Verbal Instruction in Instrumental Rehearsals: A Comparison of Three Career Levels and Preservice Teachers

Abstract

Part 1 of this study was an investigation of the verbal instruction used during 60 rehearsals by expert, novice, and student teachers. Frequency distributions were established for 15 performance variables and 10 rehearsal variables and comments as well as for the number of complete sequential patterns of instruction. Part 2 was a pre-experimental study to determine changes in instruction evidenced by preservice teachers (22 rehearsals) exposed to guided observation as part of an instrumental methods course. Evidence suggests that all three groups of teachers address rhythm/tempo the most frequently. Expert teachers devoted more time to overall ensemble sound (including more demonstrations, instruction/explanations on intonation, and guided listening); of their rehearsal segments, 23% were complete sequential patterns. Novice teachers spent the most time tuning individual notes, whereas student teachers spent the most time correcting wrong notes. Gains for the undergraduates included less emphasis on wrong notes and greater emphasis on rhythm/tempo and style. The percentage of complete sequential patterns of instruction used by undergraduates nearly tripled with minimal training.