The repertoire selection practices of Georgia public school elementary choral directors
type: CreativeWork
description: “Perhaps the single most important factor in determining positive choral experiences for children is repertoire selection” (Broeker, 1998, p. 46). A survey of the extant literature on repertoire selection practices reveals a wealth of information regarding suggested criteria for selecting proper choral literature for the elementary chorus. However, it appears that there has been little research conducted or data collected regarding the actual repertoire selection practices of elementary choral directors. The purpose of this study was to examine the repertoire selection practices of Georgia public school elementary choral directors and to investigate any possible relationship among previous studies regarding the repertoire selection practices of elementary choral directors and secondary choral directors. Participants consisted of elementary choral directors (N = 117) who teach in the public school system in Georgia and were members of the elementary division of the Georgia Music Educators Association. An online survey was designed, tested and revised, and participants were invited to participate in the study via e-mail addresses available on GMEA’s members-only website called Opus (http://opus.gmea.org/Default.aspx). The survey was divided into five sections—(1) introductory information, (2) chorus information, (3) choral music selection survey, (4) reasons for selecting choral music, and (5) music educator information. Results indicated that the majority of elementary choral directors held after-school rehearsals once a week for 45 minutes to an hour. The directors believed that the amount of rehearsal time with their ensemble had a high effect on selecting repertoire. Directors selected elementary choral classics, holiday, and multi-cultural/folksong genres with the greatest frequency. Music from the 20th and 21st centuries was selected with a greater frequency than earlier time periods. Directors preferred to utilize unison optional 2-part, unison, and 2-part with…
abstract: “Perhaps the single most important factor in determining positive choral experiences for children is repertoire selection” (Broeker, 1998, p. 46). A survey of the extant literature on repertoire selection practices reveals a wealth of information regarding suggested criteria for selecting proper choral literature for the elementary chorus. However, it appears that there has been little research conducted or data collected regarding the actual repertoire selection practices of elementary choral directors. The purpose of this study was to examine the repertoire selection practices of Georgia public school elementary choral directors and to investigate any possible relationship among previous studies regarding the repertoire selection practices of elementary choral directors and secondary choral directors. Participants consisted of elementary choral directors (N = 117) who teach in the public school system in Georgia and were members of the elementary division of the Georgia Music Educators Association. An online survey was designed, tested and revised, and participants were invited to participate in the study via e-mail addresses available on GMEA’s members-only website called Opus (http://opus.gmea.org/Default.aspx). The survey was divided into five sections—(1) introductory information, (2) chorus information, (3) choral music selection survey, (4) reasons for selecting choral music, and (5) music educator information. Results indicated that the majority of elementary choral directors held after-school rehearsals once a week for 45 minutes to an hour. The directors believed that the amount of rehearsal time with their ensemble had a high effect on selecting repertoire. Directors selected elementary choral classics, holiday, and multi-cultural/folksong genres with the greatest frequency. Music from the 20th and 21st centuries was selected with a greater frequency than earlier time periods. Directors preferred to utilize unison optional 2-part, unison, and 2-part with…
author: Canterbury, Alicia
language: eng
keywords: Repertoire, Choral, Elementary, Repertoire selection
date published: 2012-08
date modified: 2026-07-24T05:04:51Z
provider: Texas Technology University
publisher: Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations
type: WebPage
source organization: Texas Tech University

PropertyValue
property ID: Handle
value: http://hdl.handle.net/2346/46985