Reflections on Week 5

This week was extremely long but good. We had a great time of music teaching in France with concluding concerts on Saturday in the town of Anduze in the south. That made for a very long day with one concert in the town square in the afternoon and another in the town cathedral in the evening. Both went well, but by the time we loaded up and made the return trip to the camp, we arrived back after midnight. Then it was a two day process to get home - with a one night stopover in Paris and then two flights and a drive home from Tampa to cap a 20 hour travel day.

 I was able to watch all the videos for the week. They did give a very good idea of what a literature review is - as well as what it is not. I must say that I found the video with Patricia Campbell to be somewhat strange. I gather she is trying to emphasize the importance of the arts, but I found it somewhat rambling and a bit difficult to follow the main point. By contrast, Dr. Mertler's video about the proper framing of questions helped move further down the process of putting together a good research proposal. It also served to complement and summarize the main point of the assigned chapter in his book.

Phillips helped to reiterate some basic information about data collection methodology. While the scientific method is generally known by many from previous science classes, it is good to see how it is to be specifically applied to design of research plans. Many of the specific terms had been covered in other contexts (particularly in previous readings in Mertler) but it was helpful to have them explained again from a slightly different perspective. For those of us who don't work with statistics on a regular basis, such explanations of terms bear repeating more than once!

Now that I am back home from my globetrotting travels, I am hopeful that I will be better able to keep up with deadlines in the weeks to come.

Reflections on Week 4

This has been a very unusual week. I am writing this from the mountains of southern France - specifically near the town of Chamborigaud. I have been here since Friday along with 7 others from Florida to teach at a Salvation Army music camp here. This is the first time in 15 years that the France Salvation Army has been able to put together a camp such as this and my friends and I were requested to come and assist with the teaching responsibilities. We are teaching everything from band classes (3 levels), chorus and various electives. I am also writing some quick "on the spot" arrangements as needed for some of the ensembles.

In the mean time I am also working to try to get my required work done for this class. I apologize for some of this being late, but I have to squeeze it in where I can. (We also had issues with our wireless router yesterday, but of course being Sunday, they couldn't get anyone in to fix it.)

I did manage to watch all the videos with the exception of the one concerning Dr. Woody's work. Try as I might I just could not get that to load sufficiently for me to be able to watch it. The other videos were quite helpful in better understanding what a literature review is - and just as importantly - what it isn't. It really helped me begin to crystallize in my mind what the nature of the assignment will be as I get going with it later today.

The group case study for the discussion group was very interesting to me. As one who has worked for a number of years in a public secondary school situation, I still find it very hard to believe that not one of those 4 teachers felt that role ambiguity was an issue. As I stated in my discussion post, I would think that must be due to having a larger staff and the ability to divide things between team members more efficiently. In two different school situations I have been the entire music department and I can attest to role ambiguity being a significant factor in those type of situations.

The readings in Phillips this week helped to clarify some of the issues and procedures that make up qualitative research. In particular, the brief explanations for each of the characteristics of research (Phillips, p.83-84)gave good nutshell type descriptions of what each of these mean and how they should be taken into consideration. The division of modes of inquiry into the two main categories of interpretive studies and critical theory are instructive. I must say that have long had difficulty personally with much of what is passed off in the name of critical theory. It has been my experience that too much of this type of work results from an individual getting on their own personal hobby horse and trying to beat everyone else into submission. As the text states "most critical theorists regard objectivity in social sciences as no more than a polite fiction". (p.86) If objectivity is not even seen as a desirable trait, it is hard for me to see how the reported results can be weighted much more than just personal opinion.

However, the included case study provides a most interesting perspective. The outstanding success of many young Asians has been noted for quite some time. This study begins to provide a small window into some of the cultural influences and pressures that have had a hand in the development of so many fine musicians from similar backgrounds.

Once again Mertler has been helpful in moving further along that path towards a workable research project. What stood out to me was his emphasis on designing research questions in such a way as to provide data that clearly responds to the question raised. In addition, I had never really had correlation coefficients explained to me before and I thought his explanation was very understandable. I have always heard the saying that "correlation is not necessarily causation" and now it begins to make more sense.

By then moving into the explanation of group comparison designs, he helps fill in that gap to move on to how one actually does establish reasonable evidence of causation. I do also appreciate the emphasis on ethical behavior in this process. Human beings are not lab animals and each should be treated with the respect and dignity they deserve. Adequate disclosure of what the participant will be exposed to and the obtaining of informed consent are simple standards of ethical respect. Sadly, in the day in which we live, it is necessary to spell this out in black and white to try to prevent abuses.

Reflections on Week 3

The Research Scavenger Hunt assignment was an interesting (and creative) way to learn how to use the various research and library databases. It was made more complicated by the difficulty in downloading and installing the VPN software. Until that was finally resolved (Friday afternoon for me) it was possible to access the university library, but it was difficult to access some of the specific databases. The system kept asking for subscriber sign in information which I did not have available. Once I was able to complete the VPN installation, things proceeded much more smoothly.

It was eye opening to begin to realize just how much material is out there. In some cases, the initial search would produce more than 10,000 results. Even when I adjusted the search terms to be more specific, it often still resulted in a very long list to go through. I suppose that as I learn more about the specific topic I choose I hopefully with also learn more effective ways to narrow down the search parameters.

The discussions this week were very interesting. As one begins to see how others are starting to narrow the focus of their topics it begins to make me realize how much work I still need to do in that area. Both of my possibilities are still rather broad and that does cause me some concern. While I feel strongly about the dementia and music issue, I fear that, unless I can drastically narrow it down, it may prove to be too much for me to handle on my own with my current resources. I am starting to think that, if I do pursue this, it may have to be as some sort of meta study of the various research projects of those with more of a medical background. I have noticed that there has been quite a bit of brain research on music and its effects in recent years. While not specifically related to my topic, I was interested to see this article a couple days ago: Why music makes our brain sing?

I do recall seeing more discussions along these lines recently and would like to see where that trail may lead. I also remember an elderly gentleman I knew years ago who was a tremendous singer. He had a debilitating stroke on his right side. He could no longer walk and could barely speak without difficulty. However, when he would start to sing, he was just as good as ever. When several of us questioned how that was possible, the explanation given by his doctor was that music resided in a different part of the brain than speech or motor control. This was my first brief exposure to the intricacies of brain research. It causes me to wonder if the musical skills of my father-in-law might be somehow wired into a different part of his brain than the common ordinary things that he struggles with so much now. He can't remember whether or not he had lunch today but he still can play some of his cornet solos from years ago completely from memory without missing a beat.

Overall this process has been quite enlightening. It makes me realize that well designed research requires a lot more planning and forethought than I had previously understood.

Reflections on Week 2

First, I did manage to get my copy of Phillips’ book this week and catch up on the reading.  This was particularly helpful in covering the components of the typical research article.  Phillips does explain these in some detail, which was helpful in completing the Research article review assignment.  The sections on “The Quality of the Presentation” and “The Trust Factor” also outline important considerations in those vital areas. 

I also thought that the first chapter will prove useful in locating relevant research literature with its listing of the number of websites that compile and list research studies and doctoral dissertations. 

In watching the videos, I was particularly struck by the young cellist in Dr. Duke’s video.  His very personal explanation of what he thinks “The Swan” is communicating is matched by the look of absolute pleasure on his face as he plays.  The follow up comment that this joy of expression is too often what is lost in the course of developing skill, in music or anything else.  If the student doesn’t internalize what is being presented, the teacher has not succeeded.  If it doesn’t go out of the classroom and get applied in some fashion, it has little value.  I also appreciated his emphasis on resisting the temptation to solve students’ problems for them rather than allowing them to solve them for themselves.  I also love the concept of creating “strategic confusion” in the minds of students to force them to learn to think for themselves.

I also enjoyed Dr. Mertler’s emphasis on self-examination as a major part of the reconnaissance process.  If we are not able to examine our own biases and tendencies, it becomes very difficult to accurately assess the problems in a situation and to come up with likely ways to correct them.  It also, though, helps point out the importance of gaining information from different perspectives to help overcome our own limitations and biases.  What we may not catch or understand may be caught and brought to our attention by someone else.

Mertler’s stages for action research outline (1. Planning; 2. Acting; 3. Developing; 4. Reflecting) makes a lot of sense to me. I relate to them in terms of how good teachers have always operated: Identify a problem – Come up with possible solutions – Try out the solutions – Analyze results to see what works/what doesn’t – Make adjustments based on that analysis – Repeat the process.  In fact, Phillips describes this as “trial and error discovery.”   

While I understand Mertler’s reasons for breaking those four basic steps down into the eventual 9 sub-steps, in some ways it makes things a bit more complicated.  The process will not always follow neatly in that same order.  At times it will prove necessary to repeat steps or rearrange the order as the various cycles develop over time.  In the example I gave from my early teaching experience, it could be said that I ran several cycles of the first two steps before ever moving on to the 3^rd and 4^th steps, yet the overall process was successful as evidenced by the steady improvement of the ensemble in this area over the course of a three year period.