Action Research

ACTION RESEARCH

I. Statement of Problem: There is too much inconsistency in pitch recognition of students in my 2nd period class.


II. Aim
I would like to improve the student’s ability to recognize pitch and sing in tune on a more consistent basis.

III. Domain
I will be using my 2nd period class which is a mixed chorus class. They meet daily during 2nd period.


IV. Method
Methods used to assess research findings will be:

Surveys, observation, teaching video, audio, collaborative groups, pretest, post test, remediation, oral examples, warm-up exercises, sight singing drills, interval study, and Kodaly Hand Signs.

V. Results/Findings
Daily observation of students revealed that a number of remediation strategies had to be employed. Students received remediation in the area of music notation, rhythmic notation, music terminology, singing. Peer assistance, afterschool tutorial, sectionals and rigorous daily drills were necessary to achieve the overall objective and help the student’s unlock the mystery of reading music and training the ear.

Pretest assessments were conducted to allow the student to compare their progress and to realize the need to improvement. This assisted them with taking ownership for their learning and personal goals.

Post test assessments was conducted to reveal and analyze the actual progress and to provide the students with tangible results.

During the course of interval study the students were grouped and studied primary intervals. The used the keyboards and identified common or popular songs that utilized those intervals and performed them for the class as a group. In addition they used the Ear Master Pro for ear training, remediation for pitch and intervals.
This appeared to be more challenging for them as it required more familiarity with hearing and being able to locate the pitch on the keyboard.

Surveys gave the students and opportunity to reflect on what they had accomplished and provided an opportunity for feedback. Students felt more connected and began to see more clearly the purpose for our classroom objective, GPS standards and National Music Standards.

VI. Analyze

Based up on the pretest pitch challenge it was evident that 9 out of 20 students scored a 69% or below on their evaluation. Student surveys revealed that 100% of the students in 2nd period unanimously and consistently felt they needed improvement in singing pitches in tune.

98% of students surveyed thought that the use of Solfeggio Syllables assisted them most in improving their ability to sing pitches in tune, this compared to the use of Kodaly hand signs and interval recognition.

3 out of 20 students admitted that they practiced regularly at the time of the study. In addition 3 out of 20 students did not feel that their lack of practice adversely effected their level of performance.

The students participate in many pitch challenges and were required to write out solfeggio syllables. By doing so they were able to demonstrate their knowledge of the relationships between, the pitches, their intervals, their solfeggio syllable and Kodaly hand sign. In writing solfeggo syllables for the melodies in “Alleluia”
by William Boyce, 18 out of 20 students scored an 89% or above.

On the written “Pitch Challenge” exercise 18 out of 20 students scored an 89% or above on the assignment of solfeggio syllables and use of Kodaly hand signs.

The students overall performance evaluation of students singing “Alleluia” by William Boyce improved and revealed out of 20 students 18 of those students scored 79% or above and 9 of those students scored an 80% or better.

Surveys said that students’ use of Kodaly Hand Signs improved their overall confidence level in singing more than interval recognition or solfeggio syllables. The Kodaly Hand Signs also improved their overall participation in singing.


VII. Discussion
I found that 98% of students that a more rigorous and consistent use of Solfeggio Syllables assisted them most in improving their ability to sing pitches in tune. Overall the use of the Kodaly Hand Signs tapped into the kinesthetic learners and improved the participation of some students who would not regularly participate.

The students really began to understand the concepts of
“symphony” and could explain the relationships
between intervals, solfeggio syllables, the sound of
pitches , and the Kodaly hand signs.

Surprisingly, students were required to write solfeggo
syllables for the melodies in “Alleluia” by William
Boyce in which 18 out of 20 students scored an 89% or
above. In addition, they wrote the syllables on the
“Pitch Challenge” whereby 18 out of 20 students scored
89% or above on the assignment. The writing of
solfeggio syllables forced them to pay closer attention to
the rules of music notation and improved their overall
ability to notate music.

VIII. Conclusion
In conclusion, I plan to continue to employ all three strategies, Solfeggio Syllables, Kodaly Hand Signs and Interval Study. Many of my students have never participated in chorus before entering the class so much of the music signs, symbols and notation seems foreign and meaningless. Over the course of the year, I have emphasized the importance of the following performance factors, pitch, tone, rhythm, diction, interpretation, and stage presence. During the action research, I observed the students really beginning to identify the importance of these performance factors connecting in the classroom rather than on stage at a concert.

I plan to continue the use of the blog and allow it to be open for feedback from the students and encourage them to post their work. I plan to utilize more technology in the study of intervals, pitch recognition and rhythmic recognition.