to be done

One of the most interesting and valuable aspects of this project for me was the survey of middle school string teachers. I would like to conduct a survey of private teachers as well. The middle school years are particularly sensitive ones for young musicians. I would like to get the feedback of private instructors on what factors are important in helping music to be a positive factor in the lives of middle school age students. It would also be helpful to contact successful high school and college age musicians to get some feedback on what factors helped them get through the middle school years.

There are a number of areas of music study and experience I would like to be able to include in my curriculum in a more comprehensive way. The study of music theory and music history, experiences such as composition and improvisation that allow for creativity, and interdisciplinary and multicultural studies can all be important and valuable aspects of students' music education. While the main focus of students' work should and always will be the development of technical skills through the study of repertoire, I believe that meaningful, age-appropriate experiences in all these areas can become part of an ever-developing middle school strings curriculum.

IX. Bibliography

All for Strings Comprehensive String Method: Book 2 by Gerald E. Anderson and Robert S. Frost, 1986 Neil A. Kjos Music Company, San Diego, CA

ASTA-NSOA Compendium of Orchestra and String Orchestra Literature 1959-1977 ed. by Ralph Matesky and G. Jean Smith, 1979 American String Teachers Association

Band DirectorThe Cambridge Companion to the Violin ed. by Robin Stowell, 1992 Cambridge University Press, Cambridge UKs Curriculum Resource by Connie M. Erickson, 1998 Parker Publishing Co., West Nyack, NY

Building Technique with Beautiful Music: Volumes 2 - 4 by Samuel Applebaum, 1956 Belwin Mills Publishing Corp., Miami, FL

The Cambridge Companion to the Violin ed. by Robin Stowell, 1992 Cambridge University Press, Cambridge UK

Essential Technique for Strings Intermediate Technique Exercises by Michael Allen, Robert Gillespie and Pamela Tellejohn Hayes, 1997 Hal Leonard Corp., Milwaukee, WI

Essential Elements for Strings: Book 2 by Michael Allen, Robert Gillespie and Pamela Tellejohn Hayes, 1995 Hal Leonard Corp., Milwaukee, WI

The Fiddler's Fakebook by David Brody, 1983 Oak Publications, New York, NY

The First Ten Minutes: Warm-up Exercises for Strings by Merle J. Isaac, Wynn Music, San Antonio, TX

Instrumental Music Curriculum Guide 1982 Abington School District, Abington, PA

Manual of Orchestral Bowing by Charles Gigante, 1986 Frangipani Press, Bloomington, IN

Muller Rusch String Method: Books 1, 2 and 3 by J. Frederick Muller and Harold W. Rusch, 1964 Neil A. Kjos Music Co., Park Ridge, IL

The New ASBDA Curriculum Guide 1997 Belwin Mills Publishing Corporation

Orchestral Bowings and Routines by Elizabeth A. H. Green, 1990 Elizabeth A. H. Green

Performance Standards for Music Grades PreK-12 1996 Music Educators National Conference, Reston, VA

Selected Violin Examination Pieces 1997-2000: Grades 2 – 5 1996 The Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music, London

Solos and Etudes 2 by Gerald E. Anderson and Robert S. Frost, 1995 Neil A. Kjos Music Company, San Diego, CA

Specimen Sight-Reading Test for Violin 1998 The Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music, London

Strictly Strings: Books 2 and 3 by Jacquelyn Dillon, James Kjelland, and John O'Reilly, 1993 and 1996 Highland/Etling Publishing

String Builder: Book One by Samuel Applebaum, 1960 Belwin Mills Publishing Corp., Melville, NY

Teaching Stringed Instruments in Class by Elizabeth A. H. Green, 1996 Tichenor Publishing, Bloomington, IN

Teaching the Fundamentals of Violin Playing by Jack M. Pernecky, 1998 Sumy-Birchard, Inc., Miami, FL

A Tune a Day: Book One by C. Paul Herfurth, The Boston Music Company, Boston, MA