Date of Award:

5-1973

Document Type:

Dissertation

Degree Name:

Doctor of Education (EdD)

Department:

Music

Committee

Not specified

Abstract

This study assessed the relative efficiency of three teaching procedures used in the development of improving intonation in clarinet performance. The three treatment procedures used included the Beat Method, the C. G. Conn Stroboscope and Johnson Intonation Trainer. During the six weeks study, all Ss participated in two forty-five minute lessons per week. Intonation procedures were studied for fifteen minutes each lesson while other playing problems were discussed for the remaining time. Instruction time totaled nine hours per group. All Ss continued class work with their school music teacher. The experimental design also included a No Contact Control Group which received no special instruction during the six weeks. Standardized tests using specific items and methods needed for this study were not available. This necessitated the construction of tests by the writer (Appendix A, B and C). A Test Reliability Group E (N = 15), took the test twice with ten days between testing periods. Other schools were randomly assigned to one of the treatment groups, (a) No Contact Control Group A (N = 12), (b) Beat Method Group B (N = 15), (c) C. G. Conn Stroboscope Group C (N = 12 ) , and (d) Johnson Intonation Trainer Group D (N = 15).

All groups participated in a pretest and posttest. The Johnson Intonation Trainer was used to produce a constant pitch while the C. G. Conn Stroboscope measured the degree of out-of-tuneness during testing procedures. Instructions for the test were read to minimize variation. The test orientation consisted of three parts (a) Identification of Beats (Appendix A), (b) Pitch Memory (Appendix B), (c) Tuning to Selected Pitches while playing the clarinet (Appendix G). The analysis of variance was used to compute the data.

Ss were unable to tune to specified pitches without practicing systematic procedures on how to accomplish this task. Subjects were unable to change pitches more than .05 of a semitone in the pretest. Tuning to Specified Pitches. After treatment, the ability to change pitches up to .25 of a semi tone was accomplished. Clarinet players, considered technically less proficient by their teachers, also accomplished matching pitches on the pretest as accurately as advanced players.

This study strongly confirms the thesis that students can learn to play in tune through using "systematic procedures" with the cooperative efforts of teachers. It is also concluded that the procedures used in the "Beat Method" are significantly better than other procedures tested.

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